13 Indulgent Cakes to Make for Father’s Day

By Food & Wine
Updated May 29, 2019
Credit: Jennifer Causey
Dad may say he wants nothing more than love and affection on Father’s Day, but we know that he really means love, affection, and cake. So if the question isn’t if he’ll love a cake baked in his honor (a resounding yes), it’s what kind should I bake? Luckily our collection of Father’s Day cake recipes has all dads covered.For chocoholics, you can’t go wrong with German Chocolate Cake. This classic confection was developed by a Dallas newspaper in the 1950s and named in honor of Sam German, who created Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate in 1852. In true Southern style, this two-tiered chocolate layer cake is filled with shredded coconut flakes and toasted pecans. Another sure-to-please option, even for finicky young eaters, is our Milk Chocolate Layer Cake from pastry chef Karina Gowing. A mild cocoa-flavored cake is frosted with a simple, extra fluffy milk chocolate icing. For dads who enjoy their chocolate paired with fruit, try Lidia Bastianich’s Sacher Torte. Bastianich uses apricot preserves three ways in this classic Austrian chocolate cake: to moisten the cake layers, as a filling between the layers, and as a glaze before its covered in chocolate.If Dad loves his morning cup of coffee, sneak a little from the pot and incorporate it into dessert. The coffee baked into the batter of our Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze cuts the sweetness and ensures a moist crumb. And if he likes a nip of something stronger, turn to recipes like Rum-Mocha Walnut Layer Cake. Fluffy layers of walnut-studded chocolate cake are brushed with dark rum before being topped with a heady espresso glaze.Not everyone loves chocolate, which is fine because we wouldn’t turn down a hunk of spiced Pumpkin Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese frosting. Our collection also includes lighter, more summery options like Lemon Bundt Cake. It’s packed with the zest of ten lemons before getting soaked in a sweet-tart lemon syrup.Check out our slideshow for more cake recipes that are sure to please Dad (and everyone else at the table).—Carrie Mullins
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Milk-Chocolate-Frosted Layer Cake

Credit: Con Poulos
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This cake from pastry chef Karina Gowing is perfection for anyone who loves frosting. The ultracreamy icing, which is almost like a milk-chocolate ganache, gets spread liberally over layers of light, delicate, cocoa-flavored cake.

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Sacher Torte

Credit: © Con Poulos
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Sacher torte is a classic Austrian chocolate cake layered with apricot preserves. Lidia Bastianich’s version uses the preserves three ways: for moistening the cake layers, as a thick filling between the layers and as a glaze to seal the cake before covering it in chocolate. The cake is moist and luscious on its own, but it’s also delicious served the traditional way, with unsweetened whipped cream.

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Double-Chocolate Bundt Cake with Ganache Glaze

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Many Bundt cakes are heavy and buttery, but this one is surprisingly light and incredibly moist under its silky chocolate glaze. Strong-brewed coffee in the batter intensifies the chocolate flavor while cutting the sweetness.

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Lemon Bundt Cake

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When Matt Lewis became a baker, he started a quest to re-create the lemon Bundt cakes of his youth. After “a million different versions,” he says, he achieved lemon-cake bliss, using the zest of 10 lemons and a little lemon extract to get the flavor just right. The cake has a moist crumb (thanks to a lemony syrup brushed over the top) and a crackling, sugary glaze.

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Blueberry, Lemon and Coconut Cake

Credit: © Emma Galloway
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This simple butter cake can be topped with any kind of in-season fruit you may have on hand. Try strawberries in spring, figs in fall or poached pears in winter. This summer version is bursting with fresh blueberries, lemon and coconut. You can use either fresh or frozen berries for this cake, but don’t defrost before using if frozen is all you have, or their juices will seep into the cake batter.

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Pumpkin Cake with Caramel-Cream Cheese Frosting

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In this fun variation on traditional pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves gets frosted with a slightly tangy, super-caramelly frosting. It's delicious served cold or at room temperature.

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German Chocolate Cake

Credit: © CON POULOS
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Sam German created the mild, dark baking chocolate called Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate in 1852; in the late 1950s, a Dallas newspaper published a recipe for German's Chocolate Cake. The dessert took the South by storm and has been a staple ever since.

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Rum-Mocha Walnut Layer Cake

Credit: © Dana Gallagher
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This luscious cake can be refrigerated for up to 4 days if you want to make it in advance of the holiday.

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Carrot Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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We love serving this sweet and nutty cake chilled.

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The Ultimate Chocolate Cake

Credit: Greg Dupree
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This beauty has everything you want in a perfect chocolate cake—a simple, stir-together batter infused with velvety melted chocolate; a no-fail cream cheese–based frosting, and plenty of it; and a stress-free decorating method you can nail no matter your skill level.

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Moon Cake

Credit: Greg Dupree
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Basically a gargantuan éclair, this cake features an ethereal choux pastry crust and a quick homemade vanilla custard layer, topped with drifts of mascarpone cheese–enriched whipped cream and generous curls of shaved chocolate.

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Red Wine Chocolate Snack Cake

Credit: Justin Walker
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We all cook with red wine, adding a glug or two to enrich pan sauces and stews. Here, our culinary director Justin Chapple makes the case for baking with it as well. Cabernet Sauvignon adds fruity notes that brighten this chocolate cake, which is great for a midday snack or casual dessert.

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Brown Sugar Cake with Ricotta and Blueberries

Credit: Jennifer Causey
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Chef Joe Flamm cinched his season 15 Top Chef win with this simple brown sugar cake, which he learned to make from the late pastry chef Todd Kunkleman at Stephanie Izard’s Girl & the Goat in Chicago.

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