Anna Olson’s Best-Ever Cake Recipes

Moist and creamy, this carrot cake is a light, refreshing dessert for almost any occasion. For even more variety, check out our most crave-worthy carrot cake recipes in every form.

For more advanced bakers, this layer cake pulls out all the stops. “Naked” or “half-nude” sides give the finished tower a contemporary vibe, as do the chai and maple flavours found within.

This cake combining tropical coconut and zippy lemon is cause for celebration itself, so don’t wait until the next birthday in your life to bake it up. Its sabayon buttercream offers something very different and very welcome to the classic layer cake.

Smooth, creamy banana cheesecake sits atop a sugar cookie crust in this show-stopping dessert. It’s topped with rich toffee and caramelized bananas.

Light and fluffy, this angel food cake is the perfect dessert after a heavy meal. Serve with whipped cream and berries.

This intricate cake of Hungarian origin is made up of eight (yes, eight!) thin layers of sponge cake filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with a caramel fan.

This jelly roll cake, a giant, homemade version of the childhood snack food, is not too sweet, super chocolaty and filled with a tangy cream cheese frosting.

This cake from the southern U.S. is a grand dessert, standing almost 10-inches tall. Three layers of vanilla cake are filled with a gooey caramel with pecans, coconut and candied peel, and then finished with a meringue frosting.

Thick Icelandic yogurt, skyr, is made into a creamy no-bake cheesecake that’s naturally high in protein and calcium. It is also gluten-free with a nut and date crust. This recipe is free of refined sugar, using maple syrup to sweeten everything up instead. Blueberries add drama and big flavour to this impressive dessert.

This recipe makes 48 bite-sized lemon chiffon cakes — a perfect dessert that your loved ones won’t soon forget! Find more of Anna Olson’s very best cupcake recipes.

This cake is meant to replicate snowcapped Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps, which borders France and Italy and makes a grand statement for dessert.

Made with ricotta instead of traditional cream cheese, chocolate pistachio biscotti makes up the crust of this delectable cheesecake from Anna Olson.

This combination of chocolate sponge cake, cherries and whipped cream may be a familiar one but in place of the often-dry chocolate Genoise sponge, a chocolate chiffon cake base offers the same airiness, but it is also moist and rich.

A scrumptious twist on the classic coffee cake, this moist cake is topped with a pecan streusel for some sugary crunch.

You can never go wrong with vanilla. However, it is the caramel pastry cream that is really the icing on this cake (pun intended)! The plain base makes it the perfect canvas for colourful fondant or fresh flowers.

This delicious chocolate cake doesn’t skimp on the buttercream. Iced in an ombré petal style, it’s also a treat for the eyes.

This decadent red velvet chocolate cake from Anna Olson is coated in a silky cream cheese frosting that’s also inserted in the middle for a tasty surprise.

This delicious cake meets the criteria of a classic devil’s food cake, with its dark, rich chocolatey flavour and delicate moist texture.

Layers of spiced gingerbread, sweet and tart lemon buttercream frosting, and juicy raspberries create this elegant dessert that’s bound to impress any guest! Top with a layer of frosting and a circle of fresh raspberries.

Beautiful swirls of red encase this show-stopping dessert that combines a raspberry jelly roll cake filled with a smooth and creamy vanilla custard.

A moist cake bottom sitting beneath a perfectly gooey butter tart topping, this dessert-style coffee cake is just the ticket.

Sweet, tart cranberries are paired with spiced warm gingerbread cake in a treat that’s perfect for winter. But the star of the show is the rich brown butter caramel sauce that glazes the dessert, and is soaked up by the spongy cake.

Light, moist and bursting with ginger flavour, this classic gingerbread cake is the perfect holiday treat. Dust with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream for a finishing touch.

These individual cheesecakes from Anna Olson are filled with vanilla and chocolate mascarpone filling, with a crispy, cookie-like crust.

