45 Delectable Cakes for Fall

Updated October 14, 2019
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Darcy Lenz

Some of fall’s best flavors—we’re talking cinnamon, apple, maple, caramel, ginger, pumpkin, and more—were meant to be enjoyed as desserts. Luckily, there’s always an occasion for cake, no matter the season. Whether you’re looking for a pumpkin loaf, caramel apple cake, sweet potato pound cake, caramel buttercream, or just a seriously good piece of chocolate cake, these recipes satisfy the sweet cravings that come with cooler nights. 

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Salted Caramel Gingerbread Poke Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Credit: Daniel Agee

Salted Caramel Gingerbread Poke Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

The flavors of gingerbread, salted caramel filling, and pumpkin cream cheese frosting marry to become the ultimate fall and holiday poke cake. This cake is a great snack cake or dessert and it's pretty enough to serve to guests. One taste and you're sure to bring this cake to potlucks all season long.

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Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Cider Glaze

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Apple Spice Bundt Cake with Cider Glaze Recipe

Don't be afraid to go 100% whole-grain with desserts; we use all spelt flour here with amazing results. The nutty flour boosts the taste of the butter, spices, and vanilla, unlike all-purpose flour, whose bland nature would dilute those flavors. Be sure to weigh the flour for accuracy; using too much will make the cake dry.

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Sweet Potato Dump Cake

Credit: TIFS

Sweet Potato Dump Cake Recipe

All the fall flavors you could possibly want in one simple dessert.

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Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce

Credit: Alison Miksch; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce Recipe

Substitute extra cream for rum in the sauce, if you prefer.

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Orange-Almond Cake

Credit: Greg DuPree

Orange-Almond Cake Recipe

Surprisingly moist, light, and springy, this almond cake is a delicious departure from the dense, rustic ones you might be accustomed to. We use six beaten egg whites to give the cake lots of lift—without the use of leavening agents, which are forbidden on Passover. Because traditional versions of almond extract and powdered sugar can contain spirits and cornstarch (respectively), be sure to seek out kosher-for-Passover versions. (You can find kosher almond extract here and kosher powdered sugar here on Amazon.) Also, check the label on your cooking spray for any ingredients that aren't permitted; you can grease the pan with mild-flavored olive oil if your cooking spray doesn't comply.

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Tiramisu Cake

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Tiramisu Cake Recipe

Everything you love about classic Italian tiramisu, layered into an impressive cake. 

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Graveyard Cake

Credit: Mark Thomas

Graveyard Cake Recipe

Halloween desserts definitely call for having a little extra fun in the kitchen. This kinda-cute, kinda-creepy Graveyard Cake is easy to make, fun to decorate (so recruit the kids’ help), and is sure to be a perfectly spooky centerpiece for any Halloween dessert table. Black icing transforms store-bought cookies into perfectly-sized miniature headstones for the chocolate-frosted graveyard cake. And once you’ve placed your headstones, crumble chocolate wafer cookies around each to create “dirt.” Just be sure to make each "gravesite" the serving size you want to ensure easy slicing. Disperse a few candle “lanterns” throughout the chocolaty graveyard and you have the perfect cake for a Halloween birthday party. The classic chocolate cake recipe here is decadent and moist standby, but if you’re in a pinch for time, feel free to use your favorite boxed cake mix instead. Obviously, it’s all about the decorating on for this Halloween-inspired treat. 

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Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting Recipe

Nutty Browned Butter Frosting meets tender pecan cake in this showstopping three-layer dessert. When browning the butter for the frosting, pour the butter into a bowl as soon as it turns golden brown, or it will continue to cook and get too dark.

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The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake

Credit: tifs

The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake Recipe

The Cheesecake Factory has more than 30 cheesecake flavors, but it's the original that makes us swoon. Try this copycat version, from the book Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2.

