As I’ve said before, snacking cakes are just cakes that you can enjoy throughout the week no matter the time of day. You should be able to incorporate seasonal items into it to help make the process both easy and enjoyable. I love stone fruit season because my farmers market always has a ton of peaches varying in sizes. I had some leftover peaches and wanted to make a cake that had a crunchy topping, but contrasted with the jammy peaches that are added to the cake batter. I do recommend searching for the freeze dried peaches because it gives it a nice visual once the cake is ready to be enjoyed, but don’t let that specialty item stop you from making this!

This easy peach crumble cake is the ultimate snacking cake—soft, jammy peaches baked into a moist sour cream batter with a buttery cinnamon crumble on top.

Peach Crumble Snacking Cake

This lemon-cherry snacking cake is all about peak summer fruit and everyday ease. With fresh cherries baked right into the batter and a fluffy whipped cream topping, it’s the kind of cake you eat straight from the pan—no celebration needed.

This lemon-cherry snacking cake is light, fluffy, and topped with fresh whipped cream and juicy cherries. Easy to make in one pan—perfect for summer gatherings or a cozy night in.

Cherry Tea Snacking Cake

, Tess Gigone takes on the traditional Norwegian kransekake—complete with crisp-edged almond rings, piped royal icing, and a sweet final touch.

Learn how to make a classic kransekake with crisp, chewy almond rings and royal icing. This traditional Norwegian dessert is perfect for weddings, holidays, and special celebrations.

Kransekake

There’s nothing wrong with strawberry shortcake, but in my opinion it's high time that tomatoes and stonefruits, summer produce royalty, get the whipped cream and biscuits treatment. This recipe pairs a light and flaky biscuit recipe, based off of Millie Peartree’s recipe, with sweet and juicy marinated fruit. Chives and olives in the unsweetened whipped cream push the whole affair into decidedly savory territory, don’t knock it until you try it.

savory summer shortcake with tomatoes on a plate

This savory summer shortcake swaps strawberries for juicy peaches and tomatoes, layered with chive-olive whipped cream and flaky biscuits for a fresh, seasonal twist on the classic dessert.

Savory Summer Shortcake

After trying a wildflower honey cake at a bakery, Tess Gigone couldn’t get it out of her head—so she recreated it for an episode of It’s Fine. Turns out, it was a Russian honey cake (also called Medovik), an eight-layer dessert made with thin, toasty cake layers, burnt honey, and a light whipped cream icing. Despite how impressive it looks, it’s not hard to make—just a little tedious layering and chilling. The result? A light, summery cake with subtle floral sweetness, no heavy buttercream, and a beautiful crumb-coated finish. Decorate with fresh wildflowers for an easy, elegant party centerpiece.



Russian Honey Cake

No-Bake Cheesecake with Biscoff Cookie Crust

Mixed Berry Tiramisu

This upside down cake from Ivy Woolenberg (@bakedwithlovebyivy) is a fresh take on rhubarb season. The stalks get caramelized in a quick stovetop syrup, then baked under a buttery vanilla cake with just a touch of cinnamon. Once flipped, the rhubarb sits on top, glossy and golden. It’s a great alternative to the usual rhubarb pie—and just as satisfying.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake by Ivy Woolenberg

There’s something so delicious about a glazed pound cake. In this version, I make a quick blueberry jam which I use to color the glaze and swirl into the batter. I also swap some of the sugar out for honey, which caramelizes slightly while baking and adds a subtle honey-forward flavor. If you don’t feel like making blueberry compote, swap out with blueberry jam.



Blueberry Swirl Honey Pound Cake

Angel Cake from Joy of Cooking

The idea for this Bananas Foster Coffee Cake came to me while brainstorming simple Easter recipes. After asking around the office, it was clear that coffee cake is an Easter brunch favorite—and since banana bread is always a hit, I figured, why not combine the two? I know I’m not the first to do it, but I wanted to take it a step further by incorporating the rich, caramelized flavors of Bananas Foster. The banana cake batter gets a splash of dark rum for depth, and while walnuts are the more traditional choice, I swapped them for chopped hazelnuts in the streusel.

Most coffee cakes rely on sour cream or yogurt for moisture, but I skipped it here—ripe bananas do the job just as well, keeping the cake soft and tender without the extra dairy. I also go heavy on the streusel, but if you prefer a thinner layer, you can easily halve it. 



