Notes about Recipes in this book

• Berry cream cheese cake

  • halfasleep on April 11, 2021

    This cake is basically a big berry muffin (not a bad thing at all), and super easy to make. The flavour is good, though if you are looking for a sweeter cake I wouldn't recommend it. Also, the cream cheese I actually wasn't sure about, the 'hits' of salt were a bit much, but I think my chunks were a little too big. I am a big fan of sweet and savoury so it would probably be just right if I make them a little smaller.

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    Delicious! The cream cheese added an interesting note. Very simple to make.

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 23, 2021

    This is like a large berry muffin. i cut my cream cheese in much smaller bits, but it was still too much. With the other moisture from the berries, it made the texture almost mushy...or like it was undercooked batter. I would eliminate it altogether. I love cream cheese, but didn't think it added to much in flavor anyhow.

  • AndieEats on July 31, 2022

    Made with blueberries (frozen) and blackberries (fresh). Topped with a little lemon zest, and served with the fresh (strawberry) whip. It was well received at the housewarming.

  • Logan92995 on May 16, 2023

    This was probably my favorite of the cakes made from this book so far. I'm just a sucker for fruit based baked goods. Agree with the others in that the cake almost feels like I'm eating a berry muffin. Also enjoyed stumbling upon the little cream cheese nuggets while eating.

  • Bessp on April 04, 2024

    Made for dinner at a friend's house. The cake came together quickly and looked pretty. I mashed the cream cheese and raspberries together with some brown sugar and swirled it into the batter instead of chunks of cream cheese and whole fruit. The cake ended up moist and not too sweet with a pretty pink swirl.

  • lisari on February 21, 2025

    More breakfast than dessert.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    Very good. The leftovers are dangerously delicious when eaten cold out of the fridge. Don't make this unless you want to find yourself standing with the fridge door open eating the leftovers out of the pan.

  • RobinSong on January 30, 2026

    Made with amarena cherries instead of fresh berries.

• Black- and blueberry ricotta cake

  • bwhip on November 23, 2020

    This cake was wonderful. Fluffy, tender, with great flavor. I used (only) blueberries, as that's what we had, and also added the zest of a large lemon. Quick and easy, and quite delicious.

  • Emily Hope on March 10, 2021

    Another winner. Made as written, though I added lemon zest (per the variation) and used frozen berries (a combo of huckleberries, blueberries, and blackberries), which resulted in a slightly grey/blue tint to the batter, as well as a longer cooking time. However, the end result was moist and delicious. My only complaint is that it might be a tiny bit too oily--though this contributed to its staying moist on the following day. Next time I make it will try swapping out some of the white flour (I'm thinking of a combo of almond flour and spelt, or white whole wheat), and use olive oil as described in the variation. May also try to knock down the sugar a bit (though it was not too sweet at all).

  • Lepa on April 21, 2021

    I like ricotta cakes but this one exceeded my expectations. I added a teaspoon of lemon zest but did not make icing (for a breakfast cake, this was perfect). The flavor and texture were wonderful. This is one of my favorite cakes from a collection that is full of gems.

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    I've baked this a few times now, with variations. When using frozen berries, I drop half the batter into the cake pan, sprinkle two/thirds of the berries on, then dollop the rest of the batter on top and smooth it over the berries. Last, I sprinkle the remaining frozen berries on top and gently press into the batter. This avoids the unfortunate discoloration of the cake crumb that occurs when you mix frozen berries into the batter. Very good. Very moist.

  • Running_with_Wools on July 30, 2021

    I had all the ingredients in my fridge so I decided to bake this. It was really delicious, super moist, and rather substantial in texture due to the ricotta. Good with coffee.

  • kari500 on May 24, 2022

    Wow, this is a good cake. I'm not normally in love with blueberry cakes, but this is so light and fluffy and delicious that I adore it. I used frozen blueberries (and thanks to Emily Hope for her advice on how to put them in without discoloring) and added the zest of one lemon. Also used a bit more sugar on top. The whole family is crazy about this one, and I'll definitely make it again.

  • mindyb on June 14, 2022

    So good. I also added some lemon zest. Used mix of fresh blueberries and blackberries. Forgot to save some for top. No icing.

  • kellilee on July 25, 2022

    This was my first recipe to bake from Snacking Cakes and it was delicious. Eating a slice right now with my morning coffee. Followed the recipe exactly with fresh blueberries and blackberries. Love the size, the low sugar, the moistness from the oil and ricotta cheese. I have leftover ricotta cheese and will make another of Yossy's cakes next weekend.

  • wcassity on September 04, 2022

    Delicious - perfect balance of sweet, moist, fruity. Made as per the recipe.

  • Dolcetto23 on September 13, 2022

    Easy recipe - although I think I should have used an electric mixer as it was hard on the wrists to whip with all the ricotta in the mix, and I gave up trying to create a smooth emulsion as instructed! I also swapped out all of the sugar for stevia, as my husband is diabetic (using a bit less than half the amount, as per usual), and I used brown self raising flour, as that's all I had. And the end result was delicious! I will definitely make this again.

  • averythingcooks on November 05, 2022

    I cut this half to make a 6" inch cake and other than continuing to fine tune baking times when I do this (this one took at least 35 minutes - frozen berries??), this was very easy to put together. Based on Dolcetto23's comment, I used my hand mixer when mixing in the ricotta. I also used all blueberries this time and I had intended to add lemon zest but then somehow forgot. This is a tender, moist cake that is lovely with a cup of coffee or tea and I will make it again.

  • Kag2020 on December 28, 2022

    Absolutely delicious. Used some frozen blueberries and TJ cherry berry mix in an 8 inch round pan for 52 minutes. Overdid the sugar on top a bit and wouldn’t change a thing next time.

  • vickid59 on January 02, 2023

    Made this for Christmas brunch - easy & delicious! Used chopped cranberries and added orange zest.

  • LindaMM1 on January 09, 2023

    Made this with a mix of fresh cranberries, blueberries and blackberries . Used part white and part whole wheat flour (1/3) and cut down the sugar. Excellent ! Will definitely make again. Also used light olive oil.

  • ldyndiuk on October 09, 2023

    I’ve made this a number of times, just with blueberries as I haven’t wanted to buy 2 kinds of berries just to use a small quantity of each. It always comes out delicious and is one of my favorites in this book.

  • Lyssquee on February 24, 2025

    We did a half recipe in a 5 inch spring form, and used raspberries instead of blueberries. Incredible, so soft and so moist.

  • gootenbeez on April 27, 2025

    Made using blackberries and raspberries. Delicious and I can't wait to make some of the variations too!

  • natastrophik on June 16, 2025

    Made in an 8x8 inch square with frozen wild blueberries. Tastes like the best blueberry muffin in cake form. Don't skimp on sugar on top.

  • MollyPellecchia on June 22, 2025

    Delicious. Very quick and easy to pull together. Used a mix of black&blue berries per the recipe. Fresh ricotta was amazing. 42 min in the oven.

  • Ducksinarose on July 06, 2025

    Delightful! Easy! Sugar on top was a nice touch. Followed the instructions exactly!

  • Devons on October 07, 2025

    Excellent, easy, a winner. Made it in a round cake pan, piled Vanilla Bean Whip p. 182 in the center, topped the whip with a few teeny tiny gold star sprinkles. Instant festivity!

  • Beck001 on December 15, 2025

    First time I made it - I had to bake it twice in one day bc was so popular! I made with frozen wild blueberries. I reduced sugar slightly as was a bit sweet for my family (may also depend on fruit). The fruit does change the color of batter. I tried just adding in berries in layers to adjust but not sure makes a difference and easier to just add to batter. Instead of regular sugar on top used tubinado (and light amount so not too sweet)

  • Frenchfoodie on January 01, 2026

    Nice basic recipe, very tender, worth repeating with tweaks. Supermarket fresh blueberries all juice and no flavour though so cake a bit bland with just blueberries.

  • QuinceHouse on January 14, 2026

    A nice simple snacking cake. Perfect thing to whip up when you have a surprise guest or are just short on time. Got the ultimate compliment from my Chinese father in law “not too sweet”.

  • Babycarrot on January 16, 2026

    Echoing what everyone else has commented. My modifications: used olive oil instead of neutral oil, added lemon extract, added lemon zest, used all frozen blueberries (no blackberries) to boost the flavor. Very easy bake. I love that it's not too sweet. I used an 8 in cake pan as I didn't have an 8x8 square and this seemed to work. I used berries straight from the freezer and there was minimal bleeding. Needed the full bake time.

  • eatswhilestanding on January 17, 2026

    Made with blackberries for the first time. Was a bit short on ricotta so sub'd in about 30g of sour cream. Was less tender than past tries, but I think that may be because the oven was too hot, because it had previously been at 400 for pizza

  • KarenPR on March 10, 2026

    I’m not crazy about warm fruits in cakes but seeing how popular this cake is, I decided to give it a try. OMG!!! This cake is so so good. Fluffy, not too sweet and the sugar on the top gives it the crackling texture. I had to quickly put it away for the week otherwise I would have eaten half of it. The only change would be to use less blueberries next time. I would like to try the mix of berries since I only used frozen blueberries this time. I followed the recommendation here to pour half of the batter, put half of the blueberries and the pour the rest of the batter and blueberries and I found minimal running of the color in the cooked cake. I will definitely repeat!

  • Catbiscuit on March 22, 2026

    This was delicious but fall-apart wet for me, even though I baked it the maximum time and then even threw it back in the oven for at least another 5 minutes after breaking into it. I’ve bought an oven thermometer to test whether my oven is off and will try again. I used frozen berries - half blueberries and half blackberries. Maybe the fact that they were frozen added moisture. I didn’t have any problem with the color bleeding. Next time I’m going to add lemon zest, which I’d meant to do but forgot this time. Like others, I appreciated that this cake isn’t too sweet.

  • babyapricot on April 01, 2026

    Heaven and so easy - used all blueberries but sure any combination would be great

  • lholtzman on April 02, 2026

    This is a super easy cake for any day. It is quite light and moist. The berries do make it a little wet, so it needs to be eaten pretty quickly or stored in the fridge as Arefi suggests.

  • kimdube17 on April 05, 2026

    Added lemon zest and served with the vanilla whipped cream, easy and tasty!

  • gabilovescheese on May 02, 2026

    Ran out of neutral oil so added some olive oil- somehow even better?!

  • Pandan on May 04, 2026

    Made this with mixed frozen berries and dark brown sugar I had to use up before moving. This was ok but not one of my favourites.

• Zesty ricotta cake

  • Zosia on March 23, 2021

    This is a variation of the black- and blueberry ricotta cake that includes lemon zest and is finished with a lemon glaze. The cake was light and tender and delicious. It didn't need the lemon glaze but it was an easy way to use up the bald lemon and dress up the cake at the same time.

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 02, 2023

    Delicious. I used frozen raspberries and blueberries. It took an extra 20 minutes to cook through. I didn't add the glaze. Excellent breakfast cake.0

  • pattyatbryce on January 05, 2026

    Simple and delish. I didn't use any fruit other than the lemon zest. I did use lemon-flavored olive oil to punch up the flavor. Delish.

• Tahini banana cake

  • Astrid5555 on August 29, 2025

    While not nice to look at - brown glaze on brown cake - very good. Would make again.

• Maple banana cake

  • et12 on October 18, 2023

    I used the wholemeal flour variation and, since I was out of plain flour, went for almost all wholemeal. I thought it was a very moist and delicious cake with good texture. However, the banana flavour got lost on me. A good cake but not my favourite banana cake.

  • wcassity on February 22, 2025

    LOVED this. The nuttiness of the buckwheat flour is really nice with the banana and the maple coffee icing. Even better warm.

  • anya_sf on June 05, 2025

    This is just the buckwheat banana cake with maple coffee icing. The combination is good as the cake isn't super sweet. The coffee helps balance the sugar, but I thought it also muted the maple flavor - I wanted more. I had to use instant coffee rather than espresso, which might have made a difference. My son thought the maple was prominent enough.

  • rachel_q1lg6q on April 04, 2026

    Super solid but I enjoy banana loaves with spices

• Buttery brown sugar pear and cranberry cake

  • Lepa on November 16, 2020

    This cake was exceptionally good. The cranberries were so delicious here! I've made several cakes from this book and this cake was by far our favorite.

  • breakthroughc on January 10, 2021

    This one is a keeper. Super moist and the browned butter really makes it sing. It didn't last long, will definitely make again.

  • Zosia on February 22, 2021

    Excellent cake. I love the combination of pears and cranberries in pies and tarts and it worked just as well in this delicious cake. This is the first cake I've made from this book that required a longer bake time (extra 7 minutes); perhaps my pear was on the juicy side.

  • wcassity on May 24, 2021

    Delicious. Easy, perfect level of moisture and sweetness. Used hazelnuts and almonds. Completely eaten very quickly.

  • anya_sf on January 16, 2022

    Moist, fluffy, delicious cake. I used sliced almonds instead of hazelnuts.

  • kari500 on March 26, 2022

    This was lovely and tender. That said, I like things sweeter. But that’s a me issue, not the recipe.

  • Babeng.Bubba on June 30, 2023

    Used yoghurt as didn’t have enough sour cream

  • Ducksinarose on November 29, 2024

    Subbed fat free Greek yogurt for sour cream and walnut for hazelnut because I didn’t have sour cream or walnut. This dish was very enjoyed by all and not too sweet. I found the cake to be slightly dry. I’m sure if I used whole milk yogurt or sour cream, this would have been more moist. The pear flavor is not too pronounced compared to cranberry.

  • mjblanchard on November 05, 2025

    Delicately flavored, delicious cake that's not that sweet. Suggest using more nutmeg and more cranberries than the recipe calls for.

  • eatswhilestanding on December 20, 2025

    Incredible. The tartness reminded me of some of my favorite rhubarb desserts. I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts, and toasted them. This is my first recipe in this book, and my first time using browned butter, and I am a convert.

  • eatswhilestanding on January 04, 2026

    Made with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF flour and it was perfect. Subbed toasted walnuts for the hazelnuts.

  • DeeinMI on February 11, 2026

    This is excellent. The cake is not sweet. I also made the caramel sauce. It was very good, and added sweetness for those that wanted it.

  • janetjanetjanet on February 17, 2026

    We loved this! Made it with apples, cranberries and walnuts. Added a tablespoon of milk powder to the browned butter to deepens the flavour. Didn’t toast the walnuts bc they’ll toast in the oven. Not too sweet and moist yum

• Apple and cranberry cake

  • Pandan on November 11, 2024

    Had some fresh cranberries and made this cake together with Smitten Kitchen‘s Cranberry crumb bars. Both turned out so good! I reduced the sugar a bit, used a sour Boskoop apple and skinned roasted hazelnuts instead of walnuts like in the original recipe. What a great combination together with the browned butter. Everyone who tried it was surprised how good this boring looking cake tasted!

• Lemony olive oil cake

  • KatelynScarlett on March 21, 2021

    Do not skip the glaze -- it's what really makes this cake a lemony delight.

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    I thought this cake came out heavy--to do with the oil, I imagine. Still good. Would try again.

  • Lepa on February 06, 2022

    It's Meyer lemon season in California and this is a great way to use them up. Because this is made with olive oil it is a great last-minute cake. ( I don't have to leave butter out). The flavor was lovely, especially with the sharp icing.

  • breakthroughc on March 13, 2022

    We really liked this cake. I used really good olive oil and the taste came through. I also used whole milk yougurt instead of the buttermilk. It was moist, but not heavy. Things tend to take longer to bake than the recipe in my oven and this cake was done at the minimum time.

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Gorgeous olive oil cake.

  • millvalleypaleo on August 03, 2022

    I agree with comment about it being too oily. Was wondering if other's cakes were extremely dense, too? I made it in a bundt pan so not sure if that's why? Basically inedible.

  • alecreid on January 22, 2023

    I’ve made this a number of times, with various citrus and it’s always a hit. I agree, don’t skip the glaze. I prefer swapping the buttermilk out for yogurt - not as liquid a cake. Have been experimenting with making this keto friendly (almond flour and monk fruit). Not quite there yet, but will keep slugging away, since it’s still tastes delicious

  • DFarnham on February 13, 2023

    Loved this cake. Very moist and the glaze makes it crazy good. Simple to put together at the last minute. Used Meyer lemons and they made a delicious cake.

  • djnielsen64 on January 21, 2024

    Excellent! Will definitely make it again. I did the Citrus Syrup soak and topped it with freeze-dried strawberry whip. So freaking moist and de-lish!

  • Devons on October 07, 2025

    Made the Strawberry & Aperol version, very pretty, tasty. Sub'd whole milk yogurt thinned for buttermilk.

  • rebekahbryce on February 02, 2026

    Another hit! Made with limes in the cake and lemon for the glaze and used dehydrated buttermilk. The cake was so moist and tender - a lighter version of the Starbucks lemon loaf. Might try it in a loaf pan next time. The glaze definitely sells this!

  • LindaMM1 on February 16, 2026

    Very moist , cut down the sugar by 1/4, next time will try cut down the oil also by 1/4. Flavour was great - needs the icing but almost too moist from the oil . Will definitely make again

  • RobinSong on April 19, 2026

    I doubled this and made it in a Bundt pan.

