Best Thanksgiving Cakes
With Thanksgiving just a few days away, it’s time to nail down our menus and that always starts with dessert around here! Here are the all-time best Thanksgiving cakes you’ll love.
Best Thanksgiving Cakes
I grew up making pies with my mom every Thanksgiving. It was tradition. At least three pies every year: apple pie for Chris, pumpkin pie for Trevor and banana cream for Kenzie. Occasionally my mom would add her favorite too: lemon cream. But ask my mom what my favorite pie was and you’ll get a blank stare. Seriously, a blank stare. Not because she’s forgotten, but because, you guessed it, I didn’t have one. Truth be told, I still don’t. I just don’t love pie.
Thus, my adult home is a home of Thanksgiving cakes that morph the holiday tradition into desserts worth of celebration!
Over the last few years, I’ve created Thanksgiving cake recipes inspired by Thanksgiving pies and even a Thanksgiving casserole. In case you’re not eager to make pie, here are my favorite Thanksgiving cakes!
Best Thanksgiving Cake #1: Sweet Potato Cake
This cake takes the number one Thanksgiving cake spot in my book! A good sweet potato casserole is probably my most favorite dish on Thanksgiving. I’ve tried a variety over the years, but my go-to version is simply made up of mashed sweet potatoes, a brown sugar and pecan crumble, and toasted marshmallows.
This one is made with three cups of boiled and then mashed sweet potatoes, a toasted marshmallow filling, candied pecans and a pecan buttercream. All the fabulous flavors of the casserole, in a cake!
Head to my Sweet Potato Cake post for the full recipe.
Best Thanksgiving Cake #2: Pumpkin Pie Cake
Next up, my Pumpkin Pie Cake. This one is made up of pumpkin cake layers, shortbread crumbs, pumpkin pie filling (a recipe from Ryan’s mom!), toasted marshmallow filling and a vanilla buttercream. So many delicious elements!
Don’t have time to make this into a layered cake? No worries! You can stack this in a trifle bowl, a sheet cake or even turn it into cupcakes!
Head to my Pumpkin Pie Cake post for the full recipe.
Best Thanksgiving Cake #3: French Apple Pie Cake
When I did take a few bites of pie growing up, it was always of my mom’s apple pie with the crumble on top. I never took part in the crust, but the rest was fabulous!
My French Apple Pie Cake has delicious apple spice cake layers, an apple pie filling, a pie crust flavored buttercream, a crumble, and a vanilla buttercream.
Head to the full blog post for instructions and the recipe for my French Apple Pie Cake.
Best Thanksgiving Cake #4: Triple Chocolate Pecan Pie Cake
This recipe is inspired by a Rich family favorite: Ryan’s mom’s triple chocolate pecan pie. You’ll find caramel cake layers, Ryan’s mom’s pie filling, shortbread crumbs and a caramel buttercream in this delicious cake.
If you’ve made this in the past, you’ll notice I’ve updated the cake layers to reflect my new and improved caramel cake recipe.
For the full Triple Chocolate Pecan Pie Cake recipe, make sure to check out THIS post!
Best Thanksgiving Cake #5: Butternut Squash Cake
This one isn’t pie-inspired but it will forever be in my top 10 cake list (of all-time) and is another fabulous option for your Thanksgiving feast. My Butternut Squash Cake was inspired by an ice cream flavor at Van Leewuen Ice Cream in New York. What you can expect in this cake: butternut squash layers, gingersnap cookie layer, maple cream cheese buttercream, and candied pecans.
Get the recipe for my Butternut Squash Cake, HERE.
Bundt Cakes
If a layered cake feels like a little too much work to add to your plate this week, try one of my bundt cakes:
Best Thanksgiving Cake #6: Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake
This Apple Cider Donut Bundt Cake is incredibly easy to whip up and has been a fan favorite! Get the recipe HERE.
Best Thanksgiving Cake #7: Pumpkin Bundt Cake
Another great bundt cake option is my Pumpkin Bundt Cake with a butter rum sauce. Tip: pour the butter rum sauce on about an hour before serving so the cake has time to soak up the sauce a bit.
And don’t forget…
BLACK FRIDAY SALE
Today starts our Black Friday sale on Shop.CakebyCourtney.com – 10% off ALL products (excludes cake classes). This is the only time of year we’re able to offer a sale and we’ve never even done one this big! We’re so excited to offer new products too! So grab your spatulas, disks, aprons, scrapers, measuring cups, leveler, lifter, cake tees, and more over on the shop – THIS WEEK ONLY!
