Cakes & cupcakes

Butter cakes, sponge cakes, cheesecakes and cupcakes, with mixing methods explained.

• Angel Food CakeA tall, snowy angel food cake made with twelve egg whites and cake flour, baked in an ungreased tube pan and cooled upside down. Whipping and folding cues.
• Banana Cake with Cream Cheese FrostingA soft two-layer banana cake that is lighter than banana bread, finished with tangy cream cheese frosting. Banana ripeness, pan prep, cooling and fixes.
• Basque Burnt CheesecakeA crustless cheesecake baked hot until the top is nearly black and the middle stays creamy. Parchment lining, doneness cues and slicing advice.
• Black Forest CakeChocolate sponge layers soaked with kirsch syrup and stacked with sour cherries and whipped cream. Assembly order, chill times and alcohol notes.
• Boston Cream PieHot-milk sponge split and filled with vanilla pastry cream, then capped with a pourable chocolate glaze. Make-ahead plan and fixes for runny filling.
• Bûche de Noël (Chocolate Yule Log)A rolled cocoa sponge with mascarpone cream and a ganache bark frosting, finished like a branch. Make-ahead schedule, assembly steps and repair tips.
• Caribbean Rum CakeA from-scratch buttery Bundt cake with a pecan base, soaked in hot rum-butter syrup until moist through. Soaking steps, timing and an alcohol note.
• Carrot CakeA moist, warmly spiced carrot cake with pineapple and toasted pecans, baked in a sheet pan and spread with orange-scented cream cheese frosting.
• Castella Cake (Japanese Honey Sponge)Castella: a fine, moist, springy honey sponge from Nagasaki with a dark top crust. Warm whole-egg foam, bread flour and an overnight rest are the keys.
• Chocolate Cupcakes with Domed TopsDeep chocolate cupcakes with rounded, bakery-style domes from a hot start in the oven. Hot coffee blooms the cocoa; oil keeps them soft for days.
• Chocolate Layer Cake with GanacheA moist, dark chocolate layer cake made with oil and hot coffee, covered in a thick whipped-style ganache. Timing for setting ganache and stacking tall layers.
• Chocolate Mug CakeAn eggless, single-serving chocolate cake microwaved in about a minute. Wattage guidance, the right mug size and how to avoid a rubbery result.
• Chocolate Zucchini CakeA moist chocolate sheet cake with grated zucchini that melts into the crumb, topped with chocolate chips. How much to squeeze and why it stays tender.
• Classic Pound CakeA dense, buttery pound cake built on near-equal weights of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Creaming time, low oven and the signature crack along the top.
• Coconut Layer CakeThree tall layers of coconut milk cake with coconut cream cheese frosting and a thick coat of shredded coconut. Weights, layer timing and assembly cues.
• Coffee and Walnut CakeThe British coffee and walnut sandwich cake: an all-in-one sponge flavored with instant espresso, filled and topped with coffee buttercream and walnut halves.
• Filled Cupcakes with Curd, Ganache or CreamHow to core baked cupcakes and fill them neatly with lemon curd, chocolate ganache or stabilized cream, with fill amounts and storage for each.
• Flourless Chocolate CakeA rich, naturally gluten-free chocolate torte made from chocolate, butter, sugar and whipped eggs. Water bath option, doneness cues and slicing tips.
• French Apple CakeA custardy French gâteau aux pommes with more apples than batter, a buttery crust and a light rum note. Apple choice, slicing size and doneness tips.
• Fresh Strawberry Layer CakeA pink two-layer strawberry cake colored and flavored by a cooked-down berry purée, not gelatin mix, with a matching strawberry buttercream.
• Fruitcake People Actually LikeA dark, moist fruitcake built on good dried fruit soaked overnight in rum, not neon candied cherries. Loaf-pan timing, feeding and storage advice.
• Funfetti Birthday CakeA from-scratch white sprinkle cake that stays bright, with vanilla buttercream. Which sprinkles to use, how to fold them in and stop them bleeding.
• Genoise SpongeA classic four-egg genoise for layer cakes and soaked tortes: warm-whipped eggs, a careful fold and a buttery finish, with cues for every stage.
• German Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen)A buttery German sunken apple cake with fanned apple halves pressed into a thick batter and glazed with apricot jam. Slicing, scoring and baking cues.
• German Chocolate CakeThree layers of light, mild chocolate cake made with sweet baking chocolate, stacked with a cooked coconut-pecan filling. Custard temperature and cooling times.
• Gingerbread CakeA tender, dark gingerbread sheet cake made with molasses, boiling water, ground and fresh ginger, finished with lemon cream cheese frosting.
• Gluten-Free Vanilla Layer CakeA fluffy gluten-free vanilla layer cake made with a 1:1 flour blend and sour cream. Why the batter rests, how to weigh the blend, and fixes for gritty crumbs.
• Hot Milk Sponge CakeAn old-fashioned hot milk cake: whipped eggs and sugar, then scalded milk and butter folded in for a tender, golden sponge baked in one 9 x 13 pan.