  • rebecca_qjfvam on May 06, 2026

    I topped it with the Freeze-Dried Strawberry Glaze. It went nicely together. Tasty and bright

  • kat_6sugim on May 24, 2026

    I added fresh blueberries and a Bonne Maman blueberry jam swirl. Then a light lemon-vanilla glaze!

  • csmith1 on June 02, 2026

    Delicious! Used oranges instead of lemons - am keen to try again with lemon. Very moist, good texture. My first recipe from this book.

• Strawberry and Aperol citrus olive oil cake

  • Jviney on June 07, 2022

    I loved this pairing of citrus cake with the Aperol-strawberry frosting. Too lazy to get out the blender, my strawberries were a bit chunky in the frosting but I think that made it prettier. I used the zest of two lemons and one orange in the cake and I don’t think it equaled two Tbsp - I would add more next time to the amount called for to amp up the flavor. All around, a great cake.

  • jazmin_l3pudo on April 27, 2026

    Moist and delish. made this with strawberry infused aperol

• Olive oil yogurt cake

  • Thegirlwho on January 04, 2026

    I skipped the glaze, but I probably shouldn’t have as it wasn’t very sweet. In any event, it was too oily. Will not make again.

• Cherry coconut almond cake

  • Skamper on April 17, 2021

    Made a half recipe in a 6" round and it baked very unevenly. Tasted good though, so I'd try again, maybe using a bit more cherries than called for.

  • jenmacgregor18 on June 03, 2023

    I had some sweet cherries and buttermilk to use up, so I gave this a go. This cake was very rich and tender with a crispy top from the sugar, coconut, and almonds. It had a fantastic coconut flavor, while the almond was more subtle. Even though I typically prefer tart cherries in desserts, the sweet cherries here were a great foil in both texture and flavor. I would add a bit more cherries next time. But it's a delicious cake as is.

  • takemori on May 12, 2024

    Blitzed almonds with coconut to make the flour/hide coconut texture from SO who dislikes it, reduced sugar and water in buttermilk, added syrup from maraschino cherries to counteract the loss of liquid, halves vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp, added 1/2 tsp almond extract, used 1 cup mixed berries, and finally added 2 tsp powdered mahleb to accentuate the cherry flavor

  • Breannetuttle on July 29, 2024

    This was a good cake, but all my almonds and cherries on top sunk to the bottom of the cake. It looked pretty going into the oven but looked very plain coming out since the toppings disappeared. I’d seriously double the amount of cherries next time.

  • gootenbeez on June 30, 2025

    Delicious! Used frozen cherries and buttermilk powder (mixed with water). I didn't use the optional coconut extract, but will try with coconut oil next time. The batter seemed very thin. Cherries sank to the bottom but the rest of the toppings stayed on top. The best part was the sugary almond slices on top.

  • Jviney on July 09, 2025

    Wowza, this is such a good cake. Made with the coconut extract and coconut oil, didn’t have the sliced almonds for the top and that was a bummer but it was so very yummy. My cherries ended up somewhere in the middle of the cake.

  • thefritschkitchen on May 09, 2026

    Love this cake - I subbed almond extract for the coconut, because I love almond extract ?? I also used yogurt in place of the buttermilk. Moist and delicious

  • mirjoy on February 03, 2026

    One of my favorites from this book! My husband doesn’t love coconut, so I used 1 tsp almond extract instead of coconut extract and left the coconut flakes off the top of the cake and it was wonderful.

• Mostly apples cake

  • Jane on February 15, 2021

    I liked this a lot. I made it with dark muscovado sugar so there were nice toffee undertones. Dorie Greenspan's Custardy apple squares are more of a 'Mostly apples' cake than this but this was more cake-like. I served it with the Crème fraîche whip which made it more of a dessert than a snacking cake.

  • Astrid5555 on December 11, 2023

    This is a delicious apple cake for a cold afternoon, not mostly apples though, not even when using two big apples instead of 2 small ones. Perfect snacking cake to bring to the office.

  • eliza on September 06, 2022

    A good simple cake. I used apples from my friend’s tree, actually a cross between a crab and a regular apple, skin on, and it took about 10-12 of them to make the 2 cups. The spicing is excellent. I will try the maple coffee glaze as suggested to top the cake(update: did this glaze very sweet, complemented the cake) About 340 fan for 35 min worked well in my oven. While this was nice, I have other apple cakes I like better.

  • Buttercups on February 16, 2026

    Flavorful spices with soft chunks of apple. I topped with the maple coffee glaze. Stayed moist. Delicious with coffee in the morning.

  • eatswhilestanding on March 03, 2026

    Used pink lady apples, and substituted some of the flour with whole wheat flour. Accidentally doubled the baking soda, but still turned out okay just a little off

  • eatswhilestanding on January 19, 2026

    Great flavor. Used McIntosh apples. I checked it at 32 minutes and it was actually overdone, dark brown along the edges. Will check at about 25 minutes next time

  • Lyssquee on March 02, 2025

    Did a half recipe in a 5 inch springform, and included a drizzle of the maple coffee glaze as recommended. Super tasty, we used Envy apples (we had them) and they worked great. I did not skip the espresso and the whiskey, and they really added a depth of flavor. As with this entire book, the win is that it's one bowl and my 3 year old can easily help. :)

  • DeeinMI on November 20, 2025

    Big hit at my house.

  • ldyndiuk on October 30, 2022

    This wasn’t really “mostly apples” as described - there’s a good bit of cake between the apples. The flavors weren’t as strong as I had hoped, but we’re having no problem eating the whole thing in 24 hours.

  • Ducksinarose on October 26, 2025

    I used rum instead of whiskey. This was delicious. My mom thought this was dry but I thought it was incredibly moist.

  • IdleExpatter on May 16, 2026

    Yummmmmmmmm. Added the suggested, optional maple-coffee glaze (after I took the picture) and it was absolutely delicious.

  • NicoleBrown on September 19, 2024

    A big hit in my house! We have so many apples right now. I keep looking for ways to use them up! Love that the recipe is one bowl. Whipped it up quickly in my kitchen aid. I skipped the whiskey & instant espresso. Used the 9” round cake pan. I also skipped walnuts because I knew my kids wouldn’t help eat it otherwise. 35 minutes was perfect baking time.

  • gootenbeez on November 16, 2025

    Delicious and easy as usual. I added an extra apple. I made the suggested maple coffee glaze.

  • mjblanchard on November 05, 2025

    Our favorite fall cake, and always a hit. Even better if you top with the maple coffee glaze and extra toasted pecans for some more texture.

  • Pandan on October 24, 2024

    I made this super spontaneously because my two year old wanted to bake a cake and I just opened up the book to the first recipe we had the ingredients for. We reduced the sugar a little bit and used three small apples because my son insisted on cutting another apple with his kids knife: :) The cake still held together and tasted good even with a little bit less walnuts.

  • FromScratch on November 11, 2023

    Actually better after a day or two. Doubled the cinnamon and it wasn't too much.

  • Lepa on December 10, 2020

    This won't replace my favorite apple cake (Dorie Greenspan's Marie Helene cake) but it is easy and tasty.

  • averythingcooks on July 07, 2024

    I agree with some other comments...not sure it is actually "mostly apples" & not sure it is better than the Dorie Greenspan "Marie Helene cake" BUT it came together quickly and the cakey part is moist & delicious! I used spiced Jamaican rum in place of the whiskey & I also added the optional espresso powder. Half of this is going to my father-in-law (who will be thrilled!) and the 1/2 staying here won't last long :)

  • anya_sf on March 20, 2021

    Simple, delicious cake that is tender, moist, and fluffy, sweet enough for dessert, but not too sweet for breakfast. I couldn't taste the optional whiskey and espresso powder, but imagine they added background notes; the overall spice blend was very nice.

  • et12 on November 25, 2025

    Tried this recipe after recently making the pear version of the cake, it was equally delicious, quick to make and a good way to use up spare apples.

  • Skamper on July 04, 2024

    This was very good. I subbed an equivalent amount of penzeys pie spice for the cinnamon and nutmeg. also used splenda brown sugar blend, which may have resulted in slightly less rise, but tasted great, and I liked the ratio of apples to cake.

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Gone in a day it was that good!

• Almond butter banana cake

  • Cheri on June 12, 2022

    Agree with Zosia, a bit gummy. Better a couple of days later. Overall almond butter nice foil for sweetness. Would repeat. Hubby loved it.

  • vickster on February 03, 2021

    I made with peanut butter instead of almond butter. It was a delicious, moist easy cake.

  • Astrid5555 on February 04, 2023

    Solid, easy, not too sweet and moist banana cake.

  • wcassity on April 25, 2021

    Delicious. Quick, moist, perfect sweetness. Added no glaze. Used coconut almond butter but didn’t pick up any coconut taste.

  • Zosia on June 15, 2021

    Very nice flavour. Texture was a little gummy while still warm but improved once it cooled completely. perhaps a little less banana is needed?

  • Bessp on January 17, 2025

    Made this cake, substituting sunflower butter for almond butter. It came out great! Nice and moist with good banana flavor at 35 minutes. I also put on nutella frosting to make it more of a dessert, which worked quite well.

  • Jviney on February 02, 2021

    Loved the richness the almond butter brought to this cake. I haven’t yet tried it at room temp...couldn’t wait for it to cool! Third easy winner from this cookbook.

  • jaceygrusnick on March 24, 2021

    Super moist, delicious cake. As the book title implies, it's great for snacking and not too sweet. Will definitely make again.

  • Gneissspice on January 16, 2021

    Easy to make one bowl—especially when you have bananas that need using up. Take her advice and add liquid for glaze a little at a time. We (my little helpers) added too much and the glaze was too thin to stay on the cake.

  • Lepa on May 11, 2021

    This was a nice version of banana bread. It turned out pretty well but I have had issues with several recipes in this book because the dry ingredients are all dumped directly into the wet instead of mixing the dry ingredients first. I whisked the baking powder in before adding the flour but still ended up with pockets of baking powder or soda in the cake, which was off-putting. From now on, I'll mix my dry ingredients before adding them to wet even if it will dirty another bowl.

  • Devons on October 07, 2025

    It baked up sort of flat in the 8x8 square pan. Maybe loaf pan will produce a more gratifyingly tall cake :-)

  • ana_b3gye8 on January 15, 2026

    Used PB instead and added milk chocolate Chips. Got rave reviews!!

  • sophie_lfm61y on May 10, 2026

    Subbed PB for almond butter, along with yogurt for the milk. Came out moist and tender but felt like it was lacking something. Would make my regular banana bread over this recipe but it was fun to try something new

• Swirled jam cake

  • ccav on December 30, 2023

    Used marizpan strawberry jam, which may have not been the right consistency because it kind of melted into the cake a bit. Next time will choose a "heavier" jam and swirl to leave bigger swaths of jam.

  • abrownb1 on July 23, 2021

    I love making jam so this was a no brainer to test out. A half recipe baked perfectly in a 6 in round pan. Swirled in some homemade blueberry maple jam and made the blueberry variation. Great texture - moist but sturdy which is perfect for a snack cake. So much flavor for such a simple recipe. Next time I may add some sort of crumb topping to make a coffee cake.

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 09, 2023

    It was an easy cake, but I thought that it was rather plain. I used a heaping 1/3 c strawberry jam. The jam didn't really help much. Mostly just tasted like plain vanilla, which isn't my favorite. I did try a piece with some added raspberry jam and that was much better. I think I need a jam that's a bit tart... something with a stronger flavor to contrast with the vanilla. It was alright. As far as a sour cream-based batter, I prefer the sour cream muffins with raspberries or blueberries from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking.

  • hirsheys on January 31, 2021

    I used a chunky tart cherry jam for this - I was using one from my pantry and couldn't tell if it was chunky or smooth before opening... It's lovely - only lightly sweet (almost like a muffin) and the perfect teatime cake. (Though I should note that I didn't dust powdered sugar over the top, so my version was missing a bit of the sweetness that's called for in the recipe.) I found this super easy and worth making again, though if using a chunky jam again, I'd use more than 1/3 c (the chunks don't distribute well). I'm going to try to freeze pieces of this for later.

  • Zosia on May 16, 2021

    Nice moist vanilla cake. I used forest berry fruit spread and it didn't sink. This will get made again.

  • rebecca_qjfvam on May 06, 2026

    I did not do a great job getting the jam swirled downwards which made the bottom half of my cake a tad dry…though over baking probably also contributed. The flavor of the cake was nice, despite my user errors. Mine was more a 3.5 stars, but I rounded up

  • rebeka_eveksv on March 17, 2026

    Loved the flavour of the cake, but my jam, too, sank to the bottom. So the bottom now is more moist than the top.

  • RhymesWithPhone on May 23, 2026

    I have made the majority of this book, and this is one of my favorites. It tastes like what a Tastykake jelly krimpet aspires to (iykyk). The cake is simple and rich and you can use any jam, which gives a tart contrast.

  • jhavens on April 04, 2026

    This was really easy and delicious.

  • eatswhilestanding on April 09, 2026

    Made with rhubarb compote. Quite plain, but good as a vanilla cake. Next time would put zest and spices and more jam.

  • rachel821571 on May 07, 2026

    Good no fuss cake. I used some homemade strawberry rhubarb rose jam. Also added lemon zest to the sour cream, and used half vanilla sugar to give it some extra flavor. Cook for 25-27 minutes! 35 would have been way too long for mine

  • babyapricot on April 01, 2026

    So good with strawberry rhubarb jam - use more than recommended and really swirl it - didn’t love it as much with cherry jam

  • cklauber2 on March 04, 2026

    Used the Trader Joe’s guava spread and it was absolutely delightful.

  • IdleExpatter on March 26, 2026

    I can't believe this was ACTUALLY as easy as stirring some stuff in a single bowl, but it was! Great result too. Fluffy, tender, moist, and not very sweet. I made the suggested variant with the lemon zest, nutmeg, and blueberry jam, and we loved it. As the recipe notes, would be a great breakfast or brunch cake too.

  • gootenbeez on April 02, 2026

    This is delicious! This book has still never let me down. Even the batter is insanely delicious. I used about 1/2c of a mixed berry spread and swirled vigorously haha Also I sprinkled some granulated sugar on top before baking because I knew I wouldn't remember to use powdered sugar.

  • thebingelife on September 30, 2025

    This was good. I used blueberry jam but it wasn’t smooth (oops) and so it all sunk. Still yummy!

  • Jviney on January 25, 2021

    This was a delicious cake, quick and easy to make, and perfect, PERFECT, for a cold winter day with a storm coming. I made strawberry jam last summer and used a heaping 1/3 cup, would probably add even more next time. My jam sunk down to the bottom of the cake, unlike the picture in the book, but we enjoyed every bite. The vanilla bean paste gave a lovely complementary note. Will be repeated for sure.

  • ChelseaP on July 07, 2022

    Beautifully moist and not too sweet cake. I did the plum and cardamom variation.

  • Kag2020 on October 02, 2022

    Yummy. Made with a rich apple butter and this was absolute perfection. Used 3/4 of the sour cream and subbed whole milk for the balance. The cake has a lovely crumb, was quick to put together and would be perfect for tea or as part of a brunch menu.

  • Vinsmom on March 19, 2021

    I saw an article that mentioned this cake and I made it before I'd even bought the book! I used raspberry jam and we loved it. It was easy and really tasty. I agree with Jviney, my jam sank to the bottom of the cake as well.

  • cellenly on June 07, 2023

    Made 9" round w/ 1/2 w/ chunky jam and 1/2 with smooth jam. The chunky jam sank and didn't swirl well. The smooth jam swirled nicely. Both tasted great. A little dry, maybe cook 5 min less.

  • rochkay on June 24, 2022

    Such a delicious vanilla cake. My jam didn't sink into the bottom and looked similar as the picture in the book. It's a great way to use up jam, and it's not too sweet.

  • AndieEats on July 16, 2022

    Made this with raspberry, and skipped (forgot) the sugar on top which was fine! Served with the recommended vanilla bean whip. Easy and quick to throw together before some lunch guests. Would use a even little more jam next time, and keep a closer eye on the cook time in my oven. At the low end of 35 minutes, it was already done and browned, possibly a touch over baked.

  • halfasleep on April 12, 2022

    Very nice cake for the amount of effort I put in (not much at all). Though like the other cake in this book I could have had it a tad sweeter. I would definitely remake this with a little more sugar and also be a little more generous with the jam- it makes the cake prettier too!

  • Katastrofe on March 09, 2026

    The jam sank to the bottom. It was ok but not something I’d bake again.

  • patioweather on March 02, 2026

    Mine was a bit too soft to use the parchment lifting method, but it was delicious.

  • et12 on April 10, 2022

    This was a very delicious cake. Like some others, my jam sunk to the bottom which was too bad as it meant the cake didn’t look as nice as some of those uploaded. I used a mostly smooth strawberry jam with small bits in it. I will try more of a jelly next time. Still an excellent cake and so quick to put together!

  • averythingcooks on November 20, 2022

    I cut it in 1/2 for a 6" cake & used a seedless strawberry jam. It looked perfect going into the oven but when I checked mid-bake, the jam seemed to have all migrated to the middle and the middle then took forever to bake relative the outside. When I cut into it, the jam had mostly disappeared...you could taste strawberry but no swirls were to be seen. Did I take the instruction "...don't be afraid to get in there and really swirl it around" too seriously? We still liked it - moist & flavourful and the part that went to my father-in-law got raves. I will try this one again.