Bananas Foster Coffee Cake 

Carrot cake is one of those flavors I always forget is my favorite—until someone else mentions how much they love it. I’ve always thought of it as a spring dessert, but when I consider it, it’s truly seasonless, fitting for any time of year. 

While the process is mostly the same, making a full cake can sometimes feel like a big undertaking. Instead, I cut the cake into 24 rectangular slices and individually frost each one with a playful squiggle design. For a little extra flair, I top them with toasted coconut flakes and a few slivers of candied ginger. 

Make sure the heavy cream and cream cheese is very softened/at room temperature because if it’s colder than the temperature of the butter, you risk seizing the butter and splitting the frosting. 

If you’re a big fan of candied ginger, feel free to mix the chopped ginger into the cake batter instead of just decorating it with. 

Carrot cake is always as good (if not better) the next day, so the whole recipe can be made and stored in the fridge a day before serving.

Mini Coconut Carrot Cakes With Candied Ginger

One of my all-time favorite things to do is recreate famous or popular recipes, and living in NYC, there’s never a shortage of inspiration flooding my Instagram feed. If you’re in New York, chances are you’ve heard of the iconic Claud 6-layer devil's food cake. It’s a masterpiece—six layers of rich, moist devil’s food cake, sandwiched between luscious chocolate frosting, and finished with a silky chocolate ganache. That said, I have to admit—I’ve never actually tried the original. So, to be safe, this recipe is more of an inspired version rather than a strict recreation.

It’s well worth the effort, but if you want to make it ahead or split the work up into two days, complete the steps all the way through frosting the cake with the buttercream. Chill it in the fridge overnight, then cover it in ganache and chocolate shavings the second. 

When making the frosting, make sure the heavy cream and butter are both at room temperature. If the cream is colder than the butter, you might end up with a split frosting and that’s never fun to fix (check out Food52 instagram on how to fix split frosting).

Whip the frosting more than you think. The more you whip, the fluffier it will get. This seems self explanatory but I’ve seen too many instances where people don’t whip their frosting enough.

Six-Layer Devil's Food Cake

This recipe is excerpted from "Sift" the 2025 Book of the Year in the Food52 Baking Club. Follow us 

 "This Victoria sponge breaks the mold of the classic equal parts sugar/flour/butter/eggs. I made over 30 cakes to get the ratio just right. By replacing some of the butter with egg yolks and adding cream, we get an extra-moist cake with good structure and lots of flavor. Reducing the butterfat also allows the other flavors, like the milkiness of the cream, to come through, providing a wonderfully rich and tender backdrop for your whipped cream and fruit. Roasted strawberries could be swapped for jam, but the rich syrup is unbeatable."—

Roasted Strawberry Victoria Sponge

 "This ultra-rich, two-textured cake has a secret. What is it? Well, let me tell you: the fudgy cake and mousse layer is made out of the same mix. One half of the mixture is baked, while the other is simply poured on top and left to set into a mousse. This recipe is based on a Gateau Marcel and is a bit of 2-for-1 magic. Nestled in between the layers are Sauternes-soaked raisins, though you could swap these for brandied cherries or whatever might take your fancy. Finish it off with a thick dusting of bitter cocoa powder and you have, in my opinion, the ultimate chocolate dessert."—

 Note: "If you only have a hand mixer, I recommend splitting the mixture in two and making it twice—as it’s a large amount of meringue."—

 Total: 11 hrs 2hrs – soak raisins 20 mins – make mixture 20mins halve & bake 20 mins – Remove from oven & cool 8hrs – Scatter raisins on top & pour mixture on top. Chill overnight 

 Total: 40 mins 40 mins - Demold & decorate

Secret Chocolate Cake

Princess cake, or prinsesstårta in Swedish, is a six layer cake covered in a thin sheet of green marzipan. The cake begins with a layer of sponge cake, traditionally followed by raspberry jam, another layer of sponge, vanilla custard, sponge, and an overly generous amount of whipped cream.

The cake appears fancy and extremely decadent, but it’s surprisingly light in flavor and texture. The most challenging part is adding the marzipan layer without causing it to crack (which, as you’ll see in the video, I didn’t quite manage this time). Like many other Swedes, I’ve always considered it my favorite cake. And if you haven’t tried one before, I’m sure you’ll understand why after making it. Swedes traditionally enjoy princess cake on birthdays and holidays, and it’s available year-round at many cafes across the country. 

