Moist Apple Crumb Cake

With autumn hang just begin, it's that time of year for apple recipes. This crumb cake is a delicious autumn recipe that is easy to make. After baking this I decided I'd even love the cake without the sweet and crunchy crumb topping. The cake itself is fantastic and the recipe's name does not lie. It is very moist, even on day 2. Though I made this as a dessert, I enjoyed leftovers with a cup of tea the next morning and it was just as delicious. This cake is great on it's own, or serve it with vanilla ice cream or custard sauce.

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No-Bake Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake

Last summer my neighbor introduced me to this cheesecake. She had been experimenting with it for a while and brought one over to a barbecue. I love the original recipe as it is, but the only remnant is the original snippet from a magazine along with her notes. Though the origin of this recipe is unknown, this cheesecake is amazing! Not only can you avoid turning you kitchen into a sauna this summer while making desserts, but your taste buds will be very grateful.

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Rombauer Jam Cake

I was searching for a jam cake recipe after I realized that I had a huge jam collection sitting in the pantry. I felt like baking and knew I wanted to use up some jam. I started looking for jam cake recipes and found many variations of this cake. This is one of the older recipes for the cake, which means the ingredients are less complicated and the recipe is likely to be closer to the original cake. The cake itself comes out moist and the spiciness of the cloves and nutmeg comes through wonderfully. The cake will continue to be remain moist for a few days if left covered at room temperature.

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French Apple Cake

I recently ended up with a handful of apples that were not looking too appetizing. Seeing as how it's summer, I've been eating tons of nectarines and cherries, but have pretty much avoided the good ol' apple. Since I hate throwing away food, I figured I'd bake with them. I found this cake recipe and thought I'd give it a try since I had everything at home.

This recipe calls for a mixture of apples. Since the apple is the star of this cake, it's nice having chunks of sweet apples next to tart apples. This cake is filled with apples, which I love since each bite is has almost more apple than cake. In reviews, some people had trouble with the butter seeping out of the springform. I did not, but to be safe, I baked the cake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

*One of my favorite small adjustments is to skip the rum and increase the vanilla to 3/4 teaspoon, and add 3/4 teaspoons almond extract.

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Swiss Carrot Cake (Rüeblicake)

This is another recipe from Betty Bossi, the brand put on some great Swiss cookbook. The Betty Bossi recipes I use are generally older than me, but they are great. I especially love the Betty Bossi baking books, where I have yet to make a cookie or cake that I dislike (of course I skip over some of the really outdated sounding recipes). This cake is great plain, or you could top it with a cream cheese topping. I sometimes make muffins out of this batter. That way, if it's just me at home, I can freeze most of them and just thaw them when my sweet tooth kicks in.

This is a really simple carrot cake, but it is a flavor I love every time I make it. Though I haven't tried it yet, I would guess you could sub half the butter for applesauce. Somehow I never remember to buy apple sauce before I make this recipe, but while I'm making it I remember that it would have been a good idea. For the almonds, you could use either almond meal (which is just finely ground almonds) or put slivered almonds in a food processor or blender. Either method works, but I usually grind the almonds myself.

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Spiced Applesauce Cake

This is another recipe I learned about through my sister (and no surprise it's a recipe from Smitten Kitchen). Last time I was in Denver visiting her she had just made a huge batch of fresh applesauce that needed to be used. She made this cake before and thought it was great, so while she was stuck at work, I raided her kitchen and made this. This is another perfect autumn recipe. Apples and cinnamon seem to be getting used quicker than ever this year, thanks to my vacation time. I've been experimenting with lots of fun fall recipes, most of which have been really good (my summer experiments were 50/50).

This is a really moist cake that can be served as is for breakfast or as a snack. Or you can top it with a cream cheese frosting and make it the perfect cake for any brunch or dessert table. I have not yet tried the cream cheese frosting, but I will add the recipe since I have never made a cream cheese frosting that wasn't delicious. I'm sure this one will not disappoint. I also have not yet tried this with the walnuts since the people I made this for preferred having it plain. This cake also freezes really well if you want to make one now while apples are still in season.

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Fast Fudge Cake

If you are looking to make an easy, chocolaty cake, look no further. This recipe is extremely easy to make and is really hard to mess up. It is moist and just slightly dense with a smooth ganache covering the cake. I made this cake when my sister and her chocolate loving husband were in town and it was approved by both of them. Keep in mind that it is a fudge cake and has a rich flavor, so a glass of milk or coffee might be needed to accompany this cake. It's not dense and creamy like fudge, but it is rich and delicious.