  • anya_sf on February 09, 2022

    I used half whole wheat flour to make it slightly more healthy (thinking of it as a breakfast cake) and fairly smooth, homemade blueberry-rhubarb jam, which did not sink at all. The cake was moist and delicious. Next time I might try using yogurt instead of sour cream and would be more generous with the jam.

  • meginyeg on July 11, 2022

    My daughter made rhubarb jam and it went perfectly in this cake. We alm loved this and will definitely make it again.

  • Victoria_from_London on August 27, 2021

    This was really great. Lovely way to use homemade jam. I used quality blackcurrant jam (not smooth as indicated). Probably because whole fruit the jam did rather sink but wasn't a problem and added texture.

• Grapefruit white chocolate cake

  • kari500 on October 26, 2021

    I've been wanting to make this for months, but I'm trying not to bake as much so as to not always have cakes, etc. in the kitchen. But it finally got to me. We have a person who doesn't like white chocolate, and a person who doesn't like citrus desserts in the house, and both of them liked this cake a lot. I love both things, and adored this cake. Love the texture. Cooked for about 37 minutes and it was perfect.

  • Astrid5555 on March 10, 2023

    Rave reviews and titled “best citrus cake ever”, need I say more?

  • darcie_b on February 05, 2021

    An excellent one-bowl cake for those who like a tiny amount of pucker to go along with their sweet. A half recipe works perfectly in a 6 inch cake pan.

  • hirsheys on February 28, 2021

    I agree that this is a lovely cake, and it actually tastes like grapefruit (which isn't always the case with grapefruit cakes in my experience). I added a bit too much juice to my glaze in an attempt to make it pourable, so ignore the "pourable" thing. Really, it just needs to be spreadable, otherwise it will run off the sides.

  • EmilyR on May 27, 2024

    I used a 9" cake pan as mentioned in a side note. I wasn't too discerning regarding using straight juice as opposed to a juice / pulp blend, because I've made the Lemon poppy seed muffins from Christina Tosi in Cherry Bombe and she uses lemon segments which work nicely (great adjacent recipe for those who love citrusy cakelets). I also used lemon skyr for extra protein and valrhona white ivoire. I followed the others recommendations to not skip the glaze. Another vote for being a real treat!

  • stockholm28 on April 11, 2023

    Very nice, moist citrus cake. I am not sure that I’d know there was white chocolate in the cake if I hadn’t made it myself. Repeat-worthy.

  • Zosia on December 05, 2023

    As delicious as everyone has said.

  • MEmilyGrey on May 24, 2021

    Good cake, not overwhelming. Not sure if the white chocolate was even necessary, but it was good. Grapefruit flavor was balanced; glaze was necessary to get the full effect.

  • Running_with_Wools on July 30, 2021

    I made this to bring to a friends' house for a cook-out, and we all really liked it. I'm a grapefruit-lover, but I've never really used it in a cake before. It was just unusual enough to be delicious and noteworthy. Not too sweet, and I subbed in gluten-free flour and got a nice texture.

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Love love love. Grapefruit and white chocolate together were amazing and it wasn't too sweet.

  • Skamper on March 17, 2025

    A light, refreshing cake after a rich meal. 1 large grapefruit was more than enough juice and zest (though she doesn't give a measurement for the amount of zest in the cake). Used white chocolate chips, which blended into the baked cake rather than being discernible.

  • et12 on November 24, 2021

    This was an excellent cake! The sponge is on the dense side of things but the flavour is unbelievable. You really get a lovely taste of grapefruit where the slight bitterness is balanced by the sweetness and fat of the cake. Really easy to eat multiple pieces in one sitting.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    Made a half batch in a standard sized loaf pan, which took 30 minutes to bake. Outstanding. My husband thought it was too bitter, but everyone else loved it.

  • anya_sf on May 20, 2024

    At first I was confused by the quantity of juice to use, but after re-reading a few times, realized it's 1/4 cup in the cake and 1 Tbsp in the icing, although I needed 2 Tbsp for the icing. This moist, delicious cake was enjoyed even by grapefruit haters. The chopped white chocolate bits melted into the cake rather than remaining distinct.

  • averythingcooks on March 17, 2023

    Another upvote for this lovely, moist, not too sweet cake. My issue is 2 "medium" grapefruit. I had no idea (please give an expected mass!) and although she gives both juice volumes, she only gives the actual amt of zest for the glaze. I bought 2, zested 1, & got all the juice needed for both parts of the recipe from 1/2 of it, so it was clearly bigger than medium? I went with a tbsp of zest in the cake - no idea if that's right. I also put extra zest in the glaze in case the cake was under flavoured. I will repeat but I would love to know what other members used for the volume of zest in the cake.

  • Lepa on April 11, 2021

    We liked this cake. It has wonderful and unusual flavors. It reminds me of a recipe in Ruby Tandoh's Crumb (which I might like slightly better) that has orange and white chocolate so if you like this one, be sure to check that one out!

  • Kristjudy on February 17, 2021

    This is a lovely cake. The combination of bitter from the grapefruit and the sweet from the white chocolate chips is a perfect balance. I used double the amount of called for zest and used a pink grapefruit which gave the glaze a lovely pink hue.

  • Anea25 on November 10, 2024

    made it without the icing. great texture and amazing flavours

  • ellwell on March 15, 2023

    This was a hit at family dinner. Will make again.

  • ellwell on March 18, 2023

    @averythingcooks. There were only large grapefruits at my store so I zested a whole one figuring more zest was better. There were at least two tablespoons. I was confused about when/how much juice to add to the cake. The directions have you combine everything with 1/4 c of it, then later says to add the 1/4 c grapefruit juice. Confusing, but I only included it once and that worked out. The glaze was very thick but it spread out over time as the cake was still cooking.

  • ldyndiuk on January 08, 2023

    Delicious! I love grapefruit so I’ve been looking forward to citrus season for this one. I think the white chocolate adds a real richness, and the cake is very moist. I’ll definitely make it again.

  • silent_kaye on January 21, 2025

    Total amount of juice for cake (1/4 cup) and glaze (1Tbsp + extra to thin) was easily obtained from one Texas ruby red grapefruit. Very tasty and moist cake.

  • eatswhilestanding on January 11, 2026

    Wow yes as good as everyone says. Made with Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF flour. I would consider making it just a little less sweet next time though.

  • rachel_a40gn2 on March 02, 2026

    This cake is ridiculous. So so so good. It will now be my own birthday cake from here to eternity. And I'm usually a chocolate or nothing dessert person.

  • AllisonML on February 25, 2026

    This was fabulous!

  • rebekahbryce on March 30, 2026

    So delicious! Slightly overdone at 40 minutes and the chips that didn’t melt into the cake sank to the bottom. But delicious! 1 large grapefruit made enough zest and juice for the cake, glaze, and a Paloma :)

  • rebecca_qjfvam on May 06, 2026

    Mine was more of a 3.5 stars, but I think the right topping would bump it up to the 4 I did not do a glaze or syrup. I served it with whipped cream…I think it was a mistake, an additional hit of grapefruit (or possibly acid from another fruit) would have been better.

• Orange-poppy seed cake with raspberry glaze

  • caitmcg on July 08, 2021

    I didn’t have the same problems with this recipe. My batter wasn’t super thin, and although this cake wasn’t very tall, it was very moist and tasted great with a lot of orange flavor. I measured by weight.

  • darcie_b on January 31, 2022

    The icing makes this cake. I had no issues with the batter being too thin; as another person said it's not a tall cake, but it is moist and delicious. I also measured by weight.

  • anya_sf on March 21, 2022

    Using Greek yogurt, the batter was plenty thick. The cake's texture was very nice, but the cake was not sweet enough, even with the glaze. I'd increase the sugar by 50%, which should help bring out the orange flavor. The glaze would be improved with a bit of citrus juice, which is just suggested as optional in case the glaze is too thick.

  • inflytur on April 28, 2021

    Something is seriously wrong with this recipe, as written. The batter turned out as thin as pancake batter while the instructions say it should be thick enough to require leveling before baking. The cake looked beautiful immediately after coming out of the oven but collapsed into a sodden lump before it finished cooling. Thinking it must be my fault, I made it a second time with the same results. I am a careful baker who weighs and measure precisely. This is the second cake I’ve made in this book that failed the same way. I honestly don’t think the recipes were tested as written.

  • EatinSnax on March 27, 2025

    This cake came out adorable and exceeded all my expectations. Everyone thought it was delicious. Moist and light, with a bright flavor. I used plain whole milk yogurt (not Greek) as directed in the recipe, and thought the sweetness was just right. I might press the raspberry pulp through a strainer to remove seeds if I felt like dressing it up a little next time.

• Chocolate passionfruit cake

  • Astrid5555 on September 28, 2021

    Incredibly delicious fluffy light cake, the chocolate cake complements the passionfruit perfectly. Big hit with the kids and their friends!

• Rhubarb crumb cake with sumac crumb

  • eliza on June 07, 2022

    My first bake from the book and it was ok. I like the smitten kitchen rhubarb loaf, the Diana Henry cake, and the Nigel Slater cake a lot better so I will continue to make those. The crumble was surprisingly dry, sadly, may be user error since I made it in the food processor. I wasn’t crazy about the sumac in the topping. My friends seemed to like it though. Edit: this froze well and reheated beautifully; liked it more the second time around.

  • michalow on April 19, 2021

    This is a nice, not-too-sweet cake with good texture and a subtle, unexpected flavor from the sumac. I used Burlap & Barrel sumac, which is extra fresh and potent, so I used only half of what was called for. The full two teaspoons definitely would have been too much for my taste. Although I am a rhubarb lover, I think this cake is better with blackberries (or a mix of the two).

  • pistachiopeas on June 03, 2022

    I was weirdly out of sumac so subbed in lemon zest. Best rhubarb cake I've made.

  • Pandan on April 24, 2024

    This was really good, the dough was very moist. I made it with rhubarb and frozen raspberries and reduced the sugar quite a bit in the dough.

  • boliver13 on June 27, 2023

    My favourite that I’ve made from Snacking Cakes so far - the sumac in the crumble is such a lovely flavour.

  • ShayLRoss on March 28, 2026

    Excellent cake, I loved how soft the texture was and the sumac crumble flavor. As I didn't have rhubarb, I went with the suggestion in the book for berries and utilized the rest of my blueberries. I also thought it wasn't overly sweet, which was a bonus for me!

  • Lepa on April 11, 2024

    We liked this cake but it's not my favorite rhubarb cake- or my favorite cake in this book. The sumac is tasty. I think I would like more emphasis on the rhubarb so maybe crumb cake won't be my go-to for rhubarb.

  • inflytur on May 15, 2021

    A winner. Sumac complements the rhubarb perfectly. If the crumble is your favorite part of crumb cake, double that part.

  • Melissa_427 on May 31, 2026

    Pleasantly moist, great flavor, perfect tang from rhubarb, sour cream, and sumac. Will definitely make again.

  • Skamper on July 05, 2021

    We both liked this. Made a half recipe in a 6" round and it worked well. The rhubarb is quite subtle. Loved the brown sugar cake.

• Almondy plum cake

  • eliza on September 14, 2023

    I needed to use some local plums and selected this cake. Followed the recipe with the optional almond extract, except I used hazelnuts for the topping. Really nice cake, a bit dense, and I would repeat the hazelnut topping. Took just 35 min at 350 fan in my 8” square pan. I’m freezing leftovers so will see how that works. Edit: freezing worked perfectly for this cake. This may be a repeat for me, but probably not.

  • Jviney on July 25, 2023

    Really lovely cake. My batter was quite thick, I couldn’t whisk it or pour it as the recipe directions say to do…but the finished product was so good. Rave reviews from the neighbors.

  • Twysbeek on July 15, 2021

    This was delicious! So easy to make. I was hesitant about a whole tsp of almond extract but it was delicious. I used Cherriums (cherry/plum hybrid) that I had around the house.

  • ChelseaP on July 07, 2022

    Wonderful! Every cake I've made from this cookbook has been one bowl and whisk, so easy, come together quickly, and tasted incredible.

  • inflytur on August 29, 2021

    The browned butter adds a richness to the cake. Best to eat this the day it’s made. The plums make it soggy over time.

  • mjblanchard on November 05, 2025

    Incredibly delicious cake when you can find great plums. The batter is very thick and may not look like it's enough, but it'll rise. It can also be hard to tell when this cake is done because the plums are so moist the tester rarely comes out clean — so be careful not to overbake. We typically omit the almond extract because it can be so overpowering.

  • ldyndiuk on October 09, 2023

    As another person noted, the batter was very thick and I was concerned about that. I may have overmixed it a bit as my almond flour was a little clumpy because it turned out a bit dense, but it was still quite good! A note about the plums: she calls for 5-6 small plums and says it’s 12oz. For me, 12 oz was 10 Italian plums, but that was too many for the cake so here I’d stick with the number of plums she says, not the weight.

• Coconut lemon cake

  • darcie_b on April 04, 2022

    This cake is more coconutty than lemony, with a dense crumb reminiscent of a pound cake.

• Pumpkin chocolate chip cake

  • Devons on October 07, 2025

    Delicious. Made it in round pan.

  • StephCooksAll on May 10, 2026

    Tasty, moist.

• Coconut lime cake

  • stockholm28 on January 25, 2022

    I really enjoyed this cake. I added a 1/4 tsp of lime oil to the batter to bump up the lime flavor slightly. I wish that she gave the measurement for the coconut oil by weight as I melted some coconut oil in the microwave and had to keep adding a little more to get to the half cup mark. I was a bit impatient toasting the coconut for the top and thus only some of my coconut chips were browned. While this won’t replace my favorite coconut cake (Ina Garten’s coconut cupcakes), this was very nice for a simple cake.

  • rstone128 on January 18, 2021

    Made this for my wife"s birthday. She loved it.

  • pistachiopeas on January 16, 2022

    Everyone loved this! Very moist on first day. Tasted even better the next day. Next time I'll make it a day ahead.

  • Victoria_from_London on August 27, 2021

    Quite expensive and very rich. Possibly underbaked but was a very damp cake. I couldn't much taste the lime, but T could. Maybe try again.

  • jessica_qyreaf on January 10, 2026

    I bumped up the lime flavor by making a lime syrup to pour over while it was cooking. Without that might have been to bland for me but with it was great with it—cake is moist and delicious. Another easy cake in this collection.

  • austen_k0xcxc on March 09, 2026

    Incredible texture, so tasty! Mimi made this

  • eatswhilestanding on February 13, 2026

    Made these as cupcakes, they only needed 15 minutes at 350. I used closer to 2 limes worth of zest. Love how not sweet but satisfying these are, and so moist.

  • mjblanchard on November 05, 2025

    Fabulous — so summery and delicious. Even better IMO to use coconut sugar (vs regular granulated cane sugar) to amp up the coconut flavor — it also makes the a nice rich brown color. We also prefer shredded coconut (vs flaked) for the topping.

  • IdleExpatter on April 16, 2026

    Loooooove this one. Just as easy as the other recipes in the book, interesting flavors, moist tender crumb. The baking times and temps were spot-on for me. Took another commenter's advice and tried making it with coconut sugar, with great results. The glaze is particularly delicious.

  • NicoleBrown on November 03, 2025

    Made as an after school treat on my son’s birthday. I could have sworn I had enough coconut oil, but ended up with only 70g. I subbed some butter to make it to 120g. Family loved, but said it wasn’t super coconut heavy in flavor so that could be why. Was still consumed quickly and enjoyed!

  • coryelizabeth on June 01, 2022

    This was wonderful. I loved the delicate, tender crumb as well as the subtle flavors. It tasted like what I WANT every coconut donut to be (and rarely is). A real keeper.

  • Lepa on January 15, 2021

    This is a rich and lovely cake with moist layers of coconut flavor. Like other cakes in this book, it's not too sweet.

  • anya_sf on May 28, 2022

    The coconut and lime flavors were both noticeable and went well together (although my son did not agree). I used leftover coconut cream instead of coconut milk and the cake was quite rich. Butter (melted) worked fine instead of coconut oil.

  • et12 on October 07, 2021

    Really liked the cake, it had a moist crumb and a good coconut flavour. I only had 50ml of coconut oil left in the house, so replaced the rest with sunflower oil and it worked fine. I agree with other comments that there was very little lime flavour in this.

  • Skamper on March 17, 2025

    This was really delicious. A half recipe worked perfectly in a 6" round pan and was done in 27-28 minutes. I didn't have coconut milk so subbed heavy cream and a scant 1/4 tsp coconut baking emulsion. Made for st Patrick's day so added some green sugar sprinkles to the icing.

  • Jviney on May 06, 2022

    I made this as a last-minute dessert for Cinco de Mayo, loved the head note about making the cake when you wish you were somewhere tropical. I like the idea of adding lime oil and may try that next time but the coconut with a hint of lime was really lovely. Nice, fluffy cake.

  • Running_with_Wools on July 30, 2021

    I've made a dozen of the cakes from the cookbook and this is my favorite, so far. I was sceptical that the coconut milk, oil and unsweetened flakes would deliver enough flavor, but in my opinion, the natural flavor of coconut really came through. You only use lime zest in the cake and glaze, but it is just enough to complement the coconut and not overwhelm it.

  • aisy on May 20, 2021

    This recipe did not work for me for some reason. My icing was very runny--nothing like the photo, and my cake was thick and stodgy, not light and fluffy like the photo. It still tasted good and I'd be willing to try it again for a dairy-free cake.

