cake Recipes - Page 2 of 26

Victory (Victoria) Sponge Cake

November 18, 2022December 23, 2022 Zoë François 10 Comments

A close-up of Zoë Francois' finished Victoria Sponge.

I fell in love with Victoria sponge cake on a trip to Dublin. The cake itself was so deliciously light but I had a difficult time replicating its texture when I got home. Once I employed “self-raising” flour, a common ingredient in the UK, which contains baking powder and salt in the mix, I had a total victory! The traditional filling is whipped cream and jam with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. I added some strawberries for flavor, texture, and decoration along with some edible flowers.

Spice Cake with Brown Butter Buttercream and Cranberry Filling

November 13, 2022August 20, 2023 Zoë François 8 Comments

As the temperature turns chilly and the holiday season nears, it makes me crave all the warm spices. This cake is adapted from my Zoë Bakes Cakes Yellow Cake, but with the quintessential fall spice blend added to the mix. You can buy Pumpkin Pie Spice in the baking aisle or make your own with individual ground spices from your pantry. See my notes in the recipe if you want to make your own.

Easter Egg Cupcakes

April 12, 2022April 26, 2022 Zoë François 1 Comment

These Easter Egg Cupcakes are decorated for the kids (of any age), but the flavors will satisfy the adults. I was recently sent a box of fresh passion fruit, some candied mini eggs, and passion fruit-flavored white chocolate, so it just seemed obvious that I’d make the Chocolate Devil’s Food cake from Zoë Bakes Cakes and passion fruit flavored buttercream. You can go with whatever flavor combinations get you excited. The little nests are actually super simple to create and I have a video in my highlights, a link in the recipe, on how I did it. Any flavor chocolate will do. The grass is the result of a special piping tip, but otherwise, nothing extra is needed to make these.

Homemade Twinkies

April 5, 2022April 21, 2022 Zoë François 8 Comments

If you have my book, Zoë Bakes Cakes, you likely know from the intro that the story of my life with sweets started with an auspicious meeting with the humble Twinkie. I would never presume to create anything as iconic as the original, but these homemade Twinkies are freakin’ delicious.

Lemon-Curd Pound Cake

April 3, 2022April 3, 2022 Zoë François 5 Comments

Every bite of this bright and dreamy lemon-curd pound cake has all the enthusiasm of a spring morning. There are layers of tartness from the luxurious lemon curd, lemon zest, and pieces of baked lemon that nestle perfectly into the buttery rich batter. A light and easy drizzle of lemon syrup, made from baked lemon slices, makes a simple bite feel like the warm, sunny promise of a new day.

Honey Cake with Honey Buttercream

March 29, 2022August 26, 2022 Zoë François 12 Comments

We’ve seen the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine and I’ve decided to do a class in an effort to raise money. Please join me for a LIVE baking demonstration of this Ukrainian Honey Cake with Buttercream Sunflowers. Proceeds from this event will benefit World Central Kitchen, a non-profit organization dedicated to feeding people in the wake of humanitarian, climate, and community crises. They are on the ground feeding the refugees in Ukraine right now.

Update: We raised over $33,000 for World Central Kitchen! If you missed the class, you still have an opportunity to purchase the recording or donate. Here’s where to do it.