The 7 Best Cake Recipes For Thanksgiving Dessert

This time of year, it feels like there is always a holiday to prepare for. After Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot come Thanksgiving, then Hanukkah. The last few months of the year feel like a long stretch of holiday observances and gatherings and if you’re hosting the holidays (or expected to bring dishes or Cake Recipes for Thanksgiving Dessert to contribute to the holiday meals you’re attending), finding new recipes to make and planning your meal can take up a lot of your time.

This is why we created Happy Host. It’s Prep + Rally’s newest tool designed to make hosting and entertaining stress-free and simple. The Happy Host feature on the site allows you to build your holiday menus, download shopping lists, and more. While there are tons of great recipes for your Thanksgiving menu within the Happy Host section of the site, today, we’re rounding up some of our favorite cake recipes for Thanksgiving to help you finalize your dessert plans.

While the main dishes served on Thanksgiving have a tendency to demand most of your attention, you shouldn’t overlook everyone’s favorite part of the meal: dessert. And though traditional Thanksgiving desserts are mostly pies, these cake recipes are a great way to satisfy your holiday sweet tooth.

Whether you’re in charge of the full menu for your gathering or you’ve just been tasked with dessert, these easy Thanksgiving desserts will help you round out your menu and make sure everyone goes home happy.

Why Serve Cake on Thanksgiving?

Although Thanksgiving pies tend to steal the spotlight on many tables (it really is the tradtional Thanksgiving dessert), cake can make a great addition to your dessert table, whether you’re also serving pie or you’re switching things up this year.

  • There are tons of options: Cake is such a good dessert to make because there are so many options. Bake up something light, airy, and fruity to cut through the rich meal or lean in and serve a decadent, indulgent cake to end the evening. 
  • You can make them ahead of time: One thing that you definitely won’t have enough of on Thanksgiving is oven space. You can make your cakes ahead of time and even decorate them if you’d like, meaning you can spend Thanksgiving Day focused on the main event instead of worrying about last-minute baking. 
  • They’re easy to customize: Cakes are great to make when you’re feeding a crowd because you can make substitutions to suit a wide variety of dietary restrictions or preferences. You can make the cake gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and more, which means everyone at your holiday gathering will be able to enjoy it.

You can make a cake packed with fall flavors like pumpkin, spices, or apples, or give your Thanksgiving meal more of an unexpected twist. Either way, these cake recipes are some of the best Thanksgiving dessert recipes out there and will be a total hit at your gathering. Whether you’re a seasoned pro when it comes to kosher baking or you’re just starting out, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Use Kosher Ingredients: Make sure all of the ingredients you’re using a certified kosher. Also, keep in mind what else you’re making for dinner so that you can make non-dairy and other swaps if needed. Because Thanksgiving often features a meaty main, expect that you may need to make ingredient substitutions or search out recipes that are dairy-free.
  • Embrace Seasonal Flavors: Classic seasonal flavors like pumpkin, warm spices, apple, maple, and even squash can make even a simple cake a gorgeous centerpiece to your Thanksgiving table. Pumpkin desserts are especially common at Thanksgiving, and, if you love them, there are plenty of pumpkin cakes that you can add to your table. Decorate your cake simply with a non-dairy glaze or icing, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, fresh flowers (make sure to remove before serving), or a drizzle of dairy-free caramel glaze or sauce.

Thanksgiving Cake Recipes

1. Best Citrus Sponge Cake

cake recipes for thanksgiving dessert - citrus cake

This light and airy sponge cake is flavored with orange and vanilla, perfect after a rich and heavy meal. Make it ready for the big meal by garnishing the top of the cake with fresh cranberries—they’ll go perfectly with the orange and vanilla.

2. Rum-Cherry Apple Cake

cake recipes for Thanksgiving - rum apple cake

Decadent bundt cakes don’t get enough love. This one is packed with the rich flavors of dark rum and cherries. The only thing it needs for a garnish is a dusting of powdered sugar.