• Hummingbird CakeThree moist banana, pineapple and pecan layers mixed by hand with oil, then stacked with tangy cream cheese frosting. Weights, timing and frosting tips.
• Italian Cream CakeA Southern three-layer buttermilk cake loaded with coconut and toasted pecans and covered in thick cream cheese frosting. Layer timing and fixes.
• Japanese Cotton CheesecakeA light, jiggly cheesecake folded with soft meringue and baked low in a water bath. Meringue stage, two-step oven and the slow cool that stops cracks.
• Kladdkaka (Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake)Swedish kladdkaka: a flat, crisp-topped chocolate cake with a dense, sticky center. One bowl, no leavening and a short bake. Includes a raw-egg note.
• LamingtonsAustralian lamingtons: chilled butter sponge squares dipped in thin cocoa icing and rolled in coconut. Pan size, icing consistency and a tidy dipping setup.
• Lemon Polenta CakeA naturally gluten-free cake of almond flour and fine polenta, soaked with hot lemon syrup. Golden, slightly crunchy crumb that keeps for days.
• Marble CakeA buttery vanilla and chocolate marble loaf with a clear swirl and moist crumb. How to match batter thickness, layer the batters and swirl them properly.
• Molten Chocolate Lava CakesFour individual chocolate cakes with set sides and a flowing center. Ramekin prep, the exact bake window, a make-ahead option and an honest egg note.
• Naked Layer Cake with Fruit and FlowersHow to assemble a three-tier-look semi-naked vanilla layer cake: bake, level, fill, scrape a thin coat of buttercream and dress it safely with fruit and flowers.
• New York CheesecakeA tall, dense New York cheesecake on a buttery graham crust, baked low in a water bath and chilled overnight. Exact weights and crack-free cooling steps.
• No-Bake CheesecakeA sliceable no-bake cheesecake set with whipped cream and cold cream cheese, no gelatin needed. Chill times, crust ratio and tips for a firm set.
• Olive Oil CakeA tender, fragrant one-bowl olive oil cake with citrus zest and a crackly sugar top. How to pick the oil, mix the batter and know when it is done.
• Opera CakeThin almond joconde layers soaked in coffee syrup, stacked with coffee buttercream and ganache, then glazed. A staged plan with exact cuts and chill times.
• Orange Chiffon CakeA tall orange chiffon cake that combines an oil and yolk batter with whipped whites, so it stays soft and moist even when chilled. Folding and cooling cues.
• Pavlova with Whipped Cream and FruitA crisp-shelled pavlova with a soft, marshmallowy middle, topped with cream and tart fruit. Sugar ratio, low-oven timing and why it cracks or weeps.
• Pineapple Upside-Down CakeBrown sugar caramel, pineapple rings and a tender butter cake baked on top, then flipped warm so it releases cleanly. Pan, timing and flipping tips.
• Pistachio Cake with Real Pistachio PasteA tender single-layer pistachio cake flavored with pure pistachio paste and ground nuts, finished with a lemon glaze. Natural color, honest flavor.
• Red Velvet CakeTender buttermilk red velvet layers with a hint of cocoa and a tangy cream cheese frosting. How much color to use, why vinegar matters and how to keep it moist.
• Sticky Toffee PuddingA soft date sponge soaked in warm toffee sauce and served with cream. Date soak, sauce ratio and how to get the pudding properly sticky.
• Strawberry ShortcakeCream-biscuit shortcakes split and piled with sugared strawberries and softly whipped cream. Timing for macerating, baking and assembling at the last minute.
• Swiss Roll with Jam and CreamA thin, flexible whole-egg sponge rolled while warm so it never cracks, then filled with jam and whipped cream. Pan size, timing and rolling cues.
• Tarta de Santiago (Spanish Almond Cake)The flourless Galician almond cake: ground almonds, sugar, eggs and lemon, finished with a powdered sugar cross. Stencil how-to and doneness cues.
• Texas Sheet CakeThin, fudgy chocolate sheet cake baked in a half-sheet pan and covered with a warm cocoa-pecan icing that sets into a glossy crust. Feeds a crowd.
• Tres Leches CakeA light sponge soaked with evaporated, condensed and whole milk, then topped with whipped cream. How to bake a sponge that absorbs without collapsing.
• Vanilla CupcakesMoist vanilla cupcakes with flat, even tops that are ready for frosting. Reverse creaming, sour cream and portioning keep the domes low.
• Vanilla Layer CakeA soft, fine-crumbed vanilla layer cake mixed by the reverse-creaming method and finished with Swiss meringue buttercream. Weights, timing and assembly.
• Victoria SpongeTwo buttery creamed sponges sandwiched with raspberry jam and softly whipped cream. Equal-weight formula, US flour notes and tips for flat, even layers.
• Yellow Sheet Cake with Chocolate FrostingA buttery, golden yellow sheet cake rich with extra yolks, frosted in the pan with a glossy chocolate fudge frosting. Weights, bake cues and fixes.

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