In this version, I swapped raspberry jam for applesauce/applebutter because, well, I thought it tasted great and was a fun alternative to what I’ve eaten in the past. If it’s your first time experiencing a princess cake, I’d recommend making it with raspberry jam. 

Tips & Tricks

When making a princess cake, choose marzipan instead of almond paste. Marzipan contains less almond and more sugar than almond paste, giving it a smoother texture and making it easier to work with. Its forgiving nature allows it to stretch when covering the cake, while almond paste tends to crack and break.

Look for plain marzipan at specialty stores and use food coloring to create the green shade yourself. Alternatively, purchase pre-colored green marzipan online, available both pre-rolled and in tubs. If you’re in Sweden, most grocery stores carry it.

Feel free to use almond paste for the marzipan rose since shaping and coloring it into a small flower requires less flexibility.

Ensure you whip the eggs and sugar together for the full recommended time, as this step provides most of the cake’s leavening.

To make in advance, bake the cake layers up to 2 days ahead; wrap tightly with plastic wrap and store in a sealable plastic bag. Store at room temperature. Make vanilla pastry cream up to 2 days ahead and store in a sealable container in the fridge.  Assemble the cake the day before and store in the fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving, then dust with powdered sugar. 

Nea’s Swedish Princess Cake (Prinsesstårta)

Baked Alaska is a dessert I always seem to forget about, but one that definitely should not be overlooked. This version, inspired by one of my favorite desserts—tiramisu—begins with a layer of brownie, followed by coffee ice cream, coffee-soaked ladyfingers, mascarpone vanilla ice cream, all wrapped up in a layer of toasted Swiss meringue. It’s a showstopper (designed specially for New Year’s Eve), but with store-bought ice cream, it doesn’t require as much active cooking time as it looks. This dessert is really rich, which means you can cut small pieces and serve many. 

Although Grand Marnier in the coffee soak is technically optional, I’d recommend adding it, as the alcohol helps prevent the ladyfingers from hardening in the freezer. If you don’t have Grand Marnier, you can substitute it with brandy, marsala wine, or Kahlua.

To make this ahead, you can fully complete the recipe up until the step where you toast the meringue and serve. Swiss meringue is really stable, which means it will hold up in the freezer once you’ve swirled it onto the ice cream. Freezing it after applying the meringue is even recommended to ensure the ice cream stays as cold as possible when you torch it.

If you don’t want to make homemade brownies, use store-bought brownies or a brownie mix.

Tiramisu Baked Alaska

Saffron buns are a very important part of Swedish holidays; they’re most commonly baked for St. Lucia day on December 13th, but also for Christmas eve and day. Traditionally, they’re rolled into s-shaped buns and studded with raisins, but here I’ve filled them with a sugar-butter mixture, rolled the dough up like cinnamon buns, then baked the buns together in a springform pan. 

If you want to speed up the proofing process, place the bowl in the oven and turn on only the oven light. It adds just the right amount of warmth and acts as a DIY proofing box. 

Make sure your saffron is fresh! If it's old or too low quality, it could make the buns taste too earthy. 

To make ahead, assemble the buns and let them do their second rise in the fridge overnight. Return to room temperature 30 minutes before baking. 

Saffron Bun Cake ("Saffransbutterkaka")

There have been many arguments over the years over who makes the best chocolate chip cookie, what the true science behind the infamous treat is, and why it seems to be on everyone's favorites list. I don’t have all the answers, but I can tell you one reason why you’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love (and yes, I mean love) a chocolate chip cookie is because of its versatility. It can be flat and chewy. It can be fluffy, tall, and cloud-like. Underbaked. Overbaked. Dense. Oat-accompanied. But ultimately, each of these varieties allowed us to go a step further and create a chocolate chip cookie cake. This one in particular is made with brown butter and maple syrup.

Brown butter is an incredible ingredient that doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. If you’ve never had the pleasure of baking with brown butter, know that you’re in for a treat. Browned butter adds an exceptional toasty, nutty, and caramelized flavor to any recipe it’s used in.  Browning butter might seem tricky at first, but as long as you don’t venture too far away from the stove, you should be fine. The key is to keep a close eye on it and stir, stir, stir. As soon as you see those beautiful little golden-brown specks forming in the bottom of the pan, that’s a sign that you’re nearly there (this is the browning of the milk solids). When this happens,  remove the pot immediately, because the browning can easily burn. 