A light sponge cake layered with a rich whipped cream and jam-covered strawberries gives this dessert a stunning look.

A decadent patisserie-style glazed mousse torte to enjoy for any occasion. One bite of this heavenly treat and you won’t be able to stop!

This tasty melding of two beloved desserts combines the tartness of key lime pie with the creaminess of rich cheesecake. For total dessert bliss, bake your way through our most excellent cheesecake recipes.

Next time you’re hosting afternoon tea, serve and enjoy these mouthwatering mini marble Bundt cakes dipped in decadent chocolate ganache.

You’ll instantly fall in love with this New York-style cheesecake that’s decadently rich in taste, but fluffy in texture.

Refresh your day with one of these delectable steam lemon souffle cakes, complimented with a serving of fruit.

These cute little cappuccino-flavoured cakes not only look amazing but are also amazingly delicious!

This decadent French dessert combines meringue and mousse to create a beautiful layered torte that can be prepared days in advance.

This decadent cake with rich chocolate bread dough is laced with a sweet chocolate-hazelnut filling.

Feeling fruity? This tiny treat will hit the spot, loaded with mixed berries and exquisitely crafted to look and taste delicious.

The most surprising thing about this molten chocolate cake isn’t its gooey, oozing centre — it’s the fact that this recipe happens to be flourless!

This cake is dense, sweet and moist, almost like a blondie, but far more elegant and rich due to the pine nuts.

These maple-flavoured cakes are really something special when served warm with a little chocolate ganache.

Whether served as a sweet brunch or for dessert after a big meal, this classic lemon pound cake will bring freshness to your table.

These rich peanut butter cakes hold a delicious surprise — a warm, gooey caramel centre that oozes out when you dig in. A perfect make-ahead dessert for any party!

The secret to getting a proper crust on this rich and indulgent flourless chocolate dessert lies in a subtle splash of balsamic vinegar.

A French spin on the classic shortcake, this beauty is topped with a strawberry mousse and strawberry halves and has a gorgeous edging on the outside of the cake, too.

Almonds, pecans, berries, cherries and even candied ginger find their way into this amazing cake that is sure to delight the fruitcake lovers in your life.

This classic French torte is almost too pretty to eat! A puff pastry base is topped with pastry cream and whipped cream, and surrounded by light-as-air profiteroles dipped in caramelized sugar.

Cornmeal and ground almonds give this cake great structure and a deliciously nutty texture, without the use of wheat flour.

These individual flourless desserts are similar to a molten centre cake, but better. Tender gingerbread cookie encases a rich chocolate filling that, when baked and served warm, surprises each guest when they break through the crisp, cookie exterior.

What’s better than an ice cream sandwich? A huge cookies and cream ice cream cake that’s perfect for your next birthday celebration at home.

The combination of lavender honey ice cream and cake that is covered with meringue makes for one classic dessert. The key is keeping both cake and ice cream as cold as possible for the perfect hot-day treat.

Not only are these tiny French cakes full of nutty flavour, each petit four is treated to an irresistible chocolate ganache glaze.

Ready for a pretty retro-themed cake design? You’ll fall in love with this easy and colourful hatbox cake which uses rich Swiss buttercream frosting as the gorgeous ribbon.

This show-stopping dessert consists of three layers; thin, fluffy crêpes, orange cremeux (white chocolate and orange-infused whip) and velvety chocolate ganache. Top with candied orange slices before serving and you’ve got the perfect centrepiece.

Based on the Sans Rival Torte of the Philippines, Anna Olson’s version layers light, airy meringue with cream and fruit in this elegant dessert.

Encrusted in egg bread slices and filled with tender, juicy caramelized apples, this French version of apple pie is an ideal dessert if you’re looking to switch things up at your next dinner party.

Pistachio lady fingers encase this awe-inspiring cake that’s filled with layers of blackberry Bavarian cream and a white chocolate mousse. Arrange fresh blackberries around the edges of the cake, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.