These Thanksgiving Cakes Are (Almost) Better Than Pumpkin Pie
This year, serve up a new slice for dessert.
It’s true, Thanksgiving is typically a pie holiday, but these Thanksgiving cake ideas might just change your mind about that. Load up on fillings and frostings, all sandwiched between light and airy layers of cake. Finish off your turkey feast with these Thanksgiving cakes that are full of fall flavors.
Pumpkin Tiramisu Layer Cake
For all of the pumpkin spice latte fans out there, make sure this Thanksgiving cake is on your holiday menu. The cake features all the best fall spices–cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg–then gets drizzled with coffee syrup to give it a powerful tiramisu flavor. Frost with maple-mascarpone cream, then decorate with hazelnuts and a sprinkle of cocoa powder.
Cranberry-Buttermilk Pound Cake
No frosting necessary for this Thanksgiving cake recipe. Instead, save the leftover cranberry sauce from dinner and serve it alongside dessert. Tart fresh cranberries are a delicious contrast to sweet pound cake, and make a beautiful, tasty Thanksgiving dessert.
Caramel Apple Poke Cake
Gooey, sticky, tasty caramel apples are a fall favorite. This Thanksgiving cake will convince you that one of your favorite childhood treats deserves a spot in your holiday spread. Apple butter in the batter helps give the cake plenty of fruit flavor, while dulce de leche poured over each layer ensures there’s caramel goodness in every bite.
Caramel Spice Cake
Gooey, sticky, tasty caramel apples are a fall favorite. This Thanksgiving cake will convince you that one of your favorite childhood treats deserves a spot in your holiday spread. Apple butter in the batter helps give the cake plenty of fruit flavor, while dulce de leche poured over each layer ensures there’s caramel goodness in every bite.
Applicious Cider Cake with Butterscotch Frosting
Serve up apple cider alongside your Thanksgiving meal, then set a glass aside to use in this stunning dessert. This Thanksgiving cake recipe is a triple threat, combining cider, Granny Smith apples, and just a dash of apple brandy for lots of tart flavor. Layer apple cider glaze and butterscotch frosting between each cake, then drizzle with warm, gooey butterscotch sauce.
Glazed Pumpkin-Pecan Cakes
What’s more fun than a double-decker layer cake? A whole group of tasty mini cakes! These tiny bundt cakes get fall flavor from pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice, plus pecans. Keep the Thanksgiving cake decorations simple for this recipe, and just top with orange-flavor icing and chopped nuts.
Chocolaty Harvest Fruit-Topped Cake
Thanksgiving is one of the best times to celebrate fall fruits like pears, apples, and cranberries, and this cake does exactly that. Start with a spice cake featuring cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves, then top it with chocolate icing and lightly simmered fall fruits. Arrange the fruits on top any way you like, and you won’t need any other Thanksgiving cake decorations.
Cranberry-Vanilla Bean Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
If you want Thanksgiving cake recipes that rival the turkey for show-stopper power, look no further than this elegant dessert. Stack up delicate layers of vanilla bean cake with plenty of cranberry curd in the center, then decorate with swirls of lemon cream cheese frosting. Sugared cranberries and curls of lemon peel are simple but beautiful decorations for finishing this Thanksgiving layer cake.
Pumpkin Cake Roll
If you want cake ideas for Thanksgiving that think outside the traditional cake pan, then try serving a cake roll. It starts with a classic pumpkin sheet cake, but rather than icing and cutting into squares, you’ll dollop the frosting on top then roll up the cake into a cylinder. When you cut into it on Thanksgiving, each guest will get their own swirly slice of cake!
Orange-Almond Cake with Cranberry Curd
Sliced almonds, dollops of cranberry curd, and a light dusting of powdered sugar make this Thanksgiving cake recipe a real stand-out. It’s not the sweetest cake out there because of the almond flour, but it has a delicious blend of tart citrus flavors that are light and tasty after a big meal. It’s also one of the best cake ideas for Thanksgiving meals with a small crowd, since it only serves 8, so your friends and family will devour every crumb.
Pumpkin Sandwich Cake
This Thanksgiving cake recipe was made with those who are always torn between chocolate and pumpkin pie in mind. Combine the best of both desserts into one Thanksgiving cake with layers of decadent pumpkin cake and cream cheese filling. Then, cover everything with chocolate cream icing and enjoy the irresistible combo of pumpkin and chocolate.
Apple-Maple Spice Cake
Celebrate fall spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, with a gorgeous Thanksgiving bundt cake recipe. Chopped apples are mixed into the batter to amp up the autumn notes even more, and a buttery apple sauce brings the whole cake together. If you want more sweetness, use gala apples, but for a cake with more tartness, choose Granny Smith.
Harvest Carrot Cake with Skillet Fruit
This Thanksgiving cake recipe is a great way to celebrate harvest season. Use shredded carrots and canned pumpkin (or sweet potato) paired with spices for a tender, tasty cake, then top with buttercream frosting. Decorate the cake with pears, kumquats, and cranberries cooked with butter and sugar just until a delicious syrup forms.
Dark Cocoa Buttermilk Cake with Cocoa Mascarpone Frosting
Unlike other Thanksgiving cake ideas, this recipe doesn’t have fall spices or in-season fruits, but it is a timeless classic. This rich chocolate cake is balanced out by a fluffy cocoa mascarpone frosting, and it’s a great go-to recipe for almost any occasion, including Thanksgiving. This one-layer cake serves 12, and is downright delicious with no fuss.
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