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Raspberry, Sumac, and Almond Pound Cake

Credit: Annie Campbell

Raspberry, Sumac, and Almond Pound Cake Recipe

The nuanced brightness of sumac matched with warming notes of almond and jammy raspberries takes a classic pound cake construct over the top and into pure wow-worthy territory. While it may seem like a lot between the batter and the pound cake’s raspberry-sumac glaze (especially if this is a new seasoning to you), sumac—which is the dried, powdered berries of the sumac bush—is a spice you need not be overly reserved with. Given sumac’s delicate tart flavor, a fair amount is needed here to shine within the context of the dense, buttery cake.  

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Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake Recipe

This multi-flavored, multi-layered cake is truly a labor of love. Our Test Kitchen adapted Guas’s recipe to include store-bought lemon curd and chocolate pudding in between the layers, which taste great and save you a few steps in the kitchen.

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Upside Down Pear-and-Gingerbread Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Upside Down Pear-and-Gingerbread Cake Recipe

This is the perfect cake for a week night treat or a casual holiday party. A layer of tender, caramelized pears tops this richly spiced skillet upside down cake. When it is time to put the batter into the pan, use an offset spatula to gently spread the batter without disturbing the layer of pears underneath.

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Dark Chocolate Avocado Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Dark Chocolate Avocado Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting Recipe

This vegan cake (no eggs or butter!) is so delicious that our kids begged for more. The frosting is silky smooth, and the cake is light and loaded with chocolate flavor, and healthy fats.

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Banana Pudding Cake

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food styling: Emily Nabors Hall and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop styling: Kay Clarke

Banana Pudding Cake Recipe

One of our testers called this "the ultimate banana pudding in cake form." Tender laters of cake, creamy vanilla custard, and bananas come together to create a mouthwatering dessert. Warning: There won't be leftovers. 

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Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Tahini Glaze

Credit: Sara Tane

Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Tahini Glaze Recipe

What better fall-inspired dessert to make than this tahini-glazed pumpkin bundt cake. A medley of fragrant, ground spices enhance the rich sweetness of this incredibly moist bundt cake. Topped with a toasty, perfectly bittersweet tahini glaze, this  easy to make and comforting fall dessert is the perfect centerpiece for your next dinner party, Halloween gathering, or special occasion.

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Cinnamon-Apple Cake

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Cinnamon-Apple Cake Recipe

This 5-star cinnamon apple cake is one of our best-ever recipes and can be served as dessert or a breakfast coffee cake. The cream cheese in the batter gives the cake lots of moisture, while the cinnamon sugar topping is dense and crumbly. The cake is best warm out of the oven, and will keep for a week after you've baked it. Toss in walnuts or pecans to the batter for an added nutty crunch.

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Brown Butter Cake with Cocoa

Credit: Justin Walker

Brown Butter Cake with Cocoa Recipe

A good bit of salt enhances all the flavors here.

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Pumpkin-Spice Magic Cake

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Pumpkin-Spice Magic Cake Recipe

If you can't get enough pumpkin spice during fall, we have one more recipe you must try out. For our Pumpkin Spice Cake recipe, we combined silky flan with moist pumpkin spice cake and buttery caramel sauce in one incredible confection. We were inspired by a Mexican dessert called “impossible flan”. While it is not at all difficult to make, our Test Kitchen recommends using a light-colored Bundt pan for the best results. A dark-colored pan may get too hot and overbake the cake.

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Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream

Credit: Victor Protasio

Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream Recipe

If you're looking for an easy, decadent, and oh-so-yummy chocolate fudge cake, this is the perfect recipe. The key to this layer cake’s lusciously messy look? A short spell in the freezer, which allows the ganache to set over the cake layers so that the buttercream can be spread on top of it. Make sure there is enough space in your freezer before you assemble the cake. This recipe comes in handy for birthdays, holidays, and the odd Wednesday pick-me-up.

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Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes

Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes Recipe

Finish the cakes with one of the three toppings. Toss together the Streusel Topping before you start baking. Both glazes can be prepped while the cakes cool.

