43 Thanksgiving Cake Recipe Ideas, From Pumpkin to Caramel to Chocolate
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson1/43Orange Chiffon Cake
A classic chiffon cake is kind of a cross between an oil cake and a sponge cake. It includes baking powder and vegetable oil, but the eggs are separated and the whites are beaten to soft peaks before being folded into the batter. This creates a cake with a tender crumb and rich flavor like an oil cake, but with a lighter texture that's more like a sponge cake.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Anna Hampton2/43
Pumpkin and Cookie-Butter Sheet Cake With Toasted Meringue
Speculoos cookies in spreadable "butter" form add a spicy complexity to this pumpkin-flavored cake. A scorched marshmallow topping make it taste even more like fall.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks3/43
Caramel Apple Drip Cake With Candied Walnuts
Instead of the usual apple pie, opt for this spiced apple cake for Thanksgiving. Grated apples give it a moist, dense texture, while a caramel glaze and candied walnuts make it truly showstopping.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell4/43
Magic and Moist Honey Cake
This irresistible honey cake is moist, lightly spiced, and scented with coffee, fresh orange juice, and rye whiskey.
- Photo by Gentl & Hyers5/43
Yeasted Apple Coffee Cake
The sour tang and bready texture of the yeasted cake dough keep things interesting; heaps of streusel keep the crowds happy.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova6/43
Hot Cocoa Cake
Serve this versatile cake warm with lots of chocolate sauce and whipped cream. And a cup of hot cocoa, of course.
- Photo by Alex Lau7/43
Buckwheat Banana Cake with Yogurt-Espresso Frosting
Eat cake for breakfast all week with this version, made with nutrient-dense whole grain flours and an espresso-spiked Greek yogurt topping.
- Photo by Gentl & Hyers8/43
Apple Gingerbread Cake With Cream
You can use the same weight in regular apples for this gingerbread cake recipe, but don’t the little Pink Lady apples just look so cute?
- Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Sue Li, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime9/43
BA's Best Carrot Cake
This is the only carrot cake recipe you’ll ever need.
- Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Claire Saffitz10/43
Lemon Cake With Fruit
The original recipe calls for small plums that sink into the batter, but you’ll get the same effect with seasonally appropriate apples or pears.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone11/43
One-Bowl Milk Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Caramel Frosting
This easy-to-make, portable cake with chocolate-caramel frosting is sure to be your new go-to for special occasions like Thanksgiving.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks12/43
Spiced Hazelnut-Pear Cake With Chocolate Sauce
Capture the holiday spirit with this warm spiced cake, packed with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove.
- Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott13/43
Dark Ginger Rye Cake With Yogurt and Honey
This richly spiced gingerbread boasts the texture of a moist, dense devil’s food cake. This recipe only gets better if you make it ahead.
- Photo by Matthew Septimus14/43
Apple Walnut Bundt Cake
Made with oil instead of butter, this fragrant fall cake stays moist and flavorful for over a week, so feel free to bake it a day or two before serving.
- Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich15/43
Swirled Sesame Tea Cake
The appearance of tahini cookies, tahini brownies, and halvah sundaes at restaurants helped boost tahini out of the hummus bowl and into the pastry case. This tahini quick bread recipe will make you a believer too.
- Photo by JP Bevins, Food Styling by Molly Baz16/43
3-Ingredient Gingersnap Icebox Cake
Use whatever jam, marmalade, or fruit preserves you like in this crowd-pleaser; raspberry or cherry would be especially nice.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks17/43
Vanilla-Buttermilk Sheet Cake With Raspberries and Orange Cream-Cheese Frosting
A little orange juice (and zest) wakes up the icing of this crowd-pleasing cake with sweet citrus flavor.
- Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott18/43
Fruity Rum Bundt Cake
Flouring the fruit in this Bundt cake recipe helps keep it suspended throughout the batter, and using a serrated knife guarantees you won’t squash or shred the slices.
- Photo by Johnny Autry19/43
Colin Perry’s Sorghum and Apple Sticky Pudding
This dense, delicious spiced brown sugar–apple butter cake is doused in a creamy sauce made with cream and sorghum, a thick golden syrup frequently used as an alternative to molasses in the South.
- Photo by Gabriela Herman20/43
Hungarian Golden Pull-Apart Cake With Walnuts and Apricot Jam (Aranygaluska)
Aranygaluska, also called golden dumpling cake, butter puffs, and monkey bread, has been extolled by Jewish immigrants from Hungary for years.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson21/43
Classic Carrot-Coconut Cake
This Southern classic is a family tradition for Epi's food director, Rhoda Boone. Soon, it'll be yours, too.