The cake tastes best on the first day, but will still be good on day 2. I stored my cake in an airtight container overnight, but on the second night I put it in the fridge since I didn't want to leave the ganache topping on the counter too long. I suggest lining the bottom of your springform with parchment paper so your cake will come out of the form easily without breaking or leaving behind a layer. The ganache recipe will make more than you need, so you can scale it back or keep the extra for topping ice cream or using it for dunking fruit.

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Granny Cake

If you asked me a week ago to bake you a granny cake, I would have had no idea what you were talking about. Was it a cake your grandma used to bake a lot? Maybe it was an old school recipe that dates back to your grandma's childhood? Turns out it is a spiced banana and pineapple cake, which tastes better than it sounds. I stumbled upon this recipe accidentally while searching for different ways to use up ripe bananas. I found so many recipes online that sounded great, but many were based on packaged cake mixes, which I'm not a fan of using if I'm going for the homemade angle. And as much as I love my aunt's recipe for banana bread (and yes, that one will always be my favorite), I wanted to try something different. At first this cake sounded like a hodgepodge of random ingredients, but I decided to try it out anyway. I was curious to see how cloves and pineapple would mix together in a cake, unsure if I would even like it.

Before I could try this cake, I was tortured by the delicious smells coming from the oven, and then again while waiting for it to cool. The original recipe makes a massive cake. I cut it in half and thought it was more than enough for one cake since I was only going to be feeding 3 people with it. What I loved about this cake was how moist it was, and it stayed moist siting out on the counter wrapped in plastic for 3 days. I'm sure this would be an easy recipe to make ahead of time since it is just as good on day two as it is the first. Though it will be hard to ever get me to love a banana bread/cake recipe more than my aunt's, this cake was a nice, flavorful change from the usual.

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Moist Honey Cake

I generally only eat honey cake once a year, but it is one of my favorite simple cakes. I've always loved the flavor of honey cake, but found most cakes to be on the dry side (though this never stopped me from eating them). This recipe is the prefect combination of a rich, spiced flavor and moistness. This was also my first attempt at a homemade honey caked and I was thrilled with the results. The cake was better than the ones my local Jewish bakery makes and I have never tried such a moist honey cake until I baked this recipe. I made this cake for both of the Rosh Hashana dinners I went to and it was a hit at each meal. At one of the dinners, there were a couple of honey cakes in the dessert spread and this was by far the moistest.

After trying this recipe, I will definitely be making honey cake more than once a year. Even though this cake is traditionally made for the Jewish New Year, it would be great for any autumn or winter occasion with its cinnamon and honey flavors. It's also really easy to whip together and only uses one bowl, which is always a plus in my book. It may seem like you need a lot of ingredients at a glance, but many of them are things you probably already have at home. Another perk to a cake like this is that you can have it any hour of the day. If there is cake leftover the morning after I bake a batch, I love having a slice with a cup of tea (or coffee if that's your preference). You can also keep this cake for a few days and it will still stay moist, just make sure you wrap it in plastic wrap.

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Almond Coffee Cake

 
I have a thing for almonds and all things almond flavored. Whether it's marzipan, almond extract, or almond paste, I love any baked good with that general flavor. I recently bought a couple tubes of almond paste and knew I wanted to bake a cake with one of them. The last time I baked with almond paste I made amaretti cookies, but the texture was a little too chewy, so this time I wanted to try something new.

This recipe makes a great coffee cake that showcases the delicious flavor of the almond paste. The original recipe comes from an old Junior League cookbook from San Francisco, but it is one of those timeless recipe that will always taste great. My sister described the texture as a combination of cheesecake and angel food cake. It's very moist and a little dense, but it still manages to feel light and airy. The crunchy top contrasts the soft cake, and is a great addition to an otherwise basic cake. If you like almond flavored sweets, you will love this coffee cake.

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Leonie's Banana Bread

During one of my high school spring breaks, my mom and I went to New Zealand to visit some family. While we were there, my aunt Leonie made this amazing banana bread, along with lots of other delicious things. To this day, it is still my favorite banana bread recipe. I've tried many different banana bread variations, but nothing comes close. I don't know where she found this recipe, but I simplified the original one and love the final result.

This banana bread is moist and won't dry out overnight. I've had this three days after baking it and it was still delicious. Every time I've made this banana bread, people have asked for the recipe. My first summer in Switzerland, this banana bread was such a hit that the recipe got passed around to lots of different people. It's easy to make and even when I haven't had proper measuring devices (I don't think a nalgene water bottle qualifies as a fancy kitchen gadget) it has turned out really well. You can also play with the flavors in this banana bread and add some honey, walnuts, or chocolate chips.

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Apple Chunk Cake

It's pretty common for me to bake something because there are fruits that need to be used up (or milk, or eggs, etc...). A lot of the recipes I discover come from a need to use up a specific ingredient. This is what led to me baking this apple cake. Once summer fruit is in season, I don't want to eat apples until every last stone fruit in the markets has been consumed. So having 7 apples hanging out in the fruit bowl day after day only meant one thing: this apple cake needed to be baked.

