So, you’ve amassed a heap of Cadbury Creme Eggs, you’ve finally perfected the deviled egg recipe, and you’ve bookmarked a handful of Easter appetizers for this year’s spread. But, what about the dessert? Should you bake cupcakes? Or maybe you should opt for something healthier? If you want our advice, we say, “Let them eat cake!” And by that we mean, “Let them eat an Ina Garten cake!”
That’s right; for the best cake recipes out there, turn to none other than the Barefoot Contessa host and chef.
Garten has a whopping 11 cookbooks, and within those cookbooks are plenty of delicious cake recipes, from rich chocolate cakes to fresh fruit-topped desserts. In Garten’s 2016 cookbook Cooking for Jeffrey, specifically, is her devil’s food cake, a recipe that’s popular among home cooks and food bloggers alike.
“This cake is a showstopper!” Garten wrote in the cookbook, adding that it typically takes her two days to make her devil’s food cake. “I bake the cakes one day and make the buttercream and assemble the cakes the next so it is not too daunting. I adore the combination of moist chocolate cake and lighter-than-air buttercream.”
Ahead, we’ve gathered Garten’s best cake recipes for easter — or any special occasion, really — including her famous devil’s food cake.
Beatty’s chocolate cake
One of, if not the most popular Garten dessert recipe is Beatty’s chocolate cake, a rich, decadent dessert worthy of any Easter feast.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Strawberry country cake
Brighten up your Easter spread with Garten’s strawberry country cake, a recipe pulled from her 2001 cookbook Parties!.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Coconut cake
In addition to how it tastes, what’s great about this coconut cake is you can either keep it clean or give the kids an opportunity to decorate it with fresh fruit.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Lemon yogurt cake
Every Easter spread needs a splash of citrus, and this lemon yogurt cake pulled from the pages of Garten’s 2006 cookbook Barefoot Contessa at Home will do just that.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Chocolate cake with mocha frosting
Making mocha frosting is a breeze. Just make sure you can get your hands on Kahlua and instant espresso powder.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Perfect pound cake
Published in Garten’s 2012 cookbook Barefoot Contessa Foolproof, this recipe, if followed to a T, will, in fact, leave you with the perfect pound cake.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Carrot cake with ginger mascarpone frosting
A moist ginger cake slathered with a ginger mascarpone frosting and sprinkled with crystallized ginger: What’s not to love?
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Fresh fig & ricotta cake
This beginner-level recipe calls for eight large fresh figs and one cup of fresh whole milk ricotta, in addition to creme fraiche for serving.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Chocolate ganache cake
There’s nothing better than chocolate on chocolate with a dash of instant coffee. And this particular Garden recipe is a classic; it was published in the chef’s 2001 cookbook Barefoot Contessa Parties!.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Raspberry cheesecake
Top this rich cheesecake with raspberry, strawberry, or currant red jelly — not jam. Garten’s rules.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Easy cranberry & apple cake
This cake is chockfull of fresh Granny Smith apples, cranberries, and orange juice and zest.
Get the recipe at Barefoot Contessa.
Devil’s food cake
Originally published in Cooking for Jeffrey, Garten’s devil’s food cake recipe is so popular among food bloggers, including The Barbee Housewife.
Get the recipe at The Barbee Housewife.
Orange chocolate chunk cake
Leite’s Culinaria describes Garten’s “remarkably easy” orange chocolate chunk cake perfectly: “This orange chocolate chunk cake from Ina Garten turns out a beautiful Bundt cake that’s studded with chocolate chunks and topped, if desired, with ganache.”
Get the recipe at Leite’s Culinaria.
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