Cake Flour

This cake has the fluffy, so-light-it-could-float texture of angel food cake, with a touch of egg yolk for richness. Tahini brings pure sesame flavor and a lining of sesame seeds adds a bonus level of crunch.

No cocoa means this red velvet cake is a vibrant magenta. To finish: a classic cream cheese frosting and a scattering of chopped pecans.

At first glance, this cake seems to contain no butter or oil. But on closer analysis, I discovered that the butterfat contained in the cream was more than equal to the usual amount of butter added.

Even die-hard butter devotees admit that olive oil makes exceptionally good cakes.

This moist pound cake is the most requested Swans Down recipe of all time. Whether it's your first time trying it or a perennial favorite, the fork-tender cake is unforgettable.

This delicious cake is different from other good chocolate pound cakes. It uses chocolate instead of the more usual cocoa, and the cake is baked in a bain-marie, or water bath.

This tender buttermilk cake with rich orange cream-cheese frosting is sure to become your go-to for any festive occasion.

Baking a wedding cake is not as crazy—or difficult—as it sounds! This stunning and delicious cake is designed to be as streamlined as possible. The moist buttermilk cake requires no trimming, the cream cheese frosting is much more simple (and just as stable) as wedding cake's typical buttercream, and edible flowers and pretty raspberries make decorating a breeze.

A little orange juice (and zest) wakes up the icing of this crowd-pleasing cake with sweet citrus flavor.

Good thing this cake serves a crowd—the creamy key lime topping will have everyone back for seconds.

Light and fluffy, these peppery biscuits are as good alongside a hearty dinner as they are with jam for breakfast.

Our mom makes this cake every year for Dad's birthday. The tradition is that she always makes a mistake and that the cake is never perfect. Though she always messes up, it always tastes good and this is a great recipe. You'll need a 9-inch angel food cake pan for this cake.

Gently spiced pecans and a salty caramel topping give this morning treat a savory dimension.

Remember that the color of the stalks, which can range from pale pink to deep red, will affect the color of the filling. Choose dark-red stalks for a vibrant hue.

We get a little weak-kneed with delight around cakes, particularly cakes whimsically shaped to look like something else—in this case, a Yule log. Made famous in France as Bûches de Noël, these sheet cakes, filled, rolled, and frosted to look like the trunks of trees, complete with the stumps of sawed off branches, provide creative cooks the very real opportunity to play with their food. Want a few woodsy meringue mushrooms made from meringue to continue the conceit? Why not? No offense to the French, but we think this Italian version, brushed with an espresso syrup, filled with whipped cream lightened mascarpone cheese, and encased in a serious chocolate ganache, which lends itself well to sculpting, is just about the best we've ever had. Buttercream frosting is good—we know only too well from licking many bowls of it clean—but ganache is easier to make and even better to eat! Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for A Christmas Classic. Menu also includes Herb-Crusted Beef Rib Roast with Potatoes, Carrots, and Pinot Noir Jus and Green Beans with Caramelized Pecans .

Think of this dinner party- friendly dessert as the love child of a financier (a springy nut-flour cake) and an apple cobbler. For a twist, you can also make it with pears or a combination of both.

Despite some tall tales, Hostess Twinkies do not last forever. The box of Twinkies that my friends gave me as a gag gift were, in fact, hard as a rock in less than a year. These cream-filled chiffon cake snacks, made with real, unprocessed dairy and eggs and whole-grain flours, won't last nearly as long as preservative-laden Twinkies, but you will almost certainly gobble them up in no time at all.

Forget the boxed version you grew up with. This yellow cake gets a rich dark-chocolate frosting with a touch of tang thanks to sour cream. For the best presentation, it's important to cut the cake layers evenly.