39 swirl cake recipes

"A tall, impressive cake that showcases the flavors and smells of the holidays. A three-layer extravaganza with a touch of molasses and shredded apple to keep it moist. It fills the house with a fragrance that beats the most expensive holiday-scented candle. It will be talked about long after the party is over." Source: The Pastry Queen Christmas, by Rebecca Rather

Mocha swirl pound cake: a buttery, coffee-spiked pound cake batter marbled with melted chocolate and baked in a tube pan. Tight, tender crumb shot through with bittersweet ribbons.

A showstopping bundt cake with a hidden mint cream cheese swirl inside and a drizzled chocolate-mint glaze on top. Semi-homemade with devil's food cake mix.

A semi-homemade coffee cake using white cake mix and vanilla pudding for extra moisture. Swirled with cinnamon, cocoa, sugar, and chopped nuts, it bakes up rich and golden for brunch or weekend treats.

Peanut butter swirl ice cream cake with a crushed Oreo crust, chocolate wafer cookies, and hot fudge topping. No-bake, freezer-set, and ridiculously impressive for parties.

Chocolate peanut butter crunch cake with melted chocolate-PB swirls streaked through a peanut butter crumb cake, topped with a crunchy streusel.

A Southern classic bundt cake made with butter cake mix, sour cream, and a hidden ribbon of cinnamon-brown sugar-nut filling swirled through the center.

Sour cream brunch cake with a cinnamon-pecan-brown sugar swirl baked in a tube pan. A tender, rich coffee cake with two layers of crumbly, spiced filling throughout.

Chocolate pistachio cake made with white cake mix, pistachio pudding, and orange juice with a chocolate syrup swirl. A marbled tube cake that looks impressive with minimal effort.

A rich cocoa bundt cake with a sweet coconut macaroon filling swirled through every slice and finished with chocolate glaze. Two classics, one spectacular cake.

Marbled chocolate pistachio bundt cake with orange juice and almond extract. A cake-mix shortcut that bakes into a gorgeous swirled showpiece in about an hour.

A layered tube cake with banana sour cream batter and a crunchy coconut-oat-pecan streusel swirled through every layer. Semi-homemade with yellow cake mix. Serves 12.

Malted coconut marble cake baked in a tube pan with swirled vanilla and chocolate malt batters, topped with coconut frosting browned under the broiler. A retro bakery-style cake with a toasty malt flavor.

A wild ribbon cake with melted Snickers bars swirled through box cake batter, orange zest in the other half, and a Snickers glaze drizzle on top. Fun, easy, unforgettable.

Maple nut bundt cake with swirled layers of cinnamon-sugar nuts baked into a pudding-enriched batter, then drizzled with maple-vanilla glaze. Starts with a cake mix but tastes from scratch.

A buttery tube cake swirled with coffee liqueur, instant coffee, and cocoa. Marbled layers of rich coffee batter and chocolate make this cafe au lait cake an elegant, aromatic showstopper.