If there’s anything Thanksgiving is known for, it’s pie. And we’re not complaining—we love Thanksgiving pies, whether they’re filled with a classic ingredient like apple, pumpkin, or pecan or something more unexpected, like matcha custard or tahini mousse. That being said: We don’t think pies are the only dessert that can (or should) appear on your Thanksgiving table. The same flavors that are so delicious in this season’s pies—warm spices, caramelized sugar, tart fruit—work just as well in cakes.
Here, we’ve gathered 40 of our favorite Thanksgiving cake ideas in one place. We have tons of easy, simple recipes for those looking to make dessert as speedy and stress-free as possible, along with more involved options like layer cakes for those seeking a challenge. In either case, your dessert is guaranteed to be the highlight of the meal.
If you’re already making an entire feast—turkey, stuffing, gravy, the works—it’s reasonable to want to make things as simple as possible where you can. Turn to one (or more) of these eight cakes: They’re easy to throw together, super festive, and just as delicious as their more involved counterparts.
You can still capture the spirit of pumpkin pie—the warm spices, the subtly sweet flavor, even the contrasting textures—in cake form. Pumpkin is a particularly welcome addition to cake, as it ensures an extra-moist crumb—meaning you can make most of these cakes at least a day in advance.
Like pumpkin cakes, apple cakes are a reliable way to evoke the flavors of classic Thanksgiving desserts, but with an updated twist. These cakes are especially playful, with additions like rum, turmeric glaze, or apple cider caramel.
There’s no reason to keep yourself limited to apple- and pumpkin-flavored desserts when there are tons of other ingredients that evoke the fall season and all its festivities. Think: carrot, pear, ginger, sweet potato, cranberry, and more.
When in doubt, you can’t go wrong with chocolate cake. These six cakes include some of our most reliable, beloved recipes (see: Amanda Hesser’s Chocolate Dump-It Cake or Yotam Ottolenghi’s World’s Best Chocolate Cake) and occasion-worthy showstoppers, like Richard Sax’s Chocolate Cloud Cake.
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Do you bake a cake for Thanksgiving? Tell us about it in the comments!