• Orange blossom-apricot almond cake

  • Zosia on July 16, 2022

    Made with nectarines and served with roasted nectarines (Kitchen Diaries). Firm but moist texture. Flavour was nice but almond overwhelmed the orange blossom even though I used 1/2 the amount called for.

• Pumpkin olive oil cake with maple olive oil glaze

  • Zosia on February 05, 2023

    Very nice, moist spice cake. I used light olive oil (which wasn't noticeable), whole wheat flour and skipped the glaze.

  • eatswhilestanding on January 01, 2026

    Made with Bob's GF flour, no glaze but some ricotta honey whip on the side, huge hit. Slightly decreased the cardamom and slightly increased the cinnamon and allspice

  • jessica_qyreaf on January 10, 2026

    Did a side by side with another pumpkin cake recipe that is very similar but more spice forward (with cloves). This one stood up nicely but is a bit more mild. With glaze and pepitas on top it is a nice afternoon or morning cake. I might want to play with variations.

  • hibeez on January 26, 2022

    I found it tasted better on day 3 as the olive oil mellowed a bit. It also tasted quite nice after being frozen. I used my own garden-grown pie pumpkins, baked and then pureed. I make two 6" cakes from these recipes and freeze one, so that a) we don't have too much cake at one time and b) there's a cake in the freezer for emergencies.

  • robinswood on March 12, 2021

    Loved this. Very moist and the glaze really works well with it. I used Kirkland Organic EVOO. You could taste the oil but I liked it.

  • breakthroughc on January 06, 2023

    We loved this cake. Moist, flavorful and dairy free. I was a little heavy handed on the pepper which gave it a lovely spicy note. Don’t skip the glaze. The olive oil flavor really comes through in the glaze. Using the right olive oil is key, good but not overpowering. I did toasted pumpkin seeds and the sprinkle of salt on top. Baked 27 minutes in a 9 inch round pan.

  • Jviney on September 19, 2021

    We live in the self-proclaimed pumpkin capital of the world, and after winning several cans of pumpkin at this year’s Pumpkin Festival, this recipe seemed just right. I could also taste the olive oil but I think that came from the glaze. Moist, warm, toasty, a really delicious cake and simple to whip up while watching a football game. I mean, how much more autumn can it get?

  • et12 on September 24, 2023

    I thought the crumb was very good on this and the spices were nice but the pumpkin flavour didn’t quite come through. I enjoyed the olive oil maple syrup glaze.

• Strawberry-glazed passionfruit cake

  • Zosia on November 29, 2021

    Fabulous cake. I used passion fruit puree in place of milk in the glaze to amp up the fruit flavour.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on February 21, 2026

    I swapped the neutral oil for unrefined coconut oil. The result was super moist, but with a pretty strong coconut flavor. The flavor works, but unless you love coconut, the neutral oil per the recipe is the way to go. I also used the book’s strawberry icing instead of glaze and it is light and delicious.

  • gootenbeez on February 03, 2026

    This was awesome. I had some frozen passion fruit pulp and thought why not? I didn't really expect to taste it in the cake but you absolutely do. The strawberry glaze on top is also a perfect accompaniment. Another great easy recipe. I don't think I've had a miss from this book yet.

• Mostly peach cake

  • Jviney on August 05, 2022

    I’m not sure about this one. I enjoyed eating the cake but the head note to the Mostly Apples cake, of which this is a riff, says there isn’t much batter holding it together and I would have loved a much higher ratio of peach to cake. Still, it’s tasty and moist and sadly, I’ll probably eat it all!

• Mostly pears cake

  • et12 on November 06, 2025

    Really nice. Good pear flavours and very autumnal.

  • eatswhilestanding on January 22, 2026

    So so good. My kids and I gobbled up almost the whole thing for dinner. Great use for pears that seem like they will never ripen (not rock hard, but not ripe enough to eat as a snack). Done in about 25 minutes.

• Nectarine and cornmeal upside-down cake

  • babyapricot on April 01, 2026

    Good but not my favorite so far - maybe needed a finer grind on my cornmeal

  • thebingelife on September 30, 2025

    I’ve made this twice, once with peaches and once with plums. Both were incredible. Peach was yummier but plum was prettier. Will continue to make!

  • mlonigan on July 05, 2025

    The brown sugar, nectarine, cornmeal combination was delicious. The sturdiness of the cornmeal keeps the caramel from feeling too sweet or gooey. 1 largish nectarine was enough to cover the bottom.

  • Ceribells on October 05, 2021

    Yep, it's cornbread with nectarines on top. It's perfectly tasty, if that's what you're looking for. But for somebody who lives in a part of the U.S. where cornbread is common, it's not as special as some of the other recipes in the book. N.B., my caramel topping didn't set up quite as well as I might have hoped (a lot of unincorporated butter). I added it to the bottom of the pan anyway and the cake came out fine. Most cakes in the book get soft after a few days in the fridge, this one is getting a teeny bit dry but is still going strong.

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    Loved this!

• Persimmon almond cake

  • ozzzzzz22 on January 20, 2025

    Good tasting cake. Though I suspect that I might like the base recipe (with plums) more. Overall I like the almond flavour but I'm not really sure the powdered ginger comes through. If I make it again I'd add a bit more. Also I'd consider peeling the persimmons because the skin does get a bit tough while the cake bakes. It's not unpleasant but it's just a very different texture from the rest of the cake and can make eating it a bit awkward.

  • shelbstirr on December 03, 2025

    My first time having persimmons, they are yummy! The texture of the slices on top of the cake is a bit like cooked apples. Love the almond flavor of the cake.

• Rye pumpkin cake

  • rhb on July 02, 2023

    I used a little bit of rye which was nice...but, overall, the cake was nice but pretty bland.

  • sharon_p42nrc on April 27, 2026

    Really interesting flavor- I used dark rye as that’s what I had on hand, loved the cardamom and the olive oil icing.

• Plum cardamom cake

  • ChelseaP on July 08, 2022

    Gorgeous version of the swirled jam cake.

• Spiced pineapple upside-down cake

  • Skamper on March 20, 2025

    I've never made a pineapple upside down cake before and wouldn't say I'm a big fan in general, but I had some fresh pineapple so I decided to try it. Made a half batch in a 6" pan. The only change I made was subbing penzeys pie spice for cinnamon. The cake itself had a nice light crumb, but the pineapple layer was very thin. Probably wouldn't make again.

  • Lepa on November 16, 2020

    This was interesting but not my favorite pineapple upside-down cake. Also, the pineapple moved around and didn't create a solid layer on top of the cake.

  • gootenbeez on May 05, 2026

    Really liked this cake. I wished I could have tasted the spices more. I will be making this again for sure.

  • Lakefox on January 31, 2026

    I made the pineapple topping, poured it into an 8x8 and stuck it in the fridge for a while so it could set up before I added the batter. Otherwise I made the recipe as instructed and was very happy with the result. I really like a pineapple cake and will make this one again.

  • william_twih48 on March 15, 2026

    Absolutely delicious! Recommend adding more Pineapple to the receipt to ensure each bite has a yummy caramelized piece.

• Whole-grain strawberry cake

  • cklauber2 on April 28, 2024

    A lovely way to use up less than perfect farmer's market strawberries, though I think I would use more strawberries and a smidge less cardamom next time.

  • Lepa on July 15, 2021

    This cake was good but not great- definitely not as good as the other cakes I've made from this excellent book. I make the Smitten Kitchen strawberry cake regularly and am afraid that spoiled me for all other strawberry cakes. . .

  • MakeMyHay on April 23, 2022

    Nice, homey, every day cake (not special occasion). I used 2% Greek yogurt. My batter was fairly thick and the sliced berries did not sink. I used about 50% more berries than the recipe calls for, virtually covering the top. I was worried that might make the cake too wet but it wasn’t a problem. It was moist but not soggy.

  • anya_sf on April 10, 2021

    I used 2% Greek yogurt and spelt flour for the whole grain. I squeezed a couple extra strawberries on top and would even add a few more next time since the bites with berries were the best. We ate this the day after baking and it was moist and delicious, nice as dessert, snack, or breakfast.

  • et12 on August 19, 2025

    I had strawberries and yogurt that needed using up and this cake recipe was perfect. Really nice flavours and textures when eaten on the same day. The cake lost its crispy surface the next day but still nice to eat.

  • savitha.moorthy on April 18, 2021

    I made this cake exactly as written, but the batter was not thick (as predicted in the recipe) and the berries sank to the bottom. It was a good flavor - we liked it for breakfast - and I'm game to try again but I do wonder what happened. Were my eggs too large? Was my yoghurt too runny?

  • RobinSong on April 18, 2026

    Used buckwheat as the second flour and it was delicious! Served with more strawberries and whipped cream.

• Double apple cake

  • et12 on September 28, 2025

    I very much liked the sponge for this cake, a warm blend of spices that go well for an autism or winter’s day, but didn’t find it tasted much of apples. The layers of apples on the top look nice but make it difficult to cut into the cake.

  • CJWheaton on January 23, 2026

    45 min in an 8x8 was spot on! Didn't need the icing sugar. Loved the taste and texture

  • NicoleBrown on September 23, 2024

    Really tasty! If I had to pick between them, I think I liked the, “Mostly Apples” cake from this book just a little more. But this cake helped me use up more apples (we had an abundance) since I made applesauce for it first. Skipped the powdered sugar. Baked for 55 minutes. Wish I had some vanilla ice cream to go with!

• Peanut butter banana cake

  • anya_sf on March 11, 2021

    I used Skippy natural peanut butter (not truly natural) and white whole wheat flour. Baked in a 9"x5" loaf pan, it took the full amount of time to bake and even then I wasn't certain it was done in the center (it was). The loaf was squat, dense, and almost too moist - just this side of gummy. It was surprisingly sweet as well. Maybe due to the peanut butter I used? Still, it tasted pretty good, and I might try this again with some changes: more flour (would stick with white whole wheat), yogurt instead of milk, a little ground flaxseed, 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan, lower temp/longer time, and also true natural pb if I had it.

  • Dannausc on August 18, 2021

    It was easy to make and turned out fine. However, it was just okay/not great. I don’t think I’d make it again.

• All the spices cake with vanilla bean glaze

  • meginyeg on January 04, 2026

    As others have noted the texture on this cake was a bit spongy. But we all loved the flavor. Very delicious.

  • averythingcooks on August 31, 2022

    I cut this in 1/2 to try out my mini bundt pans and the results were good (other than me trying to figure "the fill" and bake time for this pan). The cake has a lovely flavour although I do agree on the slightly spongy texture - I thought maybe that was the fault of the pan change. I made the glaze a little thicker so it would hold better on the tops of the little cakes but still drizzle down the sides. I'm going to make this cake again for sure including the apple version.

  • Lepa on October 06, 2021

    I made this with the suggested glaze. It was good last night, after I baked it, but even better this morning. It was just right at thirty minutes.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    Made a half batch in a 6" cake pan-- took 25 minutes on convection to bake. Very moist and dense. Like others have said, the texture is spongy. However, it didn't matter-- the flavor is really great. Both children said they want this for their next birthday cake.

  • et12 on December 04, 2022

    The kitchen smelled absolutely amazing while this cake was baking. Tasted good but I didn’t much care for the texture.

  • Skamper on October 16, 2021

    Just what I was craving as fall sticks a toe in here in so cal. Baked for about 35 minutes. I used a thin layer of cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze.

  • dc151 on September 13, 2022

    While I'm very much not a baker, this came out lovely despite not looking very pretty once I was done with it. Moist, great flavors. There was no way to test how it tasted the next day, because there were no leftovers.

  • Kag2020 on August 18, 2022

    I thought the flavor of this cake was good but the texture was a bit spongy, particularly the first day. It seemed to firm up on day two so I may make this a day ahead in the future. I didn’t have buttermilk but used the author’s suggested substitute of two parts full fat yogurt and one part milk. Don’t know if that was the culprit. Also the glaze separated a bit after a few hours but that could’ve been my fault, either too much milk or the heat in my house.

  • CJWheaton on February 02, 2026

    Batter volume fit perfectly in my mini bundt pan (7.5 inch dia.) And the 40 min bake time was good. I added a tiny bit of the vanilla bean paste to the cake batter too! Nice and moist, but a bit dense, but tasted great.

  • Lakefox on January 31, 2026

    A delicious spice cake. I would make again. As others have noted, my cake was perfectly done right at 30 minutes and it didn't last long in our house.

  • rebekahbryce on January 29, 2026

    Really good! I weighed ingredients and did not notice a spongy texture; I used powdered buttermilk (added water with the liquid ingredients and then the powder with the dry). I accidentally over-salted the glaze a little bit, which ultimately worked to round out the sweetness and spice.

  • rachel_a40gn2 on December 31, 2025

    This came together easily and quickly. It smelled wonderful when baking. It was done right at 30 minutes. I agree with others that the icing is a little sweet on its own. However, once put together, it's great. I didn't find the cake to be spongy. It was tender and tasted great! I love that I have this cake in my back pocket now.

  • denmar086 on April 20, 2026

    Baked in a 9x9 metal pan at 30 mins and came out well-baked. The texture was a bit spongy but it tasted good. I used vanilla bean paste in the batter and glaze. The spices hit the senses midway through the bite. I misread the glaze recipe at first and used all 2 tbsp of milk when mixing. I think this is why my glaze was more transparent. Still yummy!

  • Lyssquee on February 25, 2025

    Good! Very spiced. Spongy as others noted. Got better sitting in the fridge for a couple days. I felt like the glaze was a little sweet - I'd perhaps use less next time.

  • bbbtravels on April 25, 2026

    Not as punchy as I'd hoped (I really like a punchy spiced cake) but nice.

• Chai masala spice cake

  • stockholm28 on August 21, 2021

    I had leftover buttermilk, so primarily chose this cake to use it up. This cake is a variation of the ”All the Spices Cake”, but it has the flavors of chai (ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, and black pepper). I did not make the vanilla bean glaze, opting to serve it with a dollop of squirt whipped cream and peaches on the side. It really did remind me of chai. It was a nice cake, but not one that I loved enough to copy down the recipe.

  • elherman on April 21, 2026

    Accidentally doubled the spices- still good

• Buttered walnut cake with maple coffee glaze

  • Victoria_from_London on August 27, 2021

    It worked, even gluten free. Need more practice browning butter. Not sure it felt worth it but was very good.

  • RobinSong on May 18, 2026

    I’m trying to cook all the recipes in this book so I made it even though I’m not a fan of nuts in cake. Our hosts loves it though! And I love the glaze and have already used it—with one of the apple cakes in the book.

  • et12 on June 08, 2024

    I made this without the espresso powder and it was still lovely. A very delicious crumb and I loved the toasting of the walnuts in the browned butter. I put my icing on a bit too early before the cake was completely cooled, as we simply couldn’t wait.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on February 17, 2026

    Substituted plain whole milk skyr for sour cream. Great flavor and well worth the time to brown the walnuts.

  • ana_b3gye8 on February 22, 2026

    I swapped in pecans instead of walnuts and used regular yogurt instead of sour cream. Tried out the mocha walnut cardamom twist and it turned out amazing!

• Mocha walnut-cardamom cake

  • Lepa on May 18, 2021

    This is really tasty. I forgot to fold the chocolate chips into the batter so I threw some on top of the half baked cake and it ended up fine. It's really good with the cocoa icing but with the chocolate chips next time I will probably skip it.

• Powdered donut cake

  • Zosia on February 12, 2021

    Excellent cake. Tasted just like a powdered donut but with much better texture. My batter wasn't completely smooth before baking, nor were the batters of the other 2 cakes I baked from this book, but, as with the other cakes, the lumps baked out and the resulting crumb was even.

  • jenmacgregor18 on July 22, 2023

    This was easy to throw together on a Friday night to enjoy Saturday morning. Very much like a powdered donut, just as advertised. It hit the spot.

  • hirsheys on August 29, 2021

    I made a half recipe of this today and it is lovely. I didn't cover the whole cake with powdered sugar, but rather, I'm just sifting a little over each piece. I'm not sure that it immediately makes me think of a donut (it's a little too fluffy and un-dense for that - donuts are usually a bit closer in texture, I think?) but it tastes right. I was worried about the amount of nutmeg (because I am sensitive to the flavor), but I think it could use even a little more. (It may get stronger tomorrow, though.) This cake was SO easy to make, easy to halve the recipe (baked it in a loaf pan), and so tasty. All of the recipes from this book I've made so far have been the same.

  • kari500 on January 22, 2022

    Snowy day with no school, my daughter asked me to bake something. I’m trying to take a break from eating sweets, so I went with this because I don’t care for powdered donuts. Threw it together in about 10-15 minutes. Forgot the parchment paper but that wasn’t a problem, it released easily. I showed my daughter the suggested toppings, and she went for the maple coffee glaze, which is excellent. I had a small piece. This cake really does taste like powdered donuts (it’s the nutmeg, and for me it’s too much, but I figured that going in). I love this book.

  • lou_weez on March 07, 2021

    Yum!! Nice flavour, not as donut-y as I thought it would be, but enjoyed by all.

  • Rachel_ on February 14, 2026

    I wonder if I would have liked this better if I swapped the sour cream for the Greek yogurt others mentioned here

  • KarenPR on February 24, 2026

    First bake from the book. Easy and tasty. Made in a 8x8 pan and it turned out thicker/higher than I like. I will try again on a slightly bigger pan.

