This collection of 29 cakes and cupcakes covers a lot of ground, from classic vanilla pound cakes and buttery bundt cakes to more unexpected options like a Fresh Fig Cake, a Chocolate Chip Ricotta Loaf Cake, and a German Bee Sting Cake that most people haven’t tried. Whatever the occasion, there’s a recipe here that fits without any hunting.
Jump to:
- What makes these recipes special?
- Top Tips
- Brown Butter Pound Cake Recipe
- Banana Cream Cake
- Fresh Fig Cake Recipe
- Soft and Buttery Glazed Vanilla Bundt Cake
- The Best Vanilla Cake: Moist, Fluffy, & Easy to Make
- How to Make Mini Cupcakes
- Irish Apple Cake
- Orange Butter Cake with Cranberry Curd
- Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Coffee Cake Muffins
- Blackberry Upside Down Cake (with Cinnamon & Vanilla)
- Vanilla Cupcakes: Moist, Fluffy and Easy
- Chocolate Chip Ricotta Loaf Cake
- Best Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
- The Best Healthy Coffee Cake (Vegan and Refined Sugar-Free)
- Strawberry Cake from Scratch
- Boston Cream Poke Cake
- Coffee Cake Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- German Bee Sting Cake
- Vanilla Pound Cake Recipe
- Shoney’s Hot Fudge Cake Recipe
- Grilled Pound Cake with Peaches and Honey Thyme Syrup
- Best 7UP Pound Cake Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Recipe (From Scratch)
- Funfetti Cupcakes from Scratch
- Easy Apple Crumb Cake
- Coconut Cake with Lime Curd Filling
- Red White and Blue Poke Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake Cake
- Comments
The pound cake category alone gives you a lot to work through, with a Brown Butter version, a Vanilla, a 7UP, and a Chocolate Chip all taking the same basic format in very different directions. The Grilled Pound Cake with Peaches and Honey Thyme Syrup is the most distinctive of the group and worth trying in the summer when peaches are actually good.
On the more straightforward side, there are several reliable vanilla cake and cupcake recipes in this collection that are worth having as a baseline, plus a healthy vegan coffee cake and an Irish apple cake for the days when something a little different is the goal.
What makes the recipes in this roundup special?
- The recipes were created by a real person—not generated by AI.
- The photos show the actual recipe, made and photographed in real life.
- The blog is run by a human being—not an AI avatar or bot-run site.
- The recipe is original and created by the blogger—not purchased or republished content.
- All recipes in this roundup have earned a star rating of 4 stars or higher from readers or reviewers.
Top Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients for a more even batter. Cold butter and eggs don’t cream or emulsify as thoroughly as room temperature ones, which shows up in the finished cake as a denser crumb and less even rise. Pulling everything out an hour before baking makes the mixing process significantly smoother.
- Don’t open the oven door during the first two-thirds of baking. Temperature changes from opening the oven cause cakes to sink in the center, especially delicate ones like pound cakes and bundt cakes. Set a timer and resist checking until the recipe’s minimum time has passed.
- Test for doneness with a toothpick, not just the timer. Oven temperatures vary by 25 degrees or more depending on the appliance and where the cake sits in the oven, so a toothpick inserted into the center is a more reliable indicator than the clock alone.
- Let pound cakes and bundt cakes cool in the pan before inverting. Turning a cake out while it’s still hot causes it to crack or stick, especially in intricate bundt pans. Cooling for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan gives the structure time to firm up before it has to hold its own weight.
- Sift dry ingredients together for lighter, more tender cakes. Lumps of flour or leavening that don’t get broken up during mixing create uneven spots in the crumb. A quick sift takes 30 seconds and results in a more consistent, finer texture throughout.
Brown Butter Pound Cake Recipe (Moist, Buttery & Easy to Make)
Brown butter in a pound cake adds a nutty depth that a standard butter version doesn’t have. A pound cake that earns its descriptors without much extra work.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Banana Cream Cake
Banana cream in a cake format gives the classic dessert flavor a more structured, sliceable presentation than a pudding or pie. A layer cake for banana lovers worth having in the rotation.
Photo credit: Pumpkinn Spice
Fresh Fig Cake Recipe
Fresh figs in a cake recipe are genuinely seasonal, which makes this one worth making in the narrow window when figs are actually at their best. A cake that doesn’t work as well with any substitution.
Photo credit: Cooking Gorgeous
Soft and Buttery Glazed Vanilla Bundt Cake
Soft, buttery, and glazed are three things that describe this vanilla bundt cake in a way that actually delivers on the promise. A classic presentation for a flavor that deserves more credit than it usually gets.
Photo credit: Bakes By Brown Sugar
The Best Vanilla Cake: Moist, Fluffy, & Easy to Make
A vanilla cake that leads with moist and fluffy is making specific promises about the texture, not just the flavor. A reliable base recipe worth having for any occasion that calls for vanilla without a lot of embellishment.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
How to Make Mini Cupcakes
Mini cupcakes are a different baking project than standard-size ones, mostly around timing and pan management, and a dedicated how-to is more useful than just scaling down a regular recipe. A technique guide worth reading before the first mini cupcake attempt.
Photo credit: Cupcake Project
Irish Apple Cake
Irish apple cake is a denser, more rustic direction than a standard American apple cake, and the texture is what makes it interesting. A different style of apple cake worth trying alongside the more familiar version.
Photo credit: I Heart Eating
Orange Butter Cake with Cranberry Curd
Cranberry curd over an orange butter cake is a seasonal combination that earns its place on a holiday table more than most standard cakes. A winter dessert where the tartness of the curd balances the richness of the orange butter cake.
