144 lemon cake recipes

Linzer torte builds a press-in almond and clove dough into a tart shell, then crowns with raspberry preserves, fresh berries, sliced almonds, and a powdered sugar dust. Austrian classic from the city of Linz.

Indian Figlets are spiced drop cookies loaded with softened figs, warm cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, brightened with lemon zest. A chewy throwback cookie with bakery depth.

Orange slice fruitcake with candied orange, pecans, dates, and coconut in a buttermilk batter. Baked low and slow, then soaked with a citrus butter glaze.

Layered coffee cake with a cream cheese and condensed milk filling, canned peaches, chopped nuts, and a cinnamon-brown sugar crumb topping.

A British-style crumble cake with a buttery almond and cinnamon base, a layer of stewed blackberries and apples, and a golden crumble topping. Warm, fruity, and brilliant served with cream or custard.

Crispy, golden Indian potato bondas made with a genius shortcut: instant mashed potatoes! Spiced with mustard seeds, turmeric, ginger, and green chilies, then dipped in gram flour batter and fried until irresistibly crunchy.

Pennsylvania Dutch cake-and-custard pie: a soft cake batter and a spiced applesauce-molasses custard poured into one crust bake into two distinct layers, finished with a coffee glaze. A clever heritage dessert.

Potato spice cake with mashed potatoes, cocoa, warm spices, raisins, and nuts baked in an angel cake pan. Incredibly moist crumb from the potatoes with old-fashioned chocolate spice flavor.

Apfeltorte: German apple cake with whole peeled apples baked into a butter cake, their cores stuffed with rum-soaked raisins and chocolate. Finished with apricot glaze and powdered sugar.

Fat-free carrot cake made with yogurt, egg substitute, and wheat germ instead of oil and eggs. Topped with a light cream cheese frosting spiked with almond extract and lemon.

Old-fashioned Pennsylvania steamed pudding with mashed carrots, suet, molasses, raisins, currants, and warm spices. Three hours of steaming yields a dense, spiced holiday treat.

Melomakarona are classic Greek Christmas cookies, olive oil dough spiced with orange zest and cognac, soaked in honey-cinnamon syrup, then sprinkled with toasted almonds. Holiday tradition perfected.

Bakery-sized chocolate chip pecan cookies with oats and cinnamon, scooped by the quarter cup. A dual-fat dough with both shortening and butter for thick, chewy results.

Egg-free lemon muffins made with silken tofu, applesauce, whole wheat flour, and wheat germ. Bright lemon zest and a cinnamon dusting on top. Makes 24 wholesome muffins in 30 minutes.

Sesame amaranth cake with triple-sesame flavor from tahini, sesame oil, and ground sesame seeds. Dense, golden, and honey-sweetened with a halvah-like richness and satisfying crumble.

Maple-apple oatmeal cookies with real maple syrup, fresh apples, applesauce, currants, and a crunchy oat-brown sugar topping. Soft, cakey fall cookies baked low and slow.