- Photo by Lauren Volo22/43
Orange-Spiced Rye Honey Cake
As much as this is an early fall cake for the holidays, its warming spices make it a perfect winter cake that works both for dessert and in the morning with a cup of coffee.
- Photo by Peter Frank Edwards23/43
Apple Jack Stack Cake
The "cakes" in this traditional Tennessee-mountain dessert are firm, like cookies. After being slathered with apple butter and layered with boozy poached apples, the cake rests overnight—allowing the layers to soften until tender and sliceable.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson24/43
Pumpkin Cheesecake With Bourbon–Sour Cream Topping
The caramelized flavor of bourbon and the tang of sour cream add balance to the rich, spiced filling of this cheesecake. Chopped pecans add a nutty dimension to the graham cracker crust.
- Photo by Hirscheimer & Hamilton25/43
Pear Upside-Down Cake
An elegant twist on the pineapple classic. You can use any kind of pear you'd like.
- Richard Learoyd26/43
Apple and Olive Oil Cake with Maple Icing
The olive oil gives this cake extra depth and intensity. The complex flavors mature over time, so consider wrapping the cake in plastic wrap and refrigerating it, ready to ice and serve, for up to 3 days.
- Peden & Munk27/43
Chocolate-Rye Crumb Cake
Nutty rye flour and crunchy, bitter cocoa nibs make for a cake that's not too sweet and totally crave-worthy.
- Photo by Romulo Yanes28/43
Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake With Buttermilk Icing
The flavors in this PSL-spiced cake continue to develop a few days after it's baked, so it's a make-ahead dream.
- Dan Forbes29/43
Maple-Gingerbread Layer Cake with Salted Maple-Caramel Sauce
In this delicious dessert, tender spice cake is layered with maple-sugar frosting, candied pecans, and a salty-sweet caramel sauce.
- Chris Court30/43
Spiced Bundt Cake with Apple Caramel Sauce
Drizzle some of the complex caramel sauce over the cake for presentation, then save the rest for passing alongside.
- Tim Morris31/43
Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake with Caramel and Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin spice cake is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser—especially when topped with tangy frosting.
- Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Astrid Chastka, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks32/43
Christmas Glazed Apple Cake (Weihnachten Gedeckter Apfelkuchen)
This sweetly glazed cake comes with a secret surprise: a delicately spiced apple filling.
- Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart33/43
Chocolate Stout Cake
The fall-friendly dark beer known as stout gives this cake an intense, not-too-sweet flavor.
- Dan Forbes34/43
Espresso Pound Cake with Cranberries and Pecans
If that gorgeous drizzle doesn't impress your guests, we don't know what will.
- Photo by Laura Letinsky35/43
Spiced Cranberry Bundt Cake
Could this bundt cake be any more Turkey Day appropriate? We think not.
- Photo by Mark Thomas36/43
Apple Spice Cake With Brown Sugar Glaze
This moist cake keeps beautifully for a day or two after you make it (read: less work on Thanksgiving Day).
- Victor Schrager37/43
Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Moist spice cake layered with cream cheese frosting adds up to one irresistible autumn treat.
- Squire Fox39/43
Caramel Cake
This cake's perfect salty caramel icing, with its burnt-sugar depth, dissolves almost instantly on your tongue.
- Photo by Johnny Autry40/43
Chocolate Sour Cream Zucchini Cake with Chocolate Glaze
Who says chocolate lovers need to be deprived on Thanksgiving? This extra-moist chocolate cake (the secret is a dose of grated zucchini) might just make guests ignore the pumpkin pie.
- Photo by Linda Pugliese, Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer41/43
Sweet Potato Bread with Caramel and Aleppo-Spiced Pecans
Gently spiced pecans and a salty caramel topping give this morning treat a savory dimension.
- Photo by Christopher Testani42/43
Double Ginger Sticky Toffee Pudding
The gooey toffee sauce is both absorbed by the cake and served on the side. For a glossy, polished presentation, brush the still-warm cake with a clean pastry brush after it comes out of the pan, which will remove some of the excess syrup.
- Andrew Purcell, food styling by Carrie Purcell, prop styling by Sarah Cave43/43
Pear and Walnut Upside-Down Cake With Whipped Crème Fraîche
Tangy, luscious crème fraîche can easily be made by combining 1 cup of cream with 1 tablespoon buttermilk. Stir to mix completely, then leave at room temperature, covered with a clean towel, overnight. Stir to thicken slightly, and refrigerate until ready to serve.