3. Plum Upside-Down Cake

cake recipes for Thanksgiving dessert - plum upside-down cake

Upside-down cakes are total stunners. This one features beautiful slices of ripe plums brushed with a sugar syrup.

4. Lemon Honey Cake

cake recipes for Thanksgiving dessert - lemon honey cake

If you didn’t make this lemon honey cake for Rosh Hashanah, it’d be perfect for Thanksgiving. It’s packed with the cozy flavors of honey and lemon and topped with a zingy lemon glaze.

5. Apple and Cinnamon Cake with Honey Glaze

cake recipes for Thanksgiving dessert - apple and cinnamon cake

Packed with fall flavors like apple, cinnamon, and honey, this cake is simple, but delicious.

6. Orange Coconut Cake

cake recipes for Thanksgiving dessert - orange coconut cake

Cut through the richness of your Thanksgiving dinner with this orange coconut cake that’s glazed with a light citrus glaze and garnished with orange zest. Everyone will love it.

7. Pumpkin Loaf

cake recipes for Thanksgiving dessert - pumpkin loaf

For a cozy ending to your feast, make this pumpkin spice cake packed with pumpkin pie spice and studded with chocolate chips. It’s even sweetened with maple syrup for an abundance of fall flavors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can these cakes be made ahead of time?

They definitely can. That’s one of the reasons we love serving cake for Thanksgiving. You can make your cakes a day or two ahead of the holiday and store it in an airtight container until it’s time for them to grace the holiday spread. If you want to work even further ahead, make the cake, but don’t decorate or garnish it, let it cool completely, then wrap it in parchment paper and plastic wrap and freeze until you’re ready to use it. Remember to take the cake out in time to thaw before the holiday!

How can I make my Thanksgiving cake recipe gluten-free?

If you want or need to make one of these cakes gluten-free, you can use a gluten-free flour blend that’s formulated for baking. There are a number of them that can be substituted for flour one:one and bake up great. Just make sure that the ingredients you’re using are certified kosher (and, of course, gluten-free).

Do I need any special tools to make these festive Thanksgiving cakes?

All of these cake recipes for Thanksgiving can be made with relatively simple tools and equipment.

How should I decorate these cake recipes for Thanksgiving?

There are so many ways you can decorate these cakes! For citrus cakes, simple lemon or orange slices, a dusting of powdered sugar, or a dairy-free glaze would all be beautiful. For other types of cakes, get creative! Decorate with candied fruit, fresh fruit, glazes, dairy-free caramel sauce, a dusting of cinnamon, and more. A thin layer of kosher marshmallow frosting would be especially festive on the pumpkin cake!

How well does leftover cake freeze?

Many cakes freeze well if stored correctly. Make sure to wrap leftover cake in plastic wrap before popping them in an airtight container or freezer bag. You can store your frozen cake for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw at room temperature and enjoy.

Have a Sweet & Happy Thanksgiving

This year, add these cake recipes for Thanksgiving to your dinner table or any of the special occasions you may be hosting this holiday season. They’re the only dessert you’ll need this holiday season to round out your Thanksgiving recipes.

Whether you love a cake that’s bursting with classic fall flavors or you’re looking for something that will balance out the richness of the meal, these cake recipes have you covered. They’re sure to make your Thanksgiving dessert memorable. Bonus: leftovers are great the next day for breakfast!

Dini Klein
Founder of Prep+Rally, Dini Klein DINI@PREPANDRALLY.COM

Hey, I’m Dini Klein. I’m a cookbook author (you can shop my book here!) food host, former private chef, wife, and mama to some cute and very energetic kids.

Prep + Rally™ is my solution to getting a wholesome dinner on the table on those busy week nights when juggling mommy-ing and work life feels almost impossible.  Prep + Rally is the system helping busy moms all over the world get through it with ease!

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