18 Cake Recipes to Serve Hot

Cakes create a sense of unity on a special occasion. These dishes are particularly suitable for winter celebrations.

Weather shouldn’t spoil important celebrations. These signature recipes are seasonal and keep the cold at bay with warmth.

When ready to serve, these cakes are drizzled with homemade syrups, topped with cream and garnished

Photo / Babiche Martens

This cake, made from seasonal fruits currently in season, is topped with toasted pine nuts and a textured lemon zest.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

These mini cakes, for which Angela Casley was inspired by a particularly chocolatey event, have a gooey, melting center.

Photo / provided
Photo / provided

Writer and chef Jeff Koehler shares the recipe for mderbel, an Algerian jam cake, comparing its sweetness and crumbly texture to shortbread.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

This butter cake is topped with a drizzle of homemade syrup, a mixture of fine powdered sugar, butter and grapefruit juice.

Chocolate, date and banana cake. Photo / Babiche Martens
Chocolate, date and banana cake. Photo / Babiche Martens

If you serve this fruity cake at room temperature, the chocolate ganache filling will be nicely melted.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

Make this vibrant, sticky cake, topped with a drizzle of honey and citrus, to accompany your afternoon tea or coffee.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

This dessert is made up of a layer of ultra-sweet Doris plums topped with a soft vanilla sponge cake. The whole thing is garnished with a pinch of icing sugar.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

You can portion this sticky, dense lemon cake to serve a large group (and serve it with a pot of Earl Grey tea).

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

Swap out the seasonal fruit filling in this luscious chocolate cake to make it winter-friendly (think citrus, baked apples, or tamarillos).

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

Poppy seeds create an interesting visual for this towering cake, drizzled with sweet honey syrup.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

This upside-down cake highlights the bright color of softened apricots. It’s also topped with a touch of homemade caramel sauce.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

If you’re catering to those who don’t use flour, this sticky dessert could be a great alternative to cake.

Photo / provided
Photo / provided

Food writer and chef Yasmin Newman shares this sublime citrus cake recipe from her Under the Coconut Sky: Feasts and Stories from the Philippines.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

If you’re looking for the tart flavors of raspberries, you can substitute frozen raspberries for fresh ones and reduce them into a comforting sauce.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

This sunny lemon cake is an invigorating option for gray days and cold evenings.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

Treat yourself to this bright and sweet date cake, glazed with a brown sugar sauce. Angela Casley suggests serving it with a mild herbal tea.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

A dollop of crème fraîche enhances the deeper flavors of these moist chocolate-berry cakes.

Photo / Babiche Martens
Photo / Babiche Martens

Candied ginger, lychees and pineapple slices top this cinnamon-tinged cake.

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