  • QuinceHouse on March 11, 2026

    Very dominant nutmeg flavor.

  • cardan on September 15, 2025

    SO easy to make, which was great. The texture was really nice and the flavor of the cake was overall good, but I tried it with the vanilla bean glaze and found that it didn’t work for me. The glaze was far too sweet.

  • bbbtravels on April 25, 2026

    This cake lives up to its name and tastes just like an old-fashioned donut. I've made it 3 times and haven't yet ventured away from the browned butter & cinnamon sugar topping. I've also made with Greek yogurt substituted for sour cream and it worked well.

  • et12 on August 11, 2022

    Loved it! Really did taste like powdered donuts. Nice, moist texture. I just used powdered sugar as the topping. So easy to throw together.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    Made a half batch in a standard sized loaf pan. Still took the full time to bake. Fun and good-- not as good as a powdered donut, though!

  • jmohart on March 04, 2026

    My first recipe from this book. Love the concept of easy weeknight cakes. This was easy to get mixed in one bowl, and baked without drama. I did the cinnamon sugar variation. I also had some cherry reduction that I drizzled on half as an experiment. As an avid baker, did it blow me away? Nah, but for an easy cake to throw together it was wonderful. Not everything has to be a masterpiece. Will make again!

  • Pandan on October 23, 2024

    Always will remember this cake as the first one I made together with my two year old son. Very easy to throw together. I reduced the sugar in the dough to 110 g, sweet enough with the powdered sugar on top. I didn’t have enough sour cream left and substituted with some leftover double cream and buttermilk. The dough was very moist, maybe a bit too greasy due to my substitutions, but still very nice.

  • shelbstirr on February 11, 2026

    This is so fast to throw together. I brought it to dinner with friends and they all loved it. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because that’s what I had and it worked well. I only used half the nutmeg called for and I would reduce it even further next time, but I always reduce nutmeg because I find it to be an overpowering flavor. I will keep this in mind for a fast and easy dish for a potluck.

  • Katastrofe on March 09, 2026

    So easy and so worthwhile. The kids loved ved it and we couldn’t stop eating it!

  • alysekstokes on January 29, 2026

    An all-time favorite cake for me. It comes together easily, is built mostly on pantry ingredients (I often make it with Greek yogurt when I don’t have sour cream), and it tastes like nostalgia.

• Browned butter donut cake

  • abrownb1 on July 23, 2021

    Very easy cake to make and lovely with the maple coffee glaze. I also tried a bit with powdered sugar but preferred the glaze (prefer real donuts the same way). The glaze soaks in after the first day but is still good. Not the most exciting cake in the book but I'm sure would be a crowd pleaser, especially with kids.

• Carrot, raisin, and walnut cake

  • julesamomof2 on March 29, 2021

    I made the 9 inch round version of this cake and topped it with a cream cheese frosting because that is the way we like our carrot cake. Unfortunately, it turned out a tad dry. I liked the idea of using some whole wheat flour but I wonder if that is why. I will try other cakes in the book because I love how easy they seem and the variations make the recipes so flexible.

  • eatswhilestanding on February 19, 2026

    Made without walnuts so I could send in my kids' lunch to their nut free school. I used about half the cardamom and increased the cinnamon. They gobbled it up!

  • Melissa_427 on April 02, 2024

    I went with the cupcake variation which better allowed me to consider sharing with coworkers. I opted for a maple-cream cheese frosting from Simply Julia and was very happy with that choice ( also added a bit of brown sugar to the frosting because it felt right).

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    Simple and easy to make. We really liked it. Served it as is with a dusting of icing sugar.

• Citrusy almond cornmeal cake (gluten-free)

  • Ciagins on February 08, 2026

    I made this for my knitting group and was very disappointed after all the rave reviews. I followed the recipe carefully and weighed ingredients. Way too much citrus and the cake was moist but crumbly. I wish the recipe had measurements for the zest in the cake like it does for the syrup. First recipe I tried from this cookbook. Not a good start. Really unpleasant!

  • dorits on August 12, 2025

    Delicious!! Serving with Honey Whip takes it to a whole ‘nother level!

  • TrishaCP on October 03, 2022

    This cake is delicious. I only had a 9X9 pan, so it was done baking at around 30 minutes, and needed a touch more syrup than what I had on hand, but otherwise adapted well to the size change. I'm happy to have this recipe in my back pocket for the upcoming holidays.

  • Devons on October 07, 2025

    Terrific. The top with the caramelized almonds was lovely. Served it with HD Dulce de Leche ice cream.

  • purpleshiny on September 17, 2022

    This cake is fantastic - makes me wish there were more gluten-free recipes in the book as this is the best gluten-free cake I've ever made. I needed to make this dairy-free as well, so subbed a combo of plant butter (Melt brand) and olive oil for the butter. The olive oil adds a really nice additional flavor note, so will make with all olive oil next time (even though I'm usually Team Dairy). The sugar syrup is what puts this over the top and should not be skipped.

  • fultre on April 23, 2022

    Also good as an all lemon cake. Subbed two lemons for zesting in the cake batter; in syrup, 1 lemon for zesting and all 4 Tbsp lemon juice. Nice lemon-forward flavor.

  • fultre on January 01, 2021

    Deliciously addictive cake! The almond flour and cornmeal provide a lovely texture to contrast with the crunchy almond topping, and the lemon/orange glaze puts it over the top in the best way. Highly recommend!

  • et12 on September 13, 2021

    Couldn’t believe this was gluten free! The cake had a nice texture and was moist and flavourful. The surface of mine wasn’t as photogenic as the one in the book, but I really enjoyed the crunch of the sugar and almond layer on top.

  • Mc1907 on March 17, 2026

    Absolutely delicious! I used oranges instead of tangerines and made half the quantity in a smaller rectangular pan. It turned out fantastic. A bit crisp on the sides with a soft (but not soggy) crumb. Will definitely make it again.

• Raspberry cornmeal cake

  • Zosia on May 12, 2021

    This is a variation of the corn and honey cake that I'm glad I chose as the raspberries added much needed flavour to the corn cake base. Very rich with a coarse crumb.

• Spiced honey cake

  • Victoria_from_London on January 12, 2024

    Very, very easy, 1 bowl, 1 hand whisk next time. Stand mixer not worth it. Very liquid: is it this GF mix? Try cooking 35 minutes from the start even in my AEG oven.

  • meginyeg on March 30, 2021

    Loved this. I used a stronger flavoured honey had it came out with almost caramel undertones. Cake itself was light and fluffy. Will definitely make again.

  • Lepa on November 16, 2020

    I couldn't wait to bake something from this book and choose this because it was one of the only cakes that only use two eggs. I don't usually love honey cake but really enjoyed this one. It was easy, delicious and not too sweet so we had it for breakfast.

  • dbuhler on April 24, 2024

    I made no changes to this cake and weighed all the ingredients. My cake sunk pretty bad in the center, so next time I will reduce the baking powder and possibly increase the flower by a tablespoon or two (I live at high altitude). I thought the flavor of this cake was okay, not too sweet, but my husband and the teenage boys I made this for thought it was amazing. I agree with the head note - the almonds are a must!

  • elysedc on December 31, 2022

    a winner! ran out of eggs, used the same weight equivalent of egg whites (had a container) and worked out without a problem. I used an orange flower blossom honey, and since the author recommends an orange flower blossom whip as a pairing, I decided to replace the vanilla extract with an equal amount of orange flower blossom extract. Tastes incredible - will be my go to honey cake! Very moist!

  • jdejong on April 16, 2024

    One of my favorite things about this book are the options given for various pan selections. I had some lovely Meyer Lemon honey and decided to double the recipe and bake it in a bundt pan. I substituted Kefir for the buttermilk (lactose intolerant family member) and used Fiori di Sicilia and vanilla powder instead of cinnamon. A 45 minute bake resulted in a deliciously moist cake that tasted like spring. Love the quick one bowl preparation and easy clean up as well.

  • ana_b3gye8 on February 12, 2026

    Delicious cake! I went with the espresso cream cheese frosting from her Substack version.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on March 10, 2026

    Very easy and delicious. Not too sweet. I used larger almond pieces and added them halfway through the bake time so they wouldn’t sink. I’ll definitely be making this again.

• Blackberry honey cake

  • Zosia on July 12, 2021

    The cake was fluffy and tender and only lightly spiced; the blackberries were a good foil for its sweetness. My cake needed an extra 10 minutes to bake, not surprising with all of that fruit (and the author does warn that this version of the spiced honey cake may take longer).

• Lemony currant and rosemary cake

  • anya_sf on February 27, 2026

    Loved the flavor. I baked it as a loaf, which took 50 min, and may be why it was slightly dry. A round or square cake pan might be better. I sprinkled it with both sugar and salt, but would skip the salt next time.

  • mirjoy on February 03, 2026

    Flavors were interesting, but not what I want in a cake. They would be better as a biscuit or muffin, something meant to accompany savory foods.

  • silent_kaye on January 21, 2025

    I made this with dried blueberries instead of currants, but otherwise followed the recipe. The dense texture reminds me of a scone, which may be the intention given the author’s description of the inspiration for this cake. This smelled wonderful while baking and is quite tasty.

  • RhymesWithPhone on May 23, 2026

    I’ve made this cake about 4-5 times. The combo of currants, rosemary, and lemon is so sophisticated. I’ve found that some people feel as I do, and others are like “eh.” But if you think this sounds good, try it. It’s special.

  • GaryCooks on December 31, 2024

    WONDERFUL flavor - didn’t use currants, used only 1/2 cup sugar, and didn’t sprinkle with sugar or salt. But baked in my Breville oven on lowest rack for 35 minutes and came out dry. Toothpick came out dry at 35 minutes, so maybe next time I’ll try 25 minutes and see if it comes out moist. (I’ve had this issue with other baked items I did in my Breville, so it may be the oven and not the recipe. I baked the Morning Glory cake the next day in my normal oven for the minimum recommended time and it came out perfect - very moist - just GREAT - but who knows….that could be because of all the moist ingredients( apple and pineapple).

  • hibeez on January 26, 2022

    This was delicious! I think soaking the currants in juice or rum would plump them up a bit and add another dimension. As a side note, I bake these cakes in 2 6" round pans, and freeze one for later. Perfect for 2 people, and the cake doesn't get old sitting around.

• Morning glory cake

  • hashi on April 08, 2025

    5/5. This is a really great cake, especially because my partner made it.

  • meginyeg on March 25, 2021

    First recipe I made from the book. Its absolutely delicious and comes together so quickly.

  • Lottabooks on September 24, 2024

    This is one of my favorite cakes from this book. I had one sad carrot left today and made the cake for the third or fourth time. I definitely recommend the flax seeds on top - to purchase just a tablespoon or so for this recipe, get them in the bulk bins. I do turn the oven down to 345 degrees (perhaps mine runs a bit hot), and bake for only 40-45 minutes. I prefer a Granny Smith apple for this recipe. Also, the canned crushed pineapple disappeared into the cake, so this time I bought pineapple slices and cut up slices to make the required 1/2 cup, and liked it better. Be sure to drain thoroughly if using canned chopped slices.

  • Lepa on December 14, 2022

    This is a great breakfast cake. It's not too sweet and packed with delicious fruit and nuts.

  • gemini_n56abk on March 29, 2026

    I'll be making this again. Great recipe from this book. Next time I would like to add the flax seeds on top.

  • ginger2212 on October 23, 2021

    This was delicious!! I called it "Beach Cake" for the kids because a) we were at the beach and b) the coconut and flax seeds make it look like a sandy beach. So fun! This was the first cake I made from the book and it hit the spot.

  • GaryCooks on December 31, 2024

    Excellent! - Made as stated but only used 1/2 cup sugar, didn’t toast the pecans, used 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (I wanted to try ALL whole wheat flour for a more healthy cake, and since this came out so well I’ll try it the next time), and didn’t have flax seeds. Tested with toothpick after 40 minutes and it was done. VERY moist and tender and a great flavor - I could have eaten the whole thing in one sitting!

  • RobinSong on March 18, 2026

    Made as a breakfast option. Used whatever mix of nuts and seeds I had for topping. Made the coconut (no pineapple) option, which was nice because it used more apple and carrot.

• Salty caramel peanut butter cake

  • Zosia on March 28, 2021

    The cake was good, if a little light on peanut butter flavour, but I wasn't fond of the frosting which didn't taste much like caramel and had that gritty texture I don't much care for. However, the salty-sweet icing was a very good complement to the cake and family really enjoyed it.

  • Frenchfoodie on November 03, 2025

    Lovely light crumb to the cake. Icing was less fluffy than the pic in the book but tasted good. Came together easily.

  • Pandan on April 29, 2024

    This was so good! I used fleur de sel on top. The cake and frosting came out perfect

  • NicoleBrown on January 24, 2025

    Tastes like a peanut butter cookie in cake form! Baked for 35 minutes in a 9x9. Edges were *done* so probably could have gone for even a little less. We’re not much of a frosting family so I skipped it. Made it mostly as a treat for the kiddos & they really enjoyed it!

  • jimandtammyfaye on July 06, 2021

    Delightful and quick cake. I pulled it out of the oven at 30 minutes, which was plenty of time for it to bake fully. The penuche frosting was especially good when chilled in the fridge. Don't skimp when sprinkling flaky salt on top. Next time, I will add some bittersweet chocolate chips to the batter.

  • Jviney on November 21, 2021

    As with all the cakes I've baked from this book, the cake was quick to assemble and I loved that. I overbaked it at 35 minutes. The frosting did not, to me, look like the fluffy frosting in the picture and it was gritty as Zosia says... I would try it again, watching the bake time more closely, and maybe with a different frosting.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on March 23, 2026

    This was just a little bit dry compared to the other cakes I’ve made from this book. We found the peanut butter to be the dominant flavor by far. Still, a very good cake that came together quickly.

  • Buttercups on February 20, 2026

    Cake was delicious but a bit dry. Take it out of the oven a few minutes early. Mild peanut butter taste but different from the usual and we loved it. ?Frosting should be cooked to 230* (soft ball) for best texture.

• Cookie butter cake

  • Zosia on January 25, 2022

    Delicious...soft crumb and subtle spice flavour. The bittersweet maple espresso glaze complemented it well.

  • Aubr3yy on April 06, 2026

    This was the first cake I made out of this book and it was so good! I followed the advice here and made the frosting after the cake was fully cooled and I'm glad I did because I feel like it would have been a really runny mess if I didn't. I loved the frosting but I left off the salt because my daughter didn't want any on it. I loved how the cookie butter was very prominent in the cake and it was really moist.

  • mtnbaker5280 on April 19, 2025

    Tasty cake. I topped it with the Salted Penuche Frosting from Jessie Sheehan's Snackable Bakes (page 176).

  • rebeka_eveksv on January 30, 2026

    Finger-licking good! Didn't even put any glazing and slightly reduced the sugar amount.

  • Skamper on March 19, 2022

    This was delicious. My only change was using a half teaspoon of King Arthur's speculaas spice instead of cinnamon. I topped it with a simple vanilla milk icing. Next time I will try the maple.

  • Nrnarayan on July 31, 2025

    This hits hard my favorite cake I've made so far from this book. Tip for beginner bakers like me: make the icing after the cake is already cooled (or close to it). I made the frosting as the cake baked and let it sit, I ended up having to reheat it to get it pliable again. Also don't put the salt on until you're ready to serve: the leftover piece I ate the next day had weird moisture spots from the salt.

  • djnielsen64 on February 01, 2024

    Delicious!

• Peanut butter chocolate cake

  • meginyeg on June 13, 2021

    Another tasty cake. Didn't make the glaze but thought it was rich, moist and flavorful without it.

  • nutrica6 on May 26, 2025

    This is good but not very sweet. I think the peanut butter chips are a good idea for next time to add more sweetness. There also isn’t much glaze for the amount of cake, which makes it even less sweet. I made it in a 9” round pan and pulled it out at 40 minutes, which was perfect.

  • Justagirleatingcake on March 10, 2026

    In the words of my teenage son, "It slaps".

  • Jviney on March 15, 2021

    The author says in the recipe notes that if you really want to gild the lily, you can add 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips to the batter right before it goes in to the oven. I was really glad I did this, as it's a really thick chocolate cake, with not a lot of icing for all that cake. It's a good recipe, to be sure, but I would highly recommend adding the PB chips for some extra interest.

  • robinswood on March 12, 2021

    this is a tasty cake and I am not a huge peanut butter fan. But my teen daughter has made it three times over the past 6 weeks or so - she loves it.

  • luke_i8msqc on May 17, 2026

    Nice - the top was a little too browned after 35mins. Perhaps my over but it did feel a little too long to leave it in there.

• Peanut butter and jam cake

  • thefritschkitchen on February 04, 2026

    This is a good, lightly sweet cake. Although according to my kids it was too peanut buttery… ??

• Simple sesame cake

  • Lepa on July 12, 2021

    Wow, we loved this simple cake. My husband said it was like halvah in cake form. I loved the slightly bitter aftertaste of the seeds. I made it in a 8x8 pan and didn't have the dry crumb another poster complained about. There are so many gems in this book but this cake is a standout.

  • Victoria_from_London on April 17, 2021

    Unusual, nutty & delicious & quick. I'm using Shauna Ahern's all-purpose gluten-free flour recipe (millet, glutinous rice, potato starch) with a (standard?) loaf pan and it's taking 1h05 in a preheated oven.