I also added maple syrup to enhance and accompany the caramel flavors of the brown butter in the cookie dough. This deep-dish cookie cake is meant to serve a crowd, which makes it the perfect dessert for a special occasion.

Brown Butter Cookie Cake With Salted Maple Buttercream

"Cherry Danishes are one of those desserts that I'll immediately point to at the bakery case but that I don't want to attempt to make at home. Braid puff pastry? I can barely braid my own hair, thank you. And while I'm being a little dramatic, turns out that nonconfrontation leads to inno-vation: this Cherry Danish Cake. It's 100% of the flavors and 10% of the work. It's a buttery vanilla cake swirled with cherry jam and topped with a cream cheese icing and sliced almonds, just like a traditional Danish. And yet, it's cake. Heaven."–Sarah Fennel from Broma Bakery 

"Sweet Tooth: 100 Desserts to Save Room For" by Sarah Fennel, © 2024. Published by Clarkson Potter.


Cherry Danish Cake by Sarah Fennel 

Here is a recipe I thought would be fun for you guys to make this fall–a giant cinnamon roll cake filled with little pieces of tart apple. It takes quite a long time to bake, but it’s a really fun project if you have some down time on the weekend. It would also be perfect to serve the morning of Thanksgiving or another winter holiday, or if you wanted to stick a few birthday candles, it could be a great alternative to a cake!

To test if the dough has been kneaded long enough, take a piece of dough between your hands and stretch it. If it breaks easily, it’s not done kneading. If it doesn’t break and you can stretch it thin enough to see through it, it’s done. 

You can make the initial cinnamon butter filling ahead, but don’t add the apples until you’re ready to assemble. As the apples sit in the filling, they release water, making it difficult to spread the filling onto the dough.


Giant Apple-Cinnamon Roll Cake

A traditional French financier is a small, rectangular almond cake that originally got its name from its resemblance to a bar of gold, and because it was often served in Parisian cafes in the French capital’s financial district. This version is baked in a tart pan and topped with sliced pears and almonds but retains all the characteristics of a classic financier. It’s primarily made with almond flour, egg whites, sugar, and a small amount of regular flour. Since it requires very little mixing, it takes almost no active cooking time. The flavors are reminiscent of marzipan, and the texture is tender, light, and buttery—the perfect cake to serve in the afternoon with coffee or tea.

Pear Financier Torte

This Upside Down Plum & Cardamom Cake is an elegant yet simple dessert to showcase juicy summer plums. First, I layer thin slices of plums in the pan, then pour melted sugar over the top to help set and caramelize the fruit. Next, I add the cardamom cake batter, which bakes into a tender, buttery crumb. The fragrant cardamom pairs beautifully with the sweet-tart plums, and a dollop of whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream) makes for a perfect finishing touch.

Choose plums that are ripe but still firm. Overly ripe plums can become too mushy when baked.

Slice the plums evenly. Thin, even slices of plum will ensure they cook uniformly and create a beautiful pattern on the cake. 

For the freshest flavor, buy whole cardamom pods and grind the seeds just before using. A spice grinder or mortar and pestle works well for this.

Keep a close eye on the sugar as it cooks. It can go from golden brown to burnt very quickly.

Lining the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper ensures the caramelized plums won’t stick when you flip the cake. Additionally, let the cake cool in the pan before flipping. This helps the cake set and keeps the plum layer intact.

Substitute with other fruits like peaches, oranges, apples, or pears. If you use unpeeled orange slices, make sure you simmer them in a sugar syrup to soften the peel before assembling in the pan. 


Upside Down Plum & Cardamom Cake

These peach crumble bars are a great way to enjoy peaches while they're in season. The combination of sweet, juicy peaches and a crunchy brown sugar topping is a classic for a reason, but making bars instead of pie make them easier to enjoy throughout the week. I like to use a mixture of granulated and brown sugar in the topping for a richer flavor, and a hint of cinnamon adds warmth without overpowering the peaches. They're easy to make and perfect for back-to-school or to bring to a summer gathering or potluck. Just be sure to use ripe but firm peaches for the best results.

You can use fresh or frozen peaches for this recipe. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry with a paper towel before using.

Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste, depending on the sweetness of the peaches.

You can also add a sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg on top of the crumble topping before baking for extra flavor.


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