Let’s be real, Thanksgiving is basically pie’s big moment, but maybe you’re ready to shake things up. I’ve got 22 cakes here that deserve a spot on your holiday table. They’re sweet, they’re cozy, and honestly they might just steal the show from the pumpkin pie.
1. Chocolate Peanut Butter Bundt Cake
If just looking at this decadent bundt cake makes your mouth water, we’re in the same boat. It’s rich, but so fantastic that you won’t want to stop eating it, even when your tummy says enough. And here’s a little secret: there’s a peanut butter filling hiding inside that cake.
2. Autumn Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This is spice cake turned up to eleven. You’ll stir in cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, brown sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. It’s sweet and warm with every bite, and that cream cheese icing brings just a little tang. Toss some chopped pecans on top for extra crunch and nuttiness.
3. Chai Cake with Orange Cardamom Frosting
I love too many foods to ever go fully vegan, but I do enjoy plenty of vegan recipes. Sometimes vegan desserts fall a little flat for me though. This chai cake is not one of them. The orange, cardamom, and maple syrup make it insanely good, and it looks absolutely lovely too.
4. Coconut Cream Poke Cake
Out of all the coconut cake recipes I’ve tried, this one is my favorite. It’s so moist, creamy, soft, and cold. Honestly, I don’t think you’ll find a better coconut cake no matter how hard you look.
5. Almond Cranberry Cake
This cake looks all dressed up for Christmas, but the butter, almond, and cranberry flavors are pure Thanksgiving. You can serve it as a dessert after dinner or warm it up for breakfast the next morning. It’s festive, cozy, and works any time of day.
6. Turkey Cupcakes
These little turkeys look super complicated, but trust me, they’re not. If you can frost a cupcake and place Reese’s Pieces and M&Ms on top, you can make these with zero trouble. And really, what says Thanksgiving more than tiny turkeys on cupcakes? Nothing! They’re fantastically festive.
7. Hot Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Pumpkin and hot chocolate are two of the coziest things about fall, and this cake brings them together. It’s dense and crumbly with a slightly dry texture, which makes it perfect for dunking. Serve it alongside an actual mug of hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.
8. Cherry Almond Bundt Cake
This is one of the prettiest cakes on the list, and luckily it tastes incredible too. It’s fluffy, moist, and overflowing with sweet cherry flavor. If dry bundt cakes are your pet peeve, don’t worry. The maraschino cherry juice keeps this one light and juicy.
9. Gingerbread Cake
This spicy gingerbread smells just as amazing as it tastes. The rich vanilla cream sauce softens the cake and mellows out the heat. That sugary sauce melts into every piece, making it almost dissolve on your tongue. It takes the gingerbread spice down just enough to make it sweeter than usual.
10. Southern Sweet Potato Cake
If you think sweet potato pie is good, wait until you meet this fluffy sweet potato cake. It has spiced sweet potato flavor, crunchy chopped nuts, and a cream cheese icing that’ll make your tastebuds happy. It’s easy too, just 45 minutes and it’s ready for the oven. That makes it the perfect simple dessert after all your big Thanksgiving cooking.
11. Pumpkin Pie Magic Cake
Picking a favorite pumpkin dessert feels impossible, right? Well, this one solves that problem for you. With just five ingredients, you get the best of both worlds. It’s part pumpkin pie, part pumpkin spice cake, and completely irresistible.
12. Pumpkin Bundt Cake
This thick, tender bundt cake is full of pumpkin spice yumminess and works for breakfast, lunch, or dessert. The cream cheese frosting is rich and gooey with a hint of pumpkin pie spice. If you’re a pumpkin spice fanatic, this is your dessert.
13. Orange Juice Cake with Cornmeal
This cake has wonderfully crisp edges just like cornbread, though it’s not quite as crumbly or grainy. And the flavor? One hundred percent oranges! It smells like oranges, tastes like oranges, and even has an orange slice and zest on top. If you love citrusy desserts with a slightly coarse texture, give this one a try.
14. Pear Upside-Down Cake
If you love upside-down cake but want something fruitier than pineapple, this pear version is calling your name. I don’t know of a cake mix for this one, so you’ll be making it from scratch. No stress though, it only takes 11 simple ingredients and about an hour of your time.
15. Toffee Poke Cake
This cake is heaven on a plate, period. It has everything you could want, chocolate, caramel, and toffee all layered together with light whipped cream and crunchy toffee bits. Every bite is smooth, rich, and totally satisfying.
16. Caramel Apple Poke Cake
You’ll start with a boxed vanilla cake mix, but the finished cake is anything but plain. Apple pie spice and vanilla extract jazz it up right away. Then you’ll add apple pie filling and cover everything in fluffy whipped cream and sticky caramel sauce. Finish it off with a generous sprinkle of toffee bits and you’re done.
17. Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
I promised you another upside-down cake, so here it is! This one is absolutely stunning and packed with tart, tangy cranberry flavor. It has a touch of sweetness and a whole lot of zest. The gorgeous look makes it perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas alike.
18. Carrot Cake
This carrot cake is moist, fluffy, and just like the one your grandma used to pull out of the oven. It takes less than an hour to prep and bake, and you only need nine ingredients. Enjoy it as is or whip up some homemade cream cheese icing. Everyone will love the soft texture and that gently spicy flavor.
19. Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake
If you’re a fan of upside-down cakes, you’ve probably been loving this list. And yes, there’s one more coming before I wrap things up! This pumpkin version starts with a boxed yellow cake mix, so it’s super simple.
20. Apple Nut Cake
If you like a cake that’s dense, crumbly, and crunchy, this apple nut cake is for you. Use your favorite apples, I love Granny Smith, along with plenty of chopped pecans. The rest of the ingredients are pantry staples you probably already have. It takes a little over an hour, but every second is worth it.
21. Pumpkin Poke Cake
If you could toss everything you love about fall into a mixer and bake it, this cake would be the result. It’s soft and fluffy with crunchy bits of Heath or Skor candy bars tucked in. You get pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, caramel, toffee, chocolate, and cinnamon all in one amazing dessert.
22. Chocolate Almond Acorn Cupcakes
I love a fancy dessert that looks just as good as it tastes, and these cupcakes deliver. The cake is chocolatey and nutty, and the frosting is a vanilla almond dream. But the little acorns on top? Those are my absolute favorite part.