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Almond Cake with Orange Marmalade

Credit: Photography: Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Almond Cake with Orange Marmalade Recipe

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Perfect Pumpkin Roll

Credit: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall and Kady Wohlfarth; Prop Styling: Kay Clark

Perfect Pumpkin Roll Recipe

A classic pumpkin roll is a work of art. Rich buttercream perfectly complements the earthy-sweet pumpkin in this ideal autumnal treat—add a PSL and you're set.

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Gingerbread Latte Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting

Credit: Greg DuPree

Gingerbread Latte Cake with Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe

If your holiday season officially starts with a gingerbread latte, this is the cake of your coffee-loving dreams. Three layers of spicy gingerbread are brushed with Espresso Simple Syrup and then covered in fluffy Vanilla Whipped Cream Frosting.

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Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

Credit: Victor Protasio

Lemon-Orange Pound Cake Recipe

This recipe is from the cookbook, Stop and Smell the Rosemary, by the Junior League of Houston. This pound cake is sublime in its simplicity, but we decided to fancy it up a bit with a Bundt pan and two contrasting icings. You can leave out the yellow food coloring gel and have a cake that is just as pretty with a few extra lemon and orange slices for garnish. The Lemon-Orange Pound Cake is perfect for a bridal shower or a spring tea.

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Red Velvet Peppermint Cake

Credit: Caitlin Bensel

Red Velvet Peppermint Cake Recipe

Transform a classic red velvet cake into a festive holiday dessert by adding peppermint extract to the rich cream cheese frosting and garnishing the cake with peppermint candies.

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Hummingbird Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

Make the best of ripe bananas with this recipe for Hummingbird Cake. You'll receive rave reviews and requests for more when Hummingbird Cake is on your dessert menu.

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

Credit: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Lydia DeGaris-Pursell

Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe

A 6-cup Bundt pan is smaller than the standard size. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan.

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Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze

Credit: Sara Tane

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Maple Glaze Recipe

With a rich, gooey pumpkin spice filling, buttery pecan streusel topping, and maple glaze, this fluffy and moist pumpkin coffee cake is sure to impress. Perfect for any occasion, from your next fall brunch to a Halloween party, this coffee cake is easy to make and full of toasty fall flavors. You can prepare the brown sugar-pecan streusel, the filling, and even the maple glaze in advance to make pulling this cake together even more of a breeze once you’re ready to bake. Simply prepare each element in a bowl, tightly wrap each with plastic wrap, and stash them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use them. Just be sure to take the glaze out of the refrigerator as soon as you’re ready to start making the pumpkin coffee cake so that it has enough time to return to room temperature, and give it a few stirs to loosen it back up if need be. 

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Smith Island Cake

Credit: Peter Frank Edwards; Styling: Rachael Burrow, Linda Hirst

Smith Island Cake Recipe

Create a show-stopping holiday cake by icing each beautiful layer with decadent Chocolate Ganache icing. 

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Sweet Potato Pound Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Allison R. Banks

Sweet Potato Pound Cake Recipe

Bored with sweet potato casserole? Try this sweet potato pound cake, a twist on traditional pound cake that features nutrient-rich sweet potatoes. It's the perfect addition to holiday dessert tables.

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Texas Skillet Cake

Credit: Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Texas Skillet Cake Recipe

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Million Dollar Pound Cake

Million Dollar Pound Cake Recipe

You'll need only half of this cake for each truffle recipe. Save the other half for other truffles--or just nibbling.

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Boo-tiful Pumpkin Cake

Credit: Oxmoor House

Boo-tiful Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Make two recipes of this pumpkin cake and create your own tasty pumpkin!

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Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Gingerbread Cake Roll with Eggnog Cream Recipe

Made with fresh ginger, bourbon, and molasses, this dark, spicy gingerbread cake pairs wonderfully with the light and creamy eggnog filling. This cake does need to chill for at least 8 hours, so make sure you plan ahead. Dust the top of this gingerbread cake roll with powdered sugar for an extra holiday touch. When it comes to your ginger, choose clean knobs of fresh ginger root with smooth, shiny skin. Store in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator and use it before it begins to shrivel. Remove the peel with a vegetable peeler or the tip of a metal spoon.

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