  • stockholm28 on January 25, 2024

    Very good. I agree it is the flavor of halvah. I think the variation with chocolate chips would also be delicious.

  • EmilyR on July 11, 2024

    Steller use of sesame seeds and tahini. I made 4 mini loaves… they baked for ~20 minutes. one towards the back of my oven was more done than the others so I can see how it could get crumbly. Next time I will rotate like a good baker. The others were moist and they pack a great flavor punch. Dangerously delicious!

  • Astrid5555 on November 19, 2020

    Delicious and so quick to make. A sesame lover’s (me!) dream cake.

  • sambong on July 28, 2025

    Loved it. Served with whipped cream and macerated strawberries and cherries. Very tasty.

  • kshell on March 14, 2024

    This is a perfect snack cake. Not too sweet. Good with tea or coffee. Good for breakfast. I liked it best the next day.

  • ellwell on March 12, 2026

    Very dry on its own. This cake has a slight tahini flavor and really needs some cream or whipped cream to moisten and maybe even jam to give it more taste— It was sort of like a scone texture.

  • et12 on July 11, 2021

    This was good and easy to make. The crust formed on top and bottom reminded me of sesame snaps. I made this in a loaf pan and thought the crumb a bit dry, can see why the book recommended serving with whipped cream.

  • shep0012 on December 07, 2024

    So good. I added dark chocolate chips, one of the recommended variations, and loved it. I only had 2% milk and mostly black sesame seeds (mixed with just a handful of the white seeds), and still thought it was excellent. Our kitchen looked like a sesame-seed-strewn crime scene from the flipping and cutting but it was worth it. Edited 5/10/26 to add: I’ve made this so many times now. It’s really fantastic.

  • sarah_tptfm6 on March 23, 2026

    Awesome flavor. Baked for about 30min, it did not appear dark at all but got so dry. Definitely test early on. I paired this with the whisky caramel and it was great. Next time I want to fold some halva into the batter.

• Super sesame cake

  • Lepa on January 11, 2023

    This is one of my favorite cakes. It has a rich taste and plush texture. Perfect for breakfast or with a cup of coffee!

  • Jviney on March 22, 2023

    Very good! And I accidentally left out 1/4 cup of flour too. The sesame frosting is very earthy which I didn’t mind but the kids were a little uncertain about. I used half black sesame seeds and half white, and I’d do that again.

  • Pandan on May 04, 2026

    I thought I would like this more but the texture was a bit too crumbly and dry for my taste. Still would make again though for someone who loves sesame.

• Oatmeal chocolate chip cake

  • aberne on December 07, 2020

    Spongey and chewy, but in a pleasant snacky way. The oatmeal makes it quite toothsome. May try it next time with less or a bit of oat flour.

  • sambong on May 23, 2024

    I had the misfortune of this being the first recipe I made from this cookbook, and it was from a printing that did not include the correction. Made with 1 cup of milk, the cake did not turn out well at all -- dense and bland. So bland that I wasn't sure just changing the quantity of milk would fix it, but I overcame my reservations and tried it again with the corrected recipe. Am here to confirm that this cake is indeed delicious when made with 1/2 cup of milk. Would heartily recommend!

  • inflytur on April 28, 2021

    This is the second disappointing recipe I’ve made from this book. I’m beginning to wonder if the recipes were tested. In each case, the batter ended up being much thinner than what is described in the instructions. I weighed and measured the ingredients exactly. Another revewer mentioned multiple oat based ingredients but the recipe is indexed correctly in EYB.

  • fultre on April 23, 2023

    Made this recipe today, but I didn’t think to look at EYB until I finished mixing and the batter seemed much too thin, as would be expected with 0.5 cup extra milk. To try and salvage, I added flour and a few extra oats until the texture seemed about right. Surprisingly it turned out pretty well, and I would try again with the corrected recipe. I love oat-y things, and enjoyed having a bit extra oats. Used half Valrhona Dulcey and half milk chocolate, but found Dulcey’s flavor to be somewhat lost. Will use milk and/or semisweet, and I think walnuts would be nice, as well.

  • lisari on March 16, 2025

    Made with raisins and milk chocolate chips & the extra 1/2 cup milk. Baked for 50 minutes, like the flavor & texture. All the bits did sink to the bottom though.

  • dbuhler on April 24, 2024

    This cake was okay, but not sweet enough... it almost tasted healthy! My printing of the book has the amended milk measurement, but even with that the batter was quite thin. I mixed all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes. It seemed to thicken so I added the chips and baked and all the chips still sunk to the bottom. I did reduce the baking powder to 1 1/4 teaspoons but my center still fell a little. I'll try more flour next time (I'm at high altitude).

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    If you make this with the half cup milk, it turns out really delicious. I am not sure you can cut the liquid down more as I wonder if the oats would hydrate.

  • et12 on July 12, 2023

    I should have read the previous comments first! I made this on a whim based on availability of ingredients, flavours and texture were good and I liked the oat topping but the batter was very liquid and the chocolate chips all fell to the bottom.

  • rebecca_qjfvam on May 06, 2026

    I did not care for the taste or texture of this cake. (Used the corrected milk quantity, so the printing error some mentioned was not the issue). Probably just a me thing, but I will be keeping nutmeg far away from my chocolate in the future.

  • gemini_n56abk on March 29, 2026

    I wish I had looked on CookShelf before I made this recipe, or I wouldn't have put in that full cup of milk! I ended up baking it for the full 40 minutes and it seemed to bake just fine. Not too dense but the chocolate did sink to the bottom as another baker observed. Still enjoyed by my kids.

  • elherman on May 30, 2026

    used frozen blueberries instead of chocolate, seemed to work fine although maybe a bit wet

• Gingery sweet potato cake

  • purpleshiny on October 24, 2022

    Skipped the pear (didn't have anything on hand that would do) - upped the sugar to 1/2 cup (from 1/3) and added a bit more grated sweet potato to compensate. Still was nice and moist. The large amounts of crystallized ginger is what really takes this cake over the top - I disagree that it's "optional".

  • Breannetuttle on March 04, 2024

    I’ve made a lot of cakes from this book and this is the first disappointing one. It tastes like nothing.

• Sparkling gingerbread

  • kari500 on October 08, 2023

    I don’t really much like gingerbread. But a friend made this recently, and I absolutely loved it. I took some home, and wished I had taken more. I’ll make it myself, probably around the holidays.

  • MollyB on March 11, 2024

    Delicious cake, maybe a bit better on the 2nd day than the day it was made. I made the 8-inch square version, and my cake sank a bit in the middle, probably because I'm at 5000 ft. I'd recommend some high altitude adjustments for the recipe if you live at a higher altitude - next time I'll try reducing the leaveners a bit, adding a little more liquid, and maybe upping the initial temperature by 10-15 deg.

  • Victoria_from_London on November 03, 2025

    I regularly make this and overhear great feedback! I usually make it with a GF flour blend and it's faultless. I follow Shauna Ahern's model ( 76g pearl millet (bajri), 56g potato starch and 56g glutinous rice flour.)

  • averythingcooks on December 15, 2022

    I cut this in 1/2 for a 6" cake and absolutely love the warm ginger flavours + the little crunch on top (I used demerara sugar). My only issue is that the last couple of 6" efforts seemed to take forever to bake in the middle resulting in drier than I'd like outer edges (my issue - not the recipe).

  • thefritschkitchen on November 22, 2024

    Fantastic gingerbread recipe, great flavor and will be making it again

  • Zoosie on July 27, 2023

    I usually make 1/2 the recipe and bake for 25 minutes. It's delicious.

  • Chibblywibbly on March 19, 2026

    Easy and delicious

  • et12 on December 14, 2022

    This is a delicious ginger cake. House smelled amazing, the cake was not too dense but plenty moist with strong ginger flavour and good crust.

  • Kag2020 on December 13, 2022

    Made half the recipe using a six-inch pan. Done in 32 minutes. Delicious and the three different forms of ginger were perfect, not overpowering. Perhaps a small grind of pepper added the next time.

  • Beck001 on December 13, 2025

    Fantastic cake - I added slightly less sugar on top which still worked

  • breadenthusiast on November 12, 2024

    Nice cake, will certainly make it again in the future. Despite the amounts and different types of ginger the ginger flavour is not at all overpowering.

• Sticky whiskey date cake

  • Kristjudy on February 17, 2021

    A very nice cake. The spices compliment the sweetness of the dates and the whiskey in cake and sauce is delightful.

  • Jviney on March 20, 2023

    We enjoyed this. I made it spur of the moment and had everything on hand. Moist, delicious with the caramel sauce, I think the crème fraiche would make it even better.

• Browned butter, pecan, and white chocolate cake

  • abbycox on May 15, 2026

    Really delicious and all the ingredients were in my pantry. Subbed some regular chocolate chips for some of the white

  • Zosia on February 28, 2021

    Great caramel-pecan flavour with some extra sweetness from the white chocolate. It was a little sweeter than other cakes from this book, but not overly so.

  • trudys_person on May 19, 2025

    This was delicious (and easy)! I forgot the turbinado sugar on top too, but we didn't miss it. I chopped the white chocolate a bit too finely-smaller bits melt into the cake ... I served it with the brown sugar whipped cream because we had guests - perfect accompaniment.

  • Kag2020 on June 29, 2025

    Delicious quick cake. I used nonfat yogurt and sprinkled the top with a bit of coconut. Baked for exactly 30 minutes. Texture was a bit spongy the first day but after it cooled completely the crumb was just right. Will definitely make again.

  • Pandan on May 27, 2024

    I substituted yoghurt with full fat quark and used only 100g of brown sugar. I mixed the white chocolate and pecans in all at once and omitted the sugar on top because I forgot to turn around the page lol. Still was really nice, maybe even nicer with bigger chunks of white chocolate.

• Raspberry white chocolate cake

  • thefritschkitchen on September 29, 2025

    This is a fantastic cake and one I will return to often! I am not usually a white chocolate lover, but it goes so well with the browned butter. I did not have the issue of the raspberries, nuts and white chocolate sinking into the cake. I did use sliced almonds instead of pecans, simply because that is what I had on hand! It took a bit longer to bake (~46 minutes), but it is SO SO GOOD!

  • Jane on February 28, 2021

    This was a lovely moist cake. It lasted well too, being still very edible after 6 days. My only negative is that it looked really pretty going into the oven but almost all the raspberries, white choc chips and chopped pecans sunk into the cake leaving a rather dull look. But the flavor made up for it.

• Cocoa yogurt cake

  • vickster on January 21, 2021

    Fulfills need for a quick chocolate cake. Moist, delicious and chocolatey!

  • kari500 on February 15, 2021

    Like mzgourmand, I didn't love this cake either. I made it with the coffee glaze. I normally love the coffee/chocolate combination, but this didn't work for me. Maybe I don't love a glaze on a cake? Either bare or frosting? I don't think this is the issue, but maybe. It was better on day two, the cake a bit more moist, more chocolatey. I honestly found it slightly depressing on the first day, which I don't think I've ever said about a chocolate cake before. I thought maybe I'd done something wrong, so I'm interested seeing this previous negative review.

  • mzgourmand on November 17, 2020

    We did not love this cake and normally at least two of us are serious chocolate fans. The flavors were too intense, and the combo of coocoa and chocolate chips in the cake and then cocoa powder in the glaze - it just felt like too much. It took my teenage son with a serious sweet tooth five days to work his way through a fairly small cake, even though that was the dessert offering for this week, to give one a sense of the rather unenthusiastic reception this cake got. To be fair, it may have been the intensity of the cocoa that I used, which was the cocoa rouge, red dutch-processed cocoa powder. And it may be that I simply prefer baking chocolate to cocoa-based recipes. I made my long-time favorite "Katherine Hepburn" brownies recently using cocoa instead of baking chocolate and didn't enjoy the brownies nearly as much. It's very subjuctive but I wouldn't make this again.

  • GingerFoodLovers on October 29, 2023

    We made this with Dutch processed cocoa and 60% chips. We didn’t see the need for the glaze and loved it as is.

  • Likethetea on March 22, 2026

    A little dry

  • breadenthusiast on August 24, 2025

    Did not make a glaze, cake is flavourful enough on it's own! Just a nice, simple chocolate cake.

  • Pandan on May 05, 2026

    I made this as a Bundt cake, so doubled the recipe as instructed. Turned out fine although a bit dry. But maybe this was due to falsely turning on convection in my oven. It was the birthday cake for my daughter’s favourite stuffed animal Beppo.

  • ldyndiuk on January 22, 2023

    Love this cake! I considered making the glaze, but then I started eating the cake before I got that far. It’s so dark and rich and was very easy to make with ingredients I had on hand. I’ll definitely make this one again.

  • memphiseat on August 12, 2023

    This was good. Easy - will make it again. Made the vanilla glaze with pistachios on top. This is the first recipe I've made from this book but interested in trying more.

  • Logan92995 on May 01, 2023

    Very tasty cake! Very dark and rich, and the glaze ended up being a good choice as well. Interested in trying the other variations

  • AndieEats on July 05, 2021

    Baked as cupcakes for an outdoor get together, took about 15-16 minutes to cook through. Easy to throw together with pantry supplies, and was delightfully moist even after a night in the fridge. Subbed organic cacao powder (from Costco), and used the vanilla bean glaze option in the notes.

  • rochkay on June 24, 2022

    One of my favorite cakes to bake. So easy to put together with a few pantry ingredients you probably already have on hand. I've eaten the cake both with and without the glaze, and it's delicious either way! (I've used black cocoa and milk chocolate chips).

  • et12 on March 26, 2022

    I really liked this cake. Very moist and chocolaty, easy to put together.

  • leilx on August 18, 2021

    This is a super-chocolate-y cake, very dark and rich. I don't think I would use black cocoa here, and maybe semi-sweet chips. It was super moist for me--almost more so than I prefer. I made it as a bundt. It turned out nice and was very easy to make.

  • hibeez on April 01, 2023

    This cake is delicious and easy! I used 1/3 black cocoa and it gave it a dark rich color and flavor. Dusted one with powdered sugar because I didn't have time to make the glaze; worked very well. Thought about throwing in a bit of espresso powder but not sure it needs it. Will try the rye variation next. Definitely a keeper. As with all the cakes in this book, I am more gentle when folding in the flour than is suggested; I think it makes a softer less dense crumb.

  • LouiseQuasiChef on December 24, 2022

    I love this cake. I have made it several times for various parties/picnics and people swoon over it as if I worked hard (hardly!). I like it with the vanilla bean glaze variation, scattering some chocolate chips on top to show as a preview of chocolate underneath. A keeper. It may overtake my long-time easy fave chocolate cake of Gourmet/Epicurious Everyday Cocoa Cake which also wows people and offers solid chocolate satisfaction disproportionately to amount of baking effort. <3

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    This is it: my holy grail plain chocolate cake recipe. I don't need to try any more. Incredible. I only used 185g of brown sugar, and I used 72% dark chocolate chips. I made the vanilla glaze, but did not use the suggested fruit/nut topping.

  • lisari on March 01, 2025

    Made with milk chocolate chips, a powdered sugar glaze with a little rosewater added, & chopped pistachios, baked 40 minutes. Good flavor & texture.

  • jhavens on April 12, 2026

    This cake was great. I used a bundt pan and the cream cheese frosting from another recipe.

  • brenda_bv2nm8 on March 19, 2026

    Delicious and easy! I added the optional chocolate chips and happy that I did. Deep chocolate flavor and very moist, like all of the cakes I've made from this book.

• Cocoa rye cake

  • Zosia on June 19, 2023

    This is a variation of the cocoa yogurt cake. It was super moist, rich and chocolatey and very quick to put together. Loved it!

• Chocolate-almond olive oil cake with raspberries

  • bwhip on November 12, 2021

    Delicious, interesting cake. Nicely dark and not-too-sweet, with a nice texture and flavor combination. Like all of the cakes in this great cookbook, very easy to throw together quickly, with very pleasing results.

  • Buttercups on March 07, 2026

    Made in a 9 inch round pan with some changes based on what i had. The recipe is adaptable! Used sour cream instead of yogurt and sliced strawberries instead of raspberries. Had no cocoa nibs or chips. Baked the whole 50 minutes as i was worried about it being too wet. I could have done 45 mintes though, it was a little dry around the edges and reminiscent of a brownie. Deep chocolate flavor with hints of olive oil and pops of strawberry. We both really liked this!

  • Skamper on February 16, 2026

    Made a half recipe and baked it for 26 minutes in my tiered heart bundt. M felt the olive oil taste was too strong. That didn't bother me but I would have liked a more robust chocolate flavor. Maybe try a more neutral oil. Glazed with the fresh raspberry glaze.

  • Pandan on October 31, 2024

    Made this for Halloween in a 5 cup capacity mini skull pan by Nordic Ware without any problems. I reduced the sugar to 160g. Sweet enough for me and I really liked the cocoa nibs.

  • smcculle on December 11, 2023

    i made this recipe x 1.5 and baked it in a ten cup bundt pan. subbed bob’s red mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour, and it worked perfectly. used cacao barry dutch processed cocoa powder. this cake is not very sweet, but has strong chocolate flavor. topped with freeze dried raspberries

• Minty chocolate malt cake

  • anya_sf on February 25, 2022

    The texture and chocolate flavor of the cake and icing were excellent, especially for such an easy cake to make. The mint was a little strong, but I imagine that's due to the brand of extract I used, which smelled a lot like toothpaste. Next time I will try it with a different flavor, maybe mocha.

