Your Very Best Snack Cakes, Right This Way

Cakes for anytime!

As a global pandemic wages on and many of us work to balance our jobs (virtually or away from home), manage virtual learning for kids, and care for loved ones, it is an ideal time to think about a low-stress, sweet pick-me-up for any day or time. This is especially true as we approach the impending holiday season that may look quite different from holidays in years past. Enter the snack cake.

What exactly, you may ask, is a snack cake? A precise definition tends to elude this little baking gem, but you can peek at our very scientific exploration here.

Generally, the snack cake (aka snacking cake) is a simple, one-layer cake made with a relatively short ingredient list that uses a minimal amount of bowls and utensils. A snacking cake can be whipped up at any time of day. Keep it as a simple afternoon snack with a dusting of powdered sugar, or upgrade the cake with some seasonal frosting to serve to impromptu dinner party guests.

In our newest contest, we want to see your best recipe for a snacking cake. Leave your fancy layer cakes and cupcakes for another time, as submissions should:

• Come together in one bowl (and one bowl only!)
• Be only one layer.
• The frosting, if any, should be comprised of less than five ingredients, and also come together in one bowl.

We are looking for recipes that epitomize the unfussy nature of a snacking cake but still leave us with a happy belly and a nourished soul. Bundt cakes that otherwise meet our snacking cake ideals are welcome.

We are taking submissions now, until Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. E.T.

The winner will receive not only virtual bragging rights, but an IRL gift from our Five Two team.

If you have a recipe already on the site, go to that recipe page, hit "Edit Recipe" (under the photo), scroll down, hit "Submit my recipe to a contest," select the latest contest ("Your Best Snack Cake"), and save.

If you want to add a new recipe, head to your own profile page, select "Recipes," click "Add a Recipe," upload it, hit "Submit my recipe to a contest," select the latest contest, and save. We read every submission and test as many as possible. But that’s a lot of reading and a lot of testing. We’re counting on you to help, too. Peruse the submission pages and make (and favorite!) any recipe that catches your eye. Then, share feedback on the recipe page. We take all this feedback into account as we narrow down to the top five, which will be announced Dec. 20.

For a full refresher on how the whole contest process works, check this out.

What is your favorite snack cake recipe? Tell us about it in the comments!