Cake Recipes
Yellow Sour Cream Cake
Looking for a yellow cake that feels familiar but a little elevated? This one delivers. It’s light, tender, and just sweet enough to make any occasion feel special. Birthday dinners, weekend entertaining, and “just because” situations any night of the week are excellent reasons to bake this yellow cake. It boasts the most tender crumb…
Perfect Chocolate Frosting
Looking for a frosting with exceptional chocolate flavor that’s not too sweet? This is your recipe! Have you ever found yourself eating a cake and thinking it would be perfect if the icing was just a bit less sweet? If so, this recipe is for you. Originally featured alongside the Yellow Sour Cream Cake in…
Mom’s Classic Strawberry Shortcake
While this classic recipe is traditionally served as dessert, my family has long enjoyed it for the occasional dinner when local strawberries are in season. Served with milk or yogurt, it’s great for breakfast too! Making strawberry shortcake with freshly picked, local berries has long been tradition in my family. My sister and I loved…
Valentine’s Day Heart Brownies
A little ingenuity and a heart-shaped cookie cutter is all that’s needed to make Valentine’s Day feel extra special! A heart-shaped cookie cutter does it again.. Start with this classically delicious homemade brownie recipe (minus the Halloween candy theme), an equally scrumptious Nutella brownie, or store-bought brownies, with Ghirardelli leading the pack in my humble…
Apple Cake
No frosting is needed for this rustic cake that is studded with tender apples and comes together in a single bowl with pantry staples. Serve as is or with a scoop of ice cream and caramel sauce. (Or my favorite, salted caramel ice cream!) My grandmother’s apple cake brings back so many memories. Economical and…
Butterscotch Rum Ripple Cake
Butterscotch Rum Ripple Cake reinvents the classic pound cake with the addition of caramel-like swirled layers and an irresistible glaze. This recipe goes WAY back. As a newlywed, my husband, Jack, and I drove to Philadelphia to see his niece, Judy, perform in a play. She was in elementary school and had a part…
Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Creamy and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness, this classic frosting can easily be spread or piped onto cakes, cupcakes, and cookies for desserts that look as great as they taste! This recipe will add a glorious final touch to your favorite cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. I most frequently use it to decorate…
Baked Almond Cake Donuts or Muffins (grain-free)
No messy frying step needed for deliciously satisfying, grain-free donuts. No donut pan? No problem. The recipe can be made as muffins instead! I have a clear vision of the best donut I ever ate. It was from a cafe called Philz during a visit to Los Angeles several years ago. My family and…
Wacky Cake with Easy Chocolate Frosting (Egg- & Dairy-Free with GF option)
This clever cake mixes up in a single bowl without the need for eggs or milk, making it ideal when ingredients are low or working around dietary requirements. The size is perfect for smaller celebrations, although the foolproof recipe can easily be doubled. Celebrations of all kinds have taken decidedly different twists and turns over…
Apple Crumb Cake
From holiday meals and casual entertaining to easy weeknight desserts, one-bowl Apple Crumb Cake is a go-to dessert for fall and winter–and it even passes as coffee cake! My grandmother’s apple cake has long been a family favorite. For years, we focused on the sheer deliciousness of it, as well as the fact that we could whip it…
Emma’s Favorite Cupcakes (dairy- and gluten-free optional)
What happens when a dear friend requests a spot-on replica of the utterly perfect cupcakes her mom used to make－minus the dairy and gluten? You figure out a way, of course! This cupcake recipe, however, is bigger than any one birthday or Valentine’s Day. It represents love and loss and how we can form everlasting…
Crustless Cranberry Pie
Festive, seasonal and so easy to make with pantry staples, this sweet-tart treat is fruit forward like a pie but somewhat cakier in texture. This recipe is rooted in practicality: Years ago, I had fresh cranberries that needed to be used before we left town for a week. (I later learned cranberries freeze well!)…
