What's a great make-ahead cake/loaf that will last overnight plus a bus trip from NY to Boston? Looking for something that gets moister over time!

BTW, I can share that Shirley suggests cakes made with buttermilk or sour cream age well. Cakes with a denser texture, like Poundcake, are also better keepers. Many simple German cakes, such as lebkuchen or gingerbread, or fruitcake, are meant to be made ahead; my source for those recipes is "Festive Baking" by Sarah Kelly Iaia.

In the January 1972 issue of Gourmet magazine, Shirley Sarvis wrote an article on just this topic. "Cakes for Keeping" included 9 recipes for cakes that improve with age...in fact, I sent my daughter the Cream Cheese Poppy Poundcake for her birthday--and she's in Sweden!

So I have a question for the staff of Food 52: I would love these recipes to be shared, but since they belong to Ms. Sarvis, and I haven't found an online source for them, what's the best way to proceed while respecting the author's copyright?

I just made the ricotta-raspberry cake from the most recent Bon Appetit mag, and it is fantastic -- and in my opinion even better a few days after I made it!

What about s tres leche cake, dosent get moister than that , un mould it when you get to you're destination

Another idea, a cross between the virtues of chocolate & the olive oil cakes. There are various choc cake recipes out there made with either mayonnaise or mashed potato, both of which help keep the cakes moist. I''ve made the choc mayo one, and it's good. Not made the choc potato one but I''ve used the mashed potato in bread and it works.

If you like chocolate this cake is really good and it does fine overnight. I'm sure it would be ok on the bus too (I'd maybe put it in a box).
http://food52.com/recipes/20091-nigella-lawson-s-dense-chocolate-loaf-cake

Yes to quick, banana, cranberry etc breads. also gingerbread (esp those made with molasses or maple syrup) or honeycake or French pain d'spices.

This Coconut Pound Cake stays so moist and tastes even better a day or two after it's made. I recommend it. https://food52.com/recipes/22096-omg-coconut-pound-cake

This citrus/almond/olive oil cake from Molly Wizenberg, who got it from the Boonville hotel, is one of my favorites. It's moist, intensely flavorful, fairly sturdy in structure, and keeps for days, possibly improving on the second day. I've made it in bundt and tube pans as well as the suggested springform pan; I'm sure you could make it as a loaf as well.
http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/02/we-ate-this-cake.html

A pumpkin/cranberry bread stays moist for days. Here's one recipehttp://www.oceanspray.com/Recipes/Corporate/Breads-Muffins/Cranberry-Pumpkin-Bread.aspx
Brownies are good travelers too https://food52.com/recipes/31947-super-fudgy-brownies

I highly recommend Marian Burros' Plum Torte,
https://food52.com/recipes/24469-marian-burros-plum-torte

You can use just about any fruit. It is good the day t is made, but even better the next day.

Quick breads like banana bread travel well. Carrot cake travels well and stays moist. Most cakes as long as they aren't cut will keep overnight pretty well. I recently make a chocolate cake and it sat overnight and then we brought it with on a 12 hour car trip. We didn't get to eat it until 2 days after I made it and it was still great. I packed the frosting separately - which I'm really glad I did because the cake somehow got flipped over during the trip. If you top the cake with powdered sugar it will soak into the cake so I'd suggest bringing some powdered sugar with and topping it before you eat.