10 Genius Cakes for Mother's Day

Every week -- often with your help -- Food52's Senior Editor Kristen Miglore is unearthing recipes that are nothing short of genius.

Today: 10 cakes, each with the Genius seal of approval, just in time to save Mother's Day.

Still need a present for Mother's Day? Go bake her a cake. And for you moms out there -- do you suspect your loved ones are running a little behind this year? Save them: request a cake.

Some of my happiest, most successful mom-oriented days involved baking my mother's favorite chocolate cake with a cream cheese ribbon -- sometimes with her help, sometimes stumbling along on my own. I think she liked it easily as much as the awkward poems and framed photos, though I doubt she'd ever tell.

I've rounded up some of the greatest cakes from the Genius Recipes column below, plus a few other favorites from around Food52. But what I really want to know is: what genius cake will you bake for your mother?

Amanda Hesser's Chocolate Dump-It Cake

 

Maialino's Olive Oil Cake

 

aargersi's Coconut Tres Leches

 

Margaret Fox's Amazon Cake

 

Lindsay-Jean Hard's Banana Cake with Penuche Frosting 

 

Roberta's Parsley Cake

 

Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

 

 

Cory Schreiber & Julie Richardson's Rhubarb Buckle with Ginger Crumb

 

Nigel Slater's Extremely Moist Chocolate Beet Cake

 

SML Office's Louisa's Cake

Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at [email protected].

Photos by James Ransom, except Louisa's Cake by Sarah Shatz