  • rstone128 on March 13, 2021

    If you like Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies this is the cake for you. Took SweetLittleBytes' advice and only added water until it was spreadable and thought it worked great that way. Loved this cake.

  • hirsheys on September 13, 2021

    This came out fluffy and the chocolate cake was nice, but I did not like the mint extract I used (tasted too toothpaste-y) and I didn't end up finishing the cake.

  • natastrophik on June 14, 2025

    Plush and tasty cake, and easy to put together. The icing makes it, I drizzle in boiling water until just spreadable.

  • Pandan on October 17, 2024

    I loved the texture of the cake and the glaze: super moist and soft, easy spreadable glaze, but not too liquid. I thought I would like the taste even more. The combination of mint and malt sounded great, but I couldn’t really taste the malt flavour. Maybe because my peppermint extract was rather cooling tasting and malt is a warm flavour? Had to sub some black cocoa powder because I was out of regular. I used fresh cooked espresso in the cake and also in the glaze instead of water. Real downside was that I had to freeze some of it because I am the only one in my household who liked mint flavour.

  • dbuhler on April 12, 2024

    Based on other reviews, I subbed peppermint extract for the mint extract. I feel that it worked really well in the cake, but the glaze was very minty with using 1/2 tsp. extract (gave a cooling effect in the mouth). Next time I will reduce by half and see what it's like. I love cakes like this, super moist and plush, so this was definitely a win for me. I'm at high altitude (4700 ft.) and I didn't make any changes and it turned out great. I would definitely make this again!

  • SweetLittleBytes on January 21, 2021

    This cake is even better the next day. I used peppermint flavor, and next time would add a little more to the cake batter. Be prepared for the glaze to dribble down - I'd put the cake in a pan, rimmed baking sheet, anything with sides that will fit the cake. Also watch the amount of water that you add to the glaze; too thin and it runs off the cake without really frosting it.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    My daughter insisted on this for her 8th birthday party cake, despite my warning her that mint chocolate wasn't likely to be a popular cake flavor (especially among kids). She was right to insist: This was delicious and everyone loved it. Do not make as one bowl. Mix wet and dry separately, then mix those, and add the coffee last.

  • Kinhawaii on January 09, 2022

    I agree with everyone. Next time I will try it with peppermint. Good cake! Easy & quick.

  • shep0012 on June 20, 2025

    I made this without glaze and with pandan instead of mint because hubs is not a chocolate-mint fan. With these changes it’s just a nice, fluffy chocolate cake that I’d happily make again to use up my malt powder.

  • Jviney on January 30, 2021

    Loved loved this cake. Moist, deep chocolate flavor, cooling mint frosting. Based on the other review here, I added just 2 Tbsp of boiling water to the frosting and it was fudgy and perfect right away. Two out of two wins from this cookbook.

  • bbbtravels on April 25, 2026

    Good! Would have liked it to be maltier so will try a malt frosting next time.

• Whole wheat chocolate and zucchini cake

  • Zosia on April 16, 2021

    Another good cake from this book. Though the texture wasn't oily, the recipe calls for a lot of oil for the size of cake so I don't think this will get repeated. I used half whole wheat flour but I think you could replace all of the flour with whole wheat and it will still work.

• Espresso chocolate chip cake

  • Zosia on February 04, 2021

    Nice little cake with great texture and delicious coffee-chocolate flavour. I baked mine in a 9" square pan - larger than suggested - and it took 40 minutes.

  • Lepa on August 08, 2021

    This was good- but not as great as other recipes I have tried from this book. The espresso flavor didn't really come through for me. Thirty-five minutes was enough for my cak. It had a brown color (from the coffee) so it didn't look like the picture at all.

  • abrownb1 on January 10, 2021

    This was great but I felt like the espresso flavor wasn't really there. I'll try it again with fresh espresso powder and see if that makes a difference. Otherwise, it was a nice moist choc chip cake. Made it in a loaf pan using mini chips with the original proportions of choc in batter/on top because I didn't read the notes well but it ended up being perfect. Only needed 45 mins in my oven so keep an eye on it.

  • caitmcg on July 08, 2021

    I thought this had great coffee flavor. I used bittersweet chocolate chips, and put two thirds in the batter and one third on top, instead of half and half. I did try the added almond paste suggested as a variation, but it was lost against the stronger flavors.

  • kari500 on February 24, 2022

    I can’t get over how light and tender this cake is. I love it. I screwed up and put all the (dark) chocolate chips in the batter, but it doesn’t seem to have caused a problem. I can taste the coffee. Big fan of this cake, and the book.

  • anya_sf on March 11, 2021

    Surprisingly light and fluffy with just the right sweetness. The coffee was there but not too strong. I used a mixture of milk and bittersweet chocolate chips. Didn't have quite enough ricotta so supplemented with Greek yogurt.

  • bwhip on November 16, 2020

    Wonderful recipe for a great snacking cake. I found the ratio of espresso flavor and chocolate chips to be just right. This one's a keeper.

  • MEmilyGrey on May 23, 2021

    I didn't care for this one as much as some of the others in this book. A little too sweet, maybe?

  • SBCollectsCookbooks on November 20, 2025

    This cake is tasty! I split the batter into two smaller baking pans so I could give one to my mom. She loved it too! I couldn’t really taste the espresso powder in it so next time I might add a little more, but I’m sure it added to the flavor. Adding walnuts might be really good as well. I will definitely make it again. ?

  • pattyatbryce on January 17, 2022

    Quick and easy to make. We enjoyed it quite a bit, but like others, did not really taste the espresso.

  • et12 on May 08, 2022

    We loved this cake! It was moist, light and had a great chocolate flavour that was enhanced by the espresso but not overpowered by it. Really liked the sugar coating on the surface as well.

  • Skamper on May 01, 2022

    Really delicious and surprisingly light cake. I used half milk chocolate and half 100% cacao chips. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, this cake got even better after a couple of days. (King Arthur flour just posted a story about "aging" cakes for a few days before slicing to deepen the flavor and said cakes made with oil are the best candidates for this.)

  • MollyPellecchia on November 26, 2025

    Moist little cake. Was a little short on ricotta so added a splash of milk. 40 minutes in the oven. But sad I forgot to add the sugar at the end.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on March 17, 2026

    I made this exactly as directed. Like other reviewers, we couldn’t really taste the espresso powder, but it is delicious anyway.

• Milk chocolate chip-hazelnut cake

  • Jane on February 28, 2021

    How could any cake with chocolate, coffee and Nutella not be good? This cake was light with good depth of flavor and a nice crunch from the hazelnuts on top. Definitely a repeat.

  • Zosia on November 29, 2021

    Another great cake. It wasn't too sweet with more of a bitter-sweet chocolate flavour than milk chocolate.

  • Jviney on July 08, 2022

    I made this as a loaf cake. It was moist and rich and delicious and also the hazelnuts all sunk to the bottom. Next time I’ll serve it with ice cream but really it has a lovely delicate flavor on its own too. As with so many of the recipes in this book, it was a one bowl cake that could be made in just a few minutes.

  • memphiseat on May 27, 2024

    This was very chocolatey but quite good. I ground the nuts very finely so didn't have the problem with them falling to the bottom as some others have reported.

• Red velvet cake with cream cheese glaze

  • stockholm28 on January 01, 2022

    This was a very nice cake. I used the cocoa glaze with this as I was making it for kids who are picky eaters and I wasn’t sure that they would eat cream cheese frosting. I wrapped leftover slizes and froze. It was delicious out of the freezer … only needed to sit about 15 minutes to thaw.

  • robinswood on March 12, 2021

    good moist cake. My daughter has had trouble getting the cream cheese to be smoothly mixed in glaze - not sure why as she made it in the wee hours...

  • mirjoy on February 03, 2026

    The cake was moist and a nice texture but no strong chocolate flavor. I didn’t have milk so kind of improvised the frosting - added extra cream cheese, warmed up in the microwave, and added a dash of water. My husband loves this, but he’s really into cream cheese frosting. I may do the frosting on a more chocolatey cake.

  • mimisingh on December 04, 2025

    I'm not convinced the cream cheese glaze recipe works... I had the exact same frustrating issue as the other user where my cream cheese glaze was chunky and unpleasant and even after whisking for a really long time I could not get it to incorporate. I had to find a different basic recipe online for a cream cheese glaze and used my hand mixer. The cake was quite nice though, I made it as 12 cupcakes and cooked at 325f in convection and pulled them at 22 minutes. I would make the cake again. It is nice to have a cake recipe on hand where you don't have to be too worried about overmixing the batter. I frosted half with the cocoa glaze which did turn out nice but gets a little messy with cupcakes, probably more ideal if you make the full cake size.

• Spiced chocolate pumpkin cake

  • rosyannposy on November 28, 2020

    This was delicious. Ran out of chocolate chips so used chopped Mexican chocolate from Rancho Gordo that I had in cupboard. So good! Even pumpkin hating husband liked it.

  • Devons on January 04, 2021

    Delicious. Baked in 9 inch round cake pan. Did not require full baking time — 35 minutes was sufficient in my oven. Top did crack, making me wonder if the baking temperature is too high for a larger round cake pan. Matter, taste not impacted and it is really delicious. Added a little extra cayenne for omph:-)

  • BerkeleyBecca on May 27, 2026

    Easy, as most recipes in this cookbook are. Nice texture.

  • bwhip on November 16, 2020

    My wife and I really loved this one, especially for the fall. Just the right amount of pumpkin flavor in the cake. Only thing I'll change next time I make it is to double the amount of glaze.

  • robinswood on February 13, 2021

    thought it was overbaked because it cracked across the top in spite of removing from oven early, but was plenty moist inside. I would increase the pepper next time. did not glaze it so no comment on that.

  • Jviney on September 18, 2023

    This was good, the cake was definitely done and cracked at 45 minutes. I think next time I’d leave out the cayenne if serving to kids. And note that one recipe of frosting really didn’t cover the cake, probably would try 1.5x next time. I took the mini chocolate chips advice and it works really well.

  • hibeez on April 01, 2023

    I made this in two 6" round pans. On one, I sprinkled the cinnamon-sugar cayenne mix on top; the other I served plain. Used about 1/3 black cocoa 2/3 dutch process cocoa and it gave it a deeper more intense chocolatey flavor and color. Used mini chocolate chips because that's what I had - would do that again for little bits of chocolate. Would up the cayenne next time around. Very moist and not too sweet. Didn't taste the olive oil as much as in the pumpkin olive oil cake in this book - which was fine.

  • ellwell on October 11, 2022

    This was a good cake with a really nice texture. Mine cracked on top also, but it was still great. Fully cooked by 45 minutes. I didn't detect much flavor from the pumpkin, it tasted mostly of chocolate. The glaze was a nice complement. I would make it again.

• Fudgy chocolate cake with fluffy chocolate frosting

  • anya_sf on March 03, 2024

    Flavorful, moist, easy chocolate cake recipe. In a 9" round pan, my cake took the full 45 min to bake, and the edges got slightly tough - perhaps because the sides weren't lined with parchment? Frosted with chocolate buttercream left over from another recipe.

  • meginyeg on July 06, 2023

    Delicious. 15 year old son made it and the directions were perfect. The frosting wasn't too sweet.

  • coryelizabeth on May 05, 2022

    Has it been a long day, and does someone in your home need you to do something nice for them (yourself included)? Make this cake. I whipped this up on impulse while dinner was in the oven, and it is supremely satisfying. 60 ml of espresso gave the cake a decidedly mocha flavor, but (a) that's not a bad thing and (b) that flavor seemed to fade after a day or two.

  • Devons on October 07, 2025

    Very very good. Sub'd plain yogurtr with milk for the buttermilk. Topped with Fluffy Vanilla frosting -- note I thought the amount was a tad skimpy. Next time I would double the frosting -- probably a bit too much, but... :-)

  • ellwell on November 18, 2022

    Hubby was out of town so I made myself a nice dinner of lentils (which he despises) and then decided I deserved a cake! I am so happy I chose this one- it was very moist and flavorful and the icing was excellent. I made myself give half of it to the kids next door to save me from myself :)

  • LindaMM1 on April 03, 2025

    This was an excellent dark chocolate cake. Used King Arthur dark cocoa! The icing was also excellent. Will go on list as a go to chocolate cake

  • Helin on January 29, 2024

    Well-written recipe. The cake had a great balance of sweet and bitter (I included the optional bittersweet chocolate chips). If you're familiar with King Arthur's cake pan cake, this one is different and worth trying!

  • Chibblywibbly on March 26, 2026

    So easy and so delicious. With a scoop of ice cream it was a huge hit. Can't wait for a slice later too!

  • Kinhawaii on July 20, 2025

    Good & moist. I think I may try some coffee instead of milk in the frosting if I make this again.

  • Kag2020 on October 20, 2022

    Excellent flavor. I used a combination of sour cream and full fat yogurt and included the chocolate chips.

  • silent_kaye on March 05, 2025

    Made this as a birthday cake for my mom. Rich, flavorful chocolate cake and frosting. Well-received by the birthday girl.

  • QuinceHouse on February 15, 2026

    Delicious cake. I topped with a different frosting. I just love how quickly these cakes get whipped up.

  • bbbtravels on April 25, 2026

    Tasty! Flavour is brownie-adjacent.

  • robin_vfzc3d on June 01, 2026

    The recipe itself was pretty easy. The only modification I made was using hot water instead of coffee and adding back in 1/2 tsp of espresso powder (next time will add 1 tsp). Overall it’s pretty good, but I used my stand mixer to make the frosting and since it’s a small batch, the frosting kept getting stuck at the bottom and so I had some darker chunks of frosting in the end. There was just enough frosting to cover the top, but if I were to make a two layer cake, I would 4-5x the frosting. I baked in a 9in round pan for 35min as suggested in the book!

  • ana_b3gye8 on February 13, 2026

    Amazing cake! Finished it off with a 70% chocolate ganache.

• Vanilla buttermilk cake with fluffy vanilla frosting

  • hirsheys on February 20, 2021

    This came out nice and tender - an excellent version of a homemade yellow cake, though a bit on the sweet side for my taste. The cake didn’t get a ton of rise, but still is nicely fluffy, especially given that it is so easy to make (no mixer!) The frosting (I made the vanilla version) is perfectly fine, though it reminded me yet again that I don’t love buttercream. I’m happy to now have this one in my repertoire (and to own this book!) Edited to add: Better the second day. Sweetness decreased and butter flavor diminished.

  • michalow on April 09, 2021

    This is a simple, comforting cake. It is easy to throw together and comes out light and tender. The cake on its own is gently sweet. I did not care for the buttercream frosting -- it's very sweet, as buttercream always is, and the lemon juice confused my taste buds.

  • mzgourmand on October 08, 2025

    Thought this was a nice, moist vanilla cake - as per the other notes, it didn't have much rise and it sweeter than I prefer. But it was really quick and easy to put together, as per the snacking cake promise. I made it with the freeze-dried strawberry glaze and THAT was absolutely killer. I suspect that all the fantastic sounding glazes and whips may be the stealth stars of this book.

  • stef on May 31, 2026

    Lovely moist cake which is mixed by hand. Baked in nordic ware 8" charlotte pan. Just the right amount of dough for this pan.

  • bwhip on February 06, 2021

    Loved this cake. Made it with the fluffy chocolate frosting from this cookbook. Great combination. Easy prep, and the flavor and texture were just right. This will likely be our go-to recipe for this type of cake.

  • Pandan on May 04, 2026

    Good basic white cake recipe. Already made this as a square cake with frosting and also for cupcakes with a different topping

  • BachranBears on September 05, 2023

    Doubled this to make a layer cake for my son's birthday. Added malt powder per her suggestion and combined it with her fluffy chocolate buttercream. Made the cake the day before the party, and appreciated how simple it was to prepare. This was a shockingly delicious and comforting cake. My husband said it was one of the best cakes he's ever had, and our guests took slices home because they liked it so much. This will be our go-to birthday cake for the future.

  • et12 on October 18, 2025

    Made this for my daughter’s first birthday and it had a nice and simple vanilla flavour. Not too sweet with good consistency. As the recipe says, pretty close to a boxed yellow cake mix.

  • leilx on January 22, 2021

    Made this cake and used the fluffy chocolate frosting from same book. Super easy and went together in minutes. However I thought it was kinda dull. Maybe because I don’t like boxed mix cakes and this one was supposed to be like it? I’m sure it could be jazzed up a bit.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    I thought this was bland and unexciting, but the 7 year olds at the birthday party all loved it. The frosting curdled for me-- I still have no idea why! I was making it moments before the party was to begin so perhaps it was my error?

  • rachel_a40gn2 on April 25, 2026

    Another win from this book! We added crushed Oreos for a cookies and cream cake. It was delightful.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on March 30, 2026

    Great flavor and really moist. Only needed the minimum bake time. I swapped out the frosting for the fluffy chocolate frosting.

  • bbbtravels on April 25, 2026

    I added malt powder but still found the flavour underwhelming.