Photo credit: Bakes By Brown Sugar
Lemon Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Lemon and blueberry in a layer cake with cream cheese frosting is a spring and summer combination that works at any gathering. A cake that looks impressive without requiring any particularly advanced baking skills.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Coffee Cake Muffins
Coffee cake in muffin form makes the grab-and-go convenience much more realistic than a full coffee cake that needs to be sliced. A breakfast or brunch option that delivers the coffee cake experience in an individual serving.
Photo credit: Chef Ani
Blackberry Upside Down Cake (with Cinnamon & Vanilla)
Blackberry in an upside-down cake is a less common direction than pineapple or peach, and the cinnamon and vanilla addition gives it more depth than the fruit alone. A cake that looks striking when flipped and tastes even better.
Photo credit: Bakes By Brown Sugar
Vanilla Cupcakes: Moist, Fluffy and Easy
A vanilla cupcake recipe that makes texture claims upfront is more honest than most. A reliable, straightforward vanilla cupcake that earns the moist and fluffy description.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Chocolate Chip Ricotta Loaf Cake
Ricotta in a loaf cake gives it a more tender, moist crumb than a standard butter-based version, which is the whole reason to use it. A chocolate chip loaf cake that’s worth comparing against a typical recipe to see the difference.
Photo credit: Combine Good Flavors
Best Vanilla Cupcakes Recipe
A vanilla cupcake recipe worth comparing against others in this collection to find the version that works best for a particular occasion. A solid reference point for anyone still searching for a go-to vanilla cupcake.
Photo credit: Cupcake Project
The Best Healthy Coffee Cake (Vegan and Refined Sugar-Free)
A vegan, refined-sugar-free coffee cake that still reads like an actual coffee cake rather than a health food substitute is harder to find than it sounds. A genuinely useful recipe for a table with multiple dietary restrictions.
Photo credit: The All Natural Vegan
Strawberry Cake from Scratch: Moist, Fluffy & Easy
From-scratch strawberry cake earns the moist and fluffy description by building the texture from real ingredients rather than a mix. A spring and summer cake worth making when the occasion calls for something fresh.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Boston Cream Poke Cake
Boston cream in poke cake form skips the pastry work of the original and gets the same flavor into a much more approachable sheet cake. A crowd-size dessert that delivers on the Boston cream promise with less effort.
Photo credit: Noshing With The Nolands
Coffee Cake Banana Bread with Cinnamon Streusel Topping
Adding a cinnamon streusel topping to banana bread moves it into coffee cake territory in a way that makes the whole thing more interesting. A banana bread upgrade that works as a breakfast, snack, or dessert without changing the format much.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
German Bee Sting Cake
Bee sting cake is the kind of recipe most people have seen but never actually made, and it’s more approachable than the dramatic name suggests. A yeast-based German cake with a caramelized almond topping that’s genuinely worth the effort.
Photo credit: Noshing With The Nolands
Vanilla Pound Cake Recipe (Moist, Buttery & Easy to Make)
A vanilla pound cake that describes itself as moist, buttery, and easy is making specific commitments that are worth testing against other pound cake recipes in this list. A reliable base recipe for slicing, toasting, or serving alongside fruit.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Shoney’s Hot Fudge Cake Recipe
Shoney’s hot fudge cake is one of those restaurant desserts with a specific flavor memory that a copycat recipe is the only way to recreate at home. A restaurant recreation for anyone who grew up eating it.
Photo credit: CopyKat Recipes
Grilled Pound Cake with Peaches and Honey Thyme Syrup
Grilling pound cake gives it a charred crust and warm interior that a toasted or room-temperature slice doesn’t. Peaches and honey thyme syrup alongside it makes for a summer dessert that’s worth building a whole occasion around.
Photo credit: The Hearty Life
Best 7UP Pound Cake Recipe (Moist & Buttery & Easy to Make)
7UP in a pound cake produces a lighter crumb than the standard version, which is why the soda-baking technique keeps showing up in Southern baking traditions. A pound cake that’s worth comparing against the vanilla and brown butter versions in this list.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Recipe (From Scratch)
Chocolate chips in a from-scratch pound cake give the dense, buttery base a little extra texture and sweetness without changing the fundamental character of the dessert. A solid variation on the classic for when plain pound cake isn’t quite enough.
Photo credit: Pumpkinn Spice
Funfetti Cupcakes from Scratch
From-scratch funfetti cupcakes have more flavor and a better texture than the box mix version, which is the reason to bother making them yourself. A birthday-ready cupcake that earns the extra effort.
Photo credit: Everything Just Baked
Easy Apple Crumb Cake
An easy apple crumb cake is the kind of bake that works as much for a Sunday morning as it does for dessert after dinner. A crumb-topped apple cake that doesn’t ask much in terms of technique.
Photo credit: Cooking Gorgeous
Coconut Cake with Lime Curd Filling
Lime curd filling inside a coconut cake gives the dessert a tart, citrusy center that plays against the sweetness of the coconut. A layered cake that rewards the extra step of making the filling.
Photo credit: Bakes By Brown Sugar
Red White and Blue Poke Cake
A red white and blue poke cake is a July 4th standby that comes together quickly and feeds a crowd without any special decorating skills. A patriotic dessert that delivers on both the visual and the ease.
Photo credit: The Soccer Mom Blog
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Strawberry shortcake in layer cake form is a more substantial dessert than the individual shortcake version, better suited for a birthday or dinner party. A seasonal cake that scales the classic up into something more occasion-appropriate.
Photo credit: I Heart Eating
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