Spring Bake
We may not be able to reach out and give you a spring break, but we can offer this Spring Bake, an Epicurious tradition that fills your kitchen with showstopping cakes, glorious pastries, and many, many other sweets.
Fresh From the Oven: Our Latest Bakes
Hot Milk Sponge Is the Little Black Dress of Cakes
Like a great dress, the hot milk cake—also known as hot milk sponge—doesn’t really need accessorizing. It’s delicious even when eaten plain.
Put Mayonnaise in Your Cake, Just Like Grandma Did
Mayonnaise has been helping bakers make softer, moister cakes for nearly a century.
These Honey Buns Will Make You Forget About Cinnamon Rolls
Meet the honey bun that could shine front and center in any professional bakery’s pastry case.
Meet Me in St. Louis—or My Kitchen—for Gooey Butter Cake
Gooey butter cake is the Midwestern dessert that keeps on giving.
How Capirotada Went from Medieval Leftovers to Beloved Bread Pudding
Centuries ago, this dish was a way to drag one last meal out of old bread. Today, it’s a sweet treat served at Easter.
Baking Equipment
Essential baking gear and some things that just make your baking life a little sweeter.
The Best Mixing Bowls for Whisking, Beating, and Making Big Batches of All Kinds of Dough
Food prep’s a breeze with the right set of mixing bowls.
By Sarah Karnasiewicz and Wilder Davies
The Best Stand Mixer for Cookies, Cakes, Bread, and Beyond
You may think the KitchenAid is the only player in the stand mixer game. We tested it against a variety of other models to see if the classic really reigns supreme.
The Best Cake Pans, Tested & Reviewed
For birthday cakes, wedding cakes, and cakes every day.
This Danish Dough Whisk Can Make Any Bread, Cake, or Muffin Better
No more over-mixed batter. No more dough hands.
Use a Tall Cake Pan for Bigger, Better Desserts
Three inches of height (instead of the standard two) can be a serious game changer.
We Put Hand Mixers to the Test
Here's the best one to buy if you don't have room for a stand mixer.
By Emily Johnson, Caroline Lange, and Wilder Davies
Precut Parchment Paper Sheets Make Me Feel Like I Have My Life Together
All of the neatness, none of the fuss.
Turns Out a Baker’s Best Friend Is...the Binder Clip
That’s why they’re featured in Edd Kimber’s new book, One Tin Bakes.
Cakes
This Classic French Cake Tastes Like the World's Best Candy Bar
This majestic cake—beloved by chefs all over—is worth making for your special celebration.
They Call This Cream Cheese Frosting Magic—Who Am I to Argue?
Spread it over my riff on carrot cake for the ultimate spring dessert.
By Joe Sevier
With This Easy Cake Method, You’ll Never Cream Butter and Sugar Together Again
The reverse-creaming technique is almost impossible to mess up—and it makes sure that you'll end up with a light, fluffy cake.
52 Best Chocolate Cake Recipes to Make Any Week a Better Week
A year’s worth of chocolate cakes, ready for baking.
53 slides
Learn the Small Cake Equation and Make Every Cake a 6-Inch Cake
A 6-inch cake is a pandemic power move. And with a little cake math, any cake can be a 6-inch cake.
By Bill Clark
Tahini Chiffon Cake With Burnt Honey Cream and Poached Rhubarb
This cake has the fluffy, so-light-it-could-float texture of angel food cake, with a touch of egg yolk for richness.
By Jennifer Yee
Glazed Sour Cream Gem Cakes
These plush, tender mini cakes are dressed in a variety of glazes.
By Joy Cho
Bibingkang Cassava
Grated cassava takes the place of flour in this classic Filipino cake, which soaks up the rich coconut milk, and lends a sweet, nutty flavor and a sticky, chewy texture.
East 62nd Street Lemon Cake
The zest of two whole lemons goes into this cake batter, giving it a real punch of citrus flavor.
Citrus Upside-Down Cake
In this cake, the natural pectin in the citrus, combined with the sugar, creates a pudding-like upside-down layer that’s similar to a buttery marmalade.
Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
This is a tres leches meets olive oil cake, lightened up with a chiffon base to help soak in all of the milk.
By Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli
Breakfast and Brunch
This Skillet Soufflé Pancake Method Is Foolproof and Stress-Free
While soufflé pancakes are typically made with a French meringue, the Swiss version is less prone to deflating.
I’m Not Perfect, Yet Somehow My Cocoa Brioche Morning Buns Were
Bill Clark’s morning buns are a pro-level pastry that even amateurs can make (with the help of these visual aids and tips).
How to Make the Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls
We stole features from of our most popular cinnamon roll recipes to create the best cinnamon roll recipe of all.
By Rhoda Boone
Step by Step: Our Take on Circus Bakery's Cinnamon-Cardamom Buns
After seeing Circus Bakery's twisted pastry everywhere on Instagram, we decided to bake a version for ourselves.
How to Make the Best English Muffins You’ve Ever Had
Homemade English muffins are worlds better than anything you can buy at the store.
By Joe Sevier
Classic Kouign-Amann
Small, hand-held kouign-amann are common in North America, but this recipe shows off the other way the classic Breton pastry can be made: as a single 9-inch cake.
Sourdough Biscuits
Hate pouring excess sourdough starter down the drain? Instead, use it in this biscuit recipe, where it takes the place of buttermilk.
By Joe Sevier
Blueberry Lemon Corn Muffins
Savory cornmeal meets the sweetness of blueberries and zest of a lemon for tender muffins that come together in 45 minutes.
Raspberry Jam Buns With Crème Fraîche Frosting
These buns employ raspberry jam spread on top of the rolled-out dough so that when you roll it up, the jam is spiraled throughout the individual buns.
Herb-Infused Lemon-Strawberry Loaf
Fresh herbs—like rosemary, thyme, or fresh bay leaves—infuse this buttery cake with a floral flavor that beautifully complements the strawberry and lemon.
Honey Scones With Rhubarb Compote
This is a simple scone recipe with a bit of a makeover: Each scone is glazed with sticky honey and served with a generous dollop of clotted cream and tart rhubarb compote.
Pains au Chocolat
A bite of bittersweet chocolate is rolled up into each of these croissants.
Cookies and Bars
The Baking Trick That Makes Any Cookie Fancy
This one trick from Dorie Greenspan will help your cookies run rings around the competition.
For a Better Spritz Cookie, Add Cornstarch
Break out the cookie press for these buttery stalwarts—and add a little cornstarch to make the dough easier to work with.
Milk Powder Is the Key to Better Cookies, Brownies, and Cakes
Consider this pantry staple your secret ingredient for making more flavorful desserts.
One Ingredient Makes This Chocolate Cookie Different From The Rest
Joanne Chang’s double-chocolate cookies have something you can