  • eatswhilestanding on May 04, 2026

    Made with buttermilk substitute: approx 1/3 cup whole milk Greek yogurt and 3/4 cup 1% milk

• Rainbow sprinkle cake

  • meginyeg on November 27, 2025

    Flavour and texture are good. A quick easy cake. My sprinkles disappeared in the cake but no one minded.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    If you use sprinkles that contain no artificial dyes, they will fade during baking and you'll end up with kind of... brownish speckles throughout the cake. The 7 year olds didn't mind a bit, thankfully!

• Malted vanilla cake

  • anya_sf on November 04, 2023

    Very nice vanilla cake which can be mixed up faster than it takes the oven to preheat. Texture was somewhat coarse (not surprising, since it is simply mixed by hand), but moist and not dense. I used a different frosting recipe.

  • Emily Hope on November 28, 2022

    This cake has a high effort-to-reward ratio -- my 9 year old made it with minimal supervision and it turned out tender (the oil helps with that) and delicious. We also subbed in malt powder for 1/4 of the sugar in the frosting, and I'd do that again. Love that all of the cakes in this book use melted butter as it makes it that much easier to do on the spur of the moment.

  • RobinSong on January 17, 2026

    I am in France so I made this with ovo maltine, the closest thing I could find to malted milk powder. It has some chocolate in it too but that wasn’t a bad thing at all! Absolutely delicious, in a kind of mysterious way.

  • Shelfand101 on April 05, 2026

    Amazing. Like others, I subbed the 1/4 malt powder in the icing and it was delicious, but very malt forward. I would probably reduce it next time for a lighter malt flavor, but if malt is what you're looking for, go with 1/4.

  • mimisingh on August 30, 2025

    Really nice basic cake that takes basically no time to make. Made to use up some buttermilk from a different recipe. Followed the other user's suggestion of subbing 1/4 sugar for malt powder in the frosting and I thought it tasted great. I also did not add the lemon juice just due to personal preference. It is nice to have this type of easy vanilla snack cake recipe on hand. Cooked at 325F convection and took out exactly at 30 minutes. Tester was completely clean with no crumbs.

• Cocoa glaze

  • stockholm28 on January 01, 2022

    I made this glaze to top the red velvet cake. It was simple to make and tasted great.

  • Zosia on June 19, 2023

    Very good on the cocoa rye cake.

• Cranberry cream cheese cake

  • Lepa on November 16, 2020

    We loved this cake. It wasn't too sweet and had nice pockets of cream cheese in it. We liked it best the first day but it was fine the next morning, too.

  • lholtzman on October 12, 2025

    This cake is not too sweet and a bit tart and salty from the cheese and cranberries. Everyone, including my 7 year old, loved this cake.

• Freeze-dried strawberry glaze

  • mzgourmand on October 08, 2025

    This is so so so good! Really elevated the vanilla cake and demonstrated how these freeze-dried fruit powders can up the wow factor in a recipe. A+!

• Chocolate espresso cake

  • ccav on December 30, 2023

    Nice flavors...maybe add more espresso next time? Great with ice cream.

• Buckwheat banana cake

  • Emily Hope on March 09, 2021

    This was a delicious variant on banana bread/cake--as Zosia mentions, not a ton of buckwheat flour, and the flavor from it wasn't super apparent when we ate it warm from the oven, but on the following days it came through. I used freshly ground buckwheat from my flour mill. Next time may up the amount of buckwheat just a bit. Good on the second and third days toasted in the toaster oven, with a bit of salted Kerrygold.

  • abrownb1 on August 10, 2021

    More of a banana bread than cake. I added a little maple extract and am glad I did because it made it a little more interesting.

  • Astrid5555 on May 21, 2024

    Very subtle buckwheat taste, solid recipe.

  • Victoria_from_London on August 27, 2021

    Really good, easy, nutty-tasty, modest number of ingredients. Uses about 1.5 quite large (UK) bananas. I mistakenly only used 1 egg and it worked fine (gluten free Dove's farm flour)

  • sarahawker on November 30, 2023

    Solid recipe. I used the whole wheat variation and topped with a bit of leftover chocolate buttercream in 8x8 pan. Family loved this, very quick to throw together treat.

  • Zosia on February 10, 2021

    There wasn't a large amount of buckwheat flour in this tasty banana cake but there was enough to make it just a little different from others.

  • anya_sf on August 25, 2021

    I baked this in an 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan; it wasn't that tall so I'm glad I used the smaller pan. The buckwheat added noticeable color and texture, but the flavor was more subtle, as others have noted. The cake (or bread) was moist and not overly sweet. We liked it, though not as much as our favorite banana bread.

  • IvyManning on February 28, 2022

    Didn't like this. Made it with the buckwheat variation and it was dry (I weighed the ingredients for precision) with a dense crumb and not a lot of flavor. It doesn't have cinnamon or any other interesting flavors so it was very blah and not sweet, either. Won't make it again.

  • MEmilyGrey on May 22, 2021

    Mixed reaction on this one. I love it. It could be the only banana bread I ever eat, and I'd be happy. My husband & son are less enthusiastic. Tried the Tahini Glaze, and would prefer a classic peanut butter instead, but realistically this doesn't need any toppings at all. It's fine as written.

  • gootenbeez on April 01, 2026

    This cake is delicious. An absolute favorite in the house with the maple espresso glaze.

  • et12 on October 18, 2023

    I used the wholemeal flour variation and, since I was out of plain flour, went for almost all wholemeal. I thought it was a very moist and delicious cake with good texture. However, the banana flavour got lost on me. A good cake but not my favourite banana cake. I used the maple coffee glaze which matched it nicely.

  • PacoHayd on April 16, 2026

    This cake is so good. Perfect flavor, perfect texture. Huge fan. Will definitely make again.

  • gemini_n56abk on March 29, 2026

    I didn't have yogurt so I subbed in cottage cheese.

  • sherrie_fcqj1i on February 08, 2026

    Have made this a couple of times in an 8x8 pan. I’ll add more vanilla & often add Advieh (a Persian spice blend with 2 kinds of cinnamon, cardamom, roses & a few other spices I get from World Spice) or I’ll chop up part of a dark chocolate bar and some frozen raspberries. So yummy!

  • eatswhilestanding on May 20, 2026

    This was good but nothing special. I made with WW flour rather than buckwheat, maybe buckwheat would have been more interesting. I baked for about 30 minutes and it was slightly overdone, so will set my timer for 25 minutes next time

• Banana espresso chocolate chip cake

  • Zosia on July 26, 2023

    This is a variation of the espresso chocolate chip cake which I've made and enjoyed. Like the original, this cake was tender and delicious; the banana held its own against the chocolate. Unlike the original, it was somewhat oily.

• Maple coffee glaze

  • eliza on September 08, 2022

    Made this to put on the mostly apples cake. Very sweet, which complemented the cake well.

• Apple spice cake

  • Pandan on November 05, 2024

    I made this with my two year old son who liked adding all the different spices. I baked mine in a loaf pan. Unfortunately I chose to use a Pyrex glass loaf pan which wasn’t a good idea. The cake was baked from the outside but the insides were quite soggy still after 50 minutes. Luckily the cake still tasted good and especially the ginger tasted really good with the apples. Will do again in a different pan.

• My best carrot cake

  • ellwell on December 18, 2022

    This was a delightful little cake that was just perfect for just three of us at my husband's birthday dinner. I didn't add the dates since I didn't have any. I flirted with the idea of adding some figs, but decided to just go with the pecans. I love the idea of these smaller cakes. We can have a couple servings and then toss the rest without much guilt!

  • helena.h on April 04, 2026

    One of the best carrot cakes we've had! Omitted the pecans and added a cream cheese frosting.

  • ShayLRoss on April 05, 2026

    Really great result, loved having a "plainer" version to pair with coffee.

  • Ntesfai on December 09, 2025

    This is a very forgiving recipe. I made it several times and sometime I’m not so great at following the instructions, but it’s always turned out delicious.

• Corn cake with honey

  • et12 on April 24, 2021

    My stand mixer didn’t do a good job at incorporating the honey, half of which remained at the bottom of the bowl, but maybe that was a good thing because the cake turned out excellent and not too sweet.

  • Running_with_Wools on August 18, 2022

    I made this using medium grind cornmeal and gluten free flour and loved it. I added blueberries and Malden salt on top. It was delicate with a lovely texture. The honey flavor came through delicately and was enhanced by the salt and bursts of blueberries.

  • RobinSong on February 09, 2026

    Excellent with chili

  • MEmilyGrey on May 23, 2021

    I liked it. Probably better with berries. Moist & breakfasty.

  • catlifford on March 16, 2026

    Used medium coarse cornmeal and I understand why I should’ve used finely ground cornmeal

  • gootenbeez on December 09, 2025

    Delicious as usual. Everything from this book is a win. Added frozen wild blueberries. Could absolutely taste the honey.

• Blueberry cornmeal cake

  • Bessp on July 13, 2023

    Used gluten free flour. Forgot to flour the blueberries so they all sank. Still delicious.

  • purrviciouz on August 12, 2021

    The texture is definitely more cake and less like cornbread. I used the lemon icing and blueberries, next time I"ll skip the icing. Delicious.

• Super-citrus currant, and rosemary cake

  • jessica_qyreaf on January 10, 2026

    This might be my favorite cake in the book. Just love the flavor combo and make often in the winter and early spring.

• Seedy zucchini cake

  • RhymesWithPhone on May 03, 2026

    In a book full of winners, this one is truly a sleeper hit! It’s lightly sweet and lemony, with that amazing crunch from the millet, poppy seeds, and (because I didn’t have flax seeds) sesame seeds. Sophisticated way to use up zucchini and the whole thing leans healthy.

  • et12 on May 05, 2026

    A really nice zucchini cake with a subtle and complimentary hit of lemon.

  • mjblanchard on November 05, 2025

    Unexpectedly delicious, light, wholesome cake with wonderful texture from all the seeds and a hint of lemon. Very springy / summery, and wonderful with tea or coffee during the day. The picture in the book doesn't do the cake justice.

• Grapefruit gingerbread

  • kellilee on January 20, 2023

    This gingerbread is for ginger lovers. It mellows with age but that first slice on that first day will burn. For some folks, that burn will be welcome and expected but for others it may come as a shock. But really it should not if you pay attention to the amount of ginger added: fresh grated ginger, minced crystallized ginger and ground ginger. The grapefruit glaze is welcome and possibly necessary to balance out all that heat. Not my favorite Snacking Cake from Yossy Arefi's book but fortunately there are many others I love so no worries.

• Chocolatey date cake

  • valbe on February 05, 2022

    The chocolate chips sunk to the bottom so next time I'll add the batter to the pan and then sprinkle the chocolate on top with the hope that while the cake bakes the chocolate will be evenly distributed through the cake. The caramel sauce turned out more like a butterscotch sauce, Because the brown sugar and water is already quite dark at the start I didn't boil it long enough. With white sugar it's easier to tell when the sugar starts to turn to a caramel color.

• Chocolate-orange beet cake

  • RobinSong on February 14, 2026

    Valentine cake! I could taste the beet but wasn’t disagreeable. I didn’t double the recipe but split in two to make one round + one square, cut round in half to make the heart shape. I should have remembered to double the icing! But it turned out cute and the perfect color for Feb 14!

  • millvalleypaleo on August 06, 2022

    Moist, dense chocolate cake. No taste of beets. Good for 1-2 days. Would like to add photo but don't see how.

  • Pandan on September 28, 2024

    Really good! Only made this because I had to use up a precooked beet, which I shredded and used instead of the fresh. The poppy seed added a subtle crunch. Also the beets weren’t detectable and my toddler ate the cake, too. I omitted the frosting and reduced the sugar, was sweet enough that way!

• Chocolate and zucchini cake

  • shelbstirr on November 01, 2024

    I have made it with and without the chocolate chips and without and it is better with. Full amount of cardamom is great, the spices and zucchini give the flavor and texture a nice twist. Next time, try baking 5 minutes less than the low end of the range in the recipe.

  • andreapcoburn on September 24, 2025

    Easy and tasty. Will make again. The cinnamon was just the right touch. I had an orange cardamom blend from a spice company that I used instead of pure cardamom. It was nice, might add more or add some orange extract next time for fun. I baked it in a round cast iron pan with no parchment and it did not stick. Whole family liked it and could not tell zucchini was in it.

  • kshell on July 16, 2023

    This recipe was a miss for me. Came out dry. My zucchini didn't give much water when I squeezed it, maybe that's the culprit.

  • Katastrofe on January 24, 2026

    Not a big hit with one of my kids who otherwise loves cakes. Not sure about the addition of the spices and the zucchini was quite noticeable. Won’t repeat.

  • rochkay on June 24, 2022

    This cake is delicious! It's always a favorite when I make it for an event. The poppy seeds are listed as optional, but I include them every time. They add just the slightest bit of crunch. Together with the flavor from cardamom and chocolate it's a win for me!

  • AndieEats on July 17, 2021

    About 1.5 small/medium zucchinis are enough. Be sure you enjoy cardamom if you follow recipe measurements - it was quite forward and not enjoyed by all.

  • RhymesWithPhone on May 23, 2026

    Don’t be put off by the zucchini! You won’t have any idea it’s in there. It’s incredibly moist and chocolatey. It was first baked for me by a child who is a total bull in a china shop - still perfect. I’ve since made it twice and it’s equally good. If that’s not evidence of a foolproof recipe, I don’t know what is.

• Chocolate peanut butter cake

  • bbbtravels on April 25, 2026

    Really good! Glaze seems too sweet when tasted alone but it works well with the cake.

  • michelle_yn1fi9 on May 04, 2026

    I’ve made this a couple of times. It has good flavor recipe but the cake has been a bit dry each time I made it. I even cut the bake time down by 5 minutes. The icing is very good.

  • et12 on March 12, 2026

    I did not have an issue with dryness. If anything mine came out too moist and slightly underbaked despite the tester coming out clean. It is a very peanut butter forward cake, which I like.

  • ellwell on November 10, 2022

    It was dry for me also. It was overdone at 45 minutes so check it early. Next time I would cook for 40 minutes and maybe add some chocolate to intensify the flavor. I made the peanut butter glaze which did not make enough to balance the dryness of the cake. It needs a 1 1/2 x recipe. Of course, it did not keep us from walking by and cutting more “slivers” off each time we passed through the kitchen.

  • MEmilyGrey on May 23, 2021

    Very disappointed the first time - tasted a little woody - but I think it can be salvaged. Second time, I added some melted baking chocolate. Improved the flavor, but came out dry. Next time I'll add more dairy to compensate.

• Vegan chocolate coconut cake

  • breakthroughc on July 11, 2022

    This was a nice vegan cake. The texture was a little crumbly, but it had a rich chocolate flavor. I did not use the coconut extract, but did use the espresso powder. Didn't taste of coffee, but helped with giving it a depth of flavor. The vegan friend I made if for rated it as the second best vegan dessert I have made.

  • et12 on May 13, 2023

    Such a great texture and good dark chocolate flavours. Was easy to make and made for a lovely snack.

  • alexrif on October 13, 2024

    Not sure how I messed this up so bad but I had to bake it an additional 20 minutes before I could get a clean skewer (it was not melted chocolate) and it still fell apart when transferring. Tastes delicious tho lol

• Strawberry frosted vanilla cake

  • Jviney on May 15, 2023

    Absolutely delicious. I was so surprised at how bright the strawberry flavor was in the frosting. Even with mediocre vanilla, this was a standout cake with a standout frosting.

  • Nrnarayan on August 18, 2025

    The cake is fantastic, can't wait to make it again. Doubled the recipe and cooked beautifully in a 9x13 pan. I accidentally only added half the quantity of strawberries but still came out great.

• Vanilla bean whip

  • AndieEats on July 16, 2022

    Ratios were good - not too sweet!

• Whipped vanilla mascarpone

  • Skamper on January 25, 2025

    Didn't love this. I think confectioners sugar would have worked better.

  • thebingelife on September 30, 2025

    I loved this. Like a frosting but not super sweet. It doesn’t make a large serving but enough for a light topping.

• Whiskey caramel

  • sarah_tptfm6 on March 23, 2026

    Subbed buttermilk, did not disappoint!

• Vanilla bean glaze

  • et12 on March 26, 2022

    Well worth using the vanilla bean paste. A strong vanilla flavour that contrasts well with chocolate. I used it on the cocoa-yogurt cake from this book.

• Fluffy chocolate frosting

  • leilx on January 22, 2021

    Super quick and easy. Makes a generous amount for an 8” cake. I thought it was kinda sweet—more milk chocolate maybe—and next time would try doubling the cocoa and reducing the sugar.

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on March 30, 2026

    Really good. Make sure to use Dutch cocoa. I’m not a frosting person and I could not stop eating this.

• Orange-poppy seed cake

  • jennifer_vszvd1 on April 22, 2026

    I added a tsp of cardamom to the batter and topped with rose petal whipped cream (1 C heavy cream, 1 tsp. Damask rose petal powders 2 tsp. confectioner’s sugar) instead of glaze. I would have liked both the orange flavor and the cardamom flavor amped up a bit more.

  • emilycaj on May 15, 2025

    The children loved it, but the adults thought it was a bit boring. The cake part isn't very flavorful, though the glaze is good.

  • jmohart on March 25, 2026

    Used zest and juice (1/4 cups worth) from two regular lemons. Used last dregs of sour cream to use up an almost finished carton, rest was stonybrook whole milk strawberry yogurt. No glaze, nice lemon flavor, nice texture!

  • djnielsen64 on January 13, 2025

    Loved it! I did orange glaze rather than the raspberry.