We love all homemade cakes. Whether it comes from a box or is made entirely from scratch—if it’s made at home, we’re into it. While we all have our favorites, there’s always more cake to be tried and new recipes to be written. If you’re on the hunt for something new, look no further. These are our 15 most popular cake recipes of all time, ranked.
15. Caramelized Banana Upside-Down Cake
If you’ve got a cast iron skillet, bananas, and a few pantry staples lying around, you’ve got everything you need to make this sweet, crowd-pleasing upside-down cake. Serve with vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee.
14. Light, Fluffy Butter Cake
As the name suggests, this cake isn’t overbearing. Subtle, a little sweet, and incredibly versatile, it works at all hours of the day.
13. Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake
Reviewer Jenn C. says it best: “This is the moistest, most flavorful chocolate cake I have ever made. It’s like one of the chocolate cakes at chain restaurants that are super moist but ruined by layers of frosting.”
12. Ultimate Chocolate Cake
Developed by Resident Baking BFF Erin McDowell to celebrate Food52’s 10th birthday, this chocolate cake belongs at your next party. Also, anything with ganache on it is worth eating.
11. Korean Fresh Cream Cake
Light, airy, and just sweet enough, this fresh cream cake is the perfect backdrop for whichever fruit you’re currently loving most. The recipe calls for strawberries but peaches, blueberries, or pineapple would work just as well.
10. Orange-Cardamom Olive Oil Cake
This cake looks cool and that’s half the battle, isn’t it? Of course, it’s much more than something to smile at—the combination of orange, cardamom, and olive oil is perfectly balanced and quite delicious.
9. Cardamom Cake From Niloufer Ichaporia King
Sweet, rich, light, crunchy, and packed with cardamom, this cake hits all the right notes. Also, the whole thing comes together in just an hour.
8. Richard Sax’s Chocolate Cloud Cake
As the name suggests, this cloud cake from Richard Sax is all about texture. Pairing a wafer-like crust with a chocolate mousse interior and whipped creaming topping, Sax’s cake is intense but never too much.
7. Chocolate Dump-It Cake
This chocolate cake from Food52 founder Amanada Hesser is all flavor and no fuss. As Amanda mentions, this cake is “sublime” when served cold so don’t hesitate to toss it in your refrigerator and serve it with your favorite ice cream.
6. Very Easy Apple Cake
With just five ingredients, make an apple cake that is fluffy, light, and sweet. Top with confectioner’s sugar and a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
5. Louisa's Cake
Our editors describe it best: “It's airy and light, but not without integrity: ricotta, eggs, and plenty of butter give it richness, grated apple lends heft, and lemon zest rescues it from being at all bland.”
4. Éclair Cake
This Instagram famous cake is as delicious as it is stunning. While you need a bit of time to pull off this dessert (11 hours), none of the work is particularly technical, and the finished product makes both the waiting and effort entirely worth it.
3. Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)
The nutty, sweet, and somewhat savory taste of this chocolate and almond cake is pitch-perfect. To achieve such a complex flavor, this recipe relies on weighted measurements for all its ingredients. So, it’s worth noting that this recipe is a lot easier if you own a kitchen scale.
2. Maialino's Olive Oil Cake
According to Erin Alexander, Food52’s Managing Editor,this olive oil cake will never let you down. Then again, why would it? It’s perfectly simple, conveniently versatile, and praised by hundreds of our Community members.
1. 'World's Best Cake' With Banana & Coconut
Our most popular cake recipe ever. This towering treat highlights the always enjoyable partnership of banana and ground cinnamon while using cardamom and toasted coconut to keep things crunchy and exciting.
Written by: Paul Hagopian
Popular on Food52
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