For some reason, people seem to think that more complicated cake recipes equate to a more delicious cake. However, that is not true. Easy cake recipes can be just as tasty as the most elaborate recipe, yet they take a fraction of the time. Further, they are way more convenient for people who are constantly on the go, but who still love to bake.
Even if you are a master baker, easy cake recipes are fun every now and again. Especially, if you want to make a cake with your children or a friend who maybe isn’t as skilled. These recipes allow you to teach someone else how to bake without all of the stress of two pages of instructions.
What’s even better, is that each cake has a recipe for its topping, so you won’t have to worry about figuring out which frosting to use.
Five Easy Recipes
All five of the cake recipes we are going to talk about here have incredibly easy instructions. You can bake them all in a pinch. For example, if you are like me and forget about upcoming events frequently, these are fairly quick and easy to bake. My family loves every single one of them and when my son was a toddler these were the ones I would bake with him.
So, pull your mixing bowls out, grab a baking pan, some measuring cups and let’s get started.
Lemon pound cake
- 6-piece bakeware set includes a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, 2 round 9-inch cake pans, a 12-cup muffin pan, a 13 x 9-inch roast...
- Nonstick coating for effortless food release and easy cleaning
- Heavy-weight steel construction for thorough, even heating
The first recipe we are going to discuss is a simple lemon pound cake. Lemon cakes are a family favorite in my house and great for picnics. The tartness of the lemon and the sweetness of the sugar are like a party on your tongue.
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1⁄2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1⁄2 cups flour
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄3 cup lemon juice
1⁄4 cup sugar
First, preheat your oven to 325°F. Next, grease a loaf pan really well, so the cake does not stick to the pan. Then you will need to mix one cup of sugar and the butter together. Once that is mixed well, add eggs and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix them well. Add flour, salt, and baking powder.
Finally, add milk, mix well and pour into the greased pan. Bake for one hour or until golden brown. While your cake is baking, mix the rest of the lemon juice and sugar together. When the cake is out of the oven, poke holes in it with a toothpick and pour lemon glaze over top of it. Serve cool or warm.
Tres leches chocolate cake
The second recipe for you is a traditional Mexican cake called chocolate tres leches cake. Instead of making this one from scratch, you are going to use a boxed mix. If you want to try a from scratch recipe, go here.
Ingredients
1 package devil’s food cake (whatever brand you like)
Milk mixture
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup half and half
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Topping
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
First, bake the cake according to the directions on the box for a 13×9-inch cake pan. While your cake is baking, combine half and half, condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla in a bowl. Slowly whisk in the cinnamon and cocoa until blended with the milk.
When your cake is finished, let it cool for ten minutes. Then pierce the cake with a fork all over. Pour half of the milk mixture over the top, allow it to soak for one minute. Pour the rest of the mix over the cake and then chill it for one hour.
While your cake is chilling, whip together heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Spread whipped cream on the cake and serve. If you don’t have an easy way to do that, or just don’t want to, regular Cool Whip, thawed, will do the trick.
Apple cake
The third recipe is a delicious apple cake that is great during the fall.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 cups of white sugar
3/4cup vegetable oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 green apples — cored, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping
Powdered sugar
First, preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with the cooking spray. Next, combine sugar, oil, flour, eggs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract; mix well.
Once that is combined, stir in apples until combined and pour batter into the pan. Bake for about one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserted into the cake.
Finally, allow the cake to cool and sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.
Jello poke cake
Jello poke cake is my favorite easy cake recipe. I make this cake all the time and it is so good that my mother has now started to make it too. You can literally make as many different flavors as the packaged jello flavors allow. The best part? Each component of it is prepackaged and anyone could make it.
Ingredients
1 box of white cake mix
1 box of jello mix (any flavor)
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup boiling water
One container of Cool Whip
First, bake the cake according to the instructions on the box. While cake is baking, make the jello. Combine jello mix with boiling water until jello is dissolved and then add cold water. When the cake is baked, pierce it with a fork all over and pour jello on top of the cake. Finally, refrigerate for three hours and then cover with whipped cream.
Strawberry cake
A few weeks ago I had a bunch of strawberries and decided to make a strawberry cake. This cake is very easy and it was so good that I made it again two days later.
Ingredients
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
12 oz strawberries
Topping
16 oz strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
Powdered sugar to dust
First, grease a 9-inch round pan (or a springform pan). Then slice half of your strawberries and dice the other half. Preheat your over to 375˚F.
Next, beat together the eggs with one cup of sugar in a large bowl for five minutes. Add sour cream, oil, and vanilla. Beat the ingredients on low until they are well combined.
In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the wet mix. Then, pour half of the batter into a pan and top with the diced strawberries. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan, cover with the sliced strawberries.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Let the cake rest for about 15 minutes and while it is resting make the topping. In a blender, combine sugar and 16 ounces of strawberries. After cake has rested, pour the topping over the cake. Finally, dust with powdered sugar.
Get Baking!
So, what are you waiting for? Get in that kitchen and start baking these incredible cakes. We promise you will love every single one of them.
Featured image: CC by-SA 2.0, by Steven Lilley, via Flickr
Author: Shannon Argueta
Last update on 2024-11-02 at 11:24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