Although the flavors in this cake make it more of an autumn/winter combination, I still love it year round. The first time I baked this was for Thanksgiving (I don't like pumpkin pie, so I'll make sure there are a few other options on the dessert table), but it's just as good in 80º weather. My only suggestion would be to cut your apples smaller than I did. The cake is very delicate and can fall apart easily with the larger pieces of apples inside of it. My guess is smaller apple chunks might help with that, but apparently I forgot this detail from the last time I baked this. The cake itself is moist and has a subtle cinnamon flavor, and it stays moist even after slicing into it (it's day 3 and I'm still snacking on it).

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Everyday Blueberry Cake

My sister introduced me to this cake recipe a few days ago. It's a really easy everyday cake with simple ingredients and you can use whatever kind of berry you like on top. The other day there were some blueberries sitting in the fridge that no longer looked appealing to snack on, so this cake was the perfect solution. Even though it is in the 80s outside and turning on an oven makes the kitchen feel like a sauna, this cake is well worth it.

What makes this cake stand out from other everyday cakes is the sprinkle of sugar on top. This extra little crunch is a welcomed addition to an otherwise soft and moist cake. I also like that this cake is made with regular milk, which I always have around, as opposed to sour cream, yogurt or buttermilk. I realize I could make buttermilk, but sometimes I am lazy and one minor inconvenience will stop me from doing something. Luckily there was no stopping this cake from being made. My sister had tried this recipe before with strawberries, and also loved that variation (apparently they get a jam-like consistency when baked).

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Blackberry Coffee Cake

A coffee cake made well can be dangerously addictive, but oftentimes they turn out flavorless and dry. When I came across this variations, I knew I wanted to bake it since I'd never tried a coffee cake with blackberries or a cream cheese layer. I also have loved every recipe I've made from JoyofBaking.com, so I was optimistic. This coffee cake was everything I hoped it would be. Moist, flavorful, and crowd pleasing.

The first time I made this cake, I had all the layers poured into the spring form pan and just as I was about to put the cake into the oven, the spring form fell apart and the batter went all over the counter. After a few rounds of cussing and throwing the broken spring form into the garbage, I found a different spring form, scooped up the batter and berries from the counter, and dumped them into the form. I made a new crumble topping and figured I might as well see if I could save it. The batter tasted delicious, so I had high hopes, even for this reject variation. Believe it or not, this version of the cake still tasted great (this is the cake in the photo above since the other was eaten before a picture could be taken). I made a nicer version a few days later for my mother's book club and it was a hit. If you think you hate coffee cakes and find them bland, this one will quickly change your mind.
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Blueberry Pound Cake

I bought some blueberries the other day, only to realize that they were not nearly sweet enough and weren't at all enjoyable as a snack. I hate when this happens with produce, but luckily there are recipes that can handle the less than perfect fruits and veggies. This pound cake recipe is one my mom has been making for years. The first time I ever had it, my mother's friend had made some and my mom brought home leftovers. It was an instant hit with everyone in my family and it's been in my mom's recipe binder ever since. And having recently bought some adorable mini cake forms, I quickly started whisking the ingredients together.

This recipe comes from a 1998 edition of Cooking Light magazine and asks for some low-fat ingredients. Half the time I use full fat ingredients since I'm not the biggest fan of things like light butter. I also just throw in whole eggs since I find it wasteful to throw out half an egg just to be healthy (and let's be honest, that egg yolk is the least of you worries when it comes to baking). But I also know this recipe tastes good either way. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, but keep in mind that the frozen ones can end up coloring your entire cake a blueish color.

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Almond Poppy Seed Cake

I've been wanting to make this cake for a a few months now. It all started with a search for a very specific poppy seed cake that is wrapped in a pastry (I never found a good one by the way), but while looking everywhere, I stumbled upon this recipe. It sounded pretty delicious, and it did not fail at all.

My parents recently returned from a trip overseas and brought me a silicone cake form (this was my first attempt at using one), so I decided it would be the perfect time to try this recipe. In terms of the cakes flavor, have you ever eaten one of those massive Costco poppy seed muffins? Think of those, but lots better. I made this cake Thursday night, and by Saturday evening it still did not dry out. I absolutely love it, as does my family. Three of us managed to finish half of this cake in 1 day. So I hope you all give this a try. It's actually really easy to make and even though I oh-so-slightly over-baked it, it still came out being very moist. And it stayed moist for 3 days. The original recipe is made in a 9" bundt or tube form, but having neither of these on hand, and a new adorable form to try out, I made one brioche-style cake. Baking time will vary based on cake form.
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