Vanilla Cake with Apricot Jam and Chocolate Frosting

 

Whenever I want to bake a quick tasty cake, a heavy cream based one would be one of my first choices, as it requires only a few basic ingredients, and it can be mixed in a short time, in one bowl. Another important reason for choosing this type of cake is that it has a wonderful rich texture and flavor, that can be easily altered with just a few spices or ingredients.

Swirl Sour Cream Cake with Dried Fruit and Walnuts

 

The following swirl cake is a wintry version of a summery fresh fruit cake I have posted a few years ago.

Spiced Zucchini Cake with Golden Raisins and Walnuts

 

When the weather outside is getting colder, a simple homey cake. served with a hot beverage, is a good way to keep warm. The following zucchini cake is exactly that.

Banana, Marzipan and Dried Cherry Cake, with Chocolate Glaze

 

Cherries and almonds pair wonderfully well together, so, when I was planning on baking a banana cake, flavored with my homemade marzipan, it was an easy decision to add dried cherries to it. Belgium cherry beer, that I also had at hand, was the perfect way to enhance the cherry flavor, and give the cake a lighter texture.

Fresh Cranberry, Orange and Almond Cake

 

As I still had some orange marmalade, from last weeks’ chicken dish, I thought it could be a good idea to use it in a cake. With Thanksgiving around the corner, and with lots of fresh cranberries at the store, it was a no-brainer to mix these two ingredients into one tasty cake.

Chocolate Date Banana and Walnut Cake

After all the fruity cakes and desserts that I’ve made this summer, it felt it was time for a chocolate-based cake, using dark cocoa powder, along with chocolate chips.

Dairy Free Banana and Blueberries Cake

When I was asked to create a dairy free, low sugar and low fat summer cake, it was quite a challenge. I’ve decided to rely on the natural sweetness of fruit, and the first ingredient that came to my mind was ripe bananas, as their creamy texture mimics well that of butter in baked goods, and their sweetness would allow me to use less sugar in the cake.

Pluot Galette with Pistachios and Cashews

Plums are among my most favorite fruits, and, as the season is now is at its’ peak, there are quite a few types of them to choose from. One type I especially like, is pluot, an extra juicy plump and sweet type, which is actually a cross between plum and apricot.

Upside-Down Spiced Pineapple Cake

Upside-down cakes are among my favorite cakes: their buttery, caramelized fruity top, and the tasty cake beneath it, is always pleasing.

Over the years, I’ve posted here a few versions for this tasty cake, using different types of fruit. However, I recently realized that I’ve never posted a recipe for the most popular version of the cake – the one with pineapple on top. Looking at the ripe pineapple I have just bought, it was evidently the time to rectify this.

“Invisible” Apple Cake

As a fan of apple cakes, when I saw a few recipes for one with an intriguing name – “Invisible cake” – it immediately got my attention.

As I started digging into it, I’ve learned that the cake originated in France, and is also quite popular in Japan.

Orange, Rum and Raisins Ricotta Cheese Cake

Ricotta cheese has a fresh, tangy flavor, and a slight grainy texture. It can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. Mixed with sugar, it makes a tasty filling for sweet pastries, and it is often used to bake cheesecakes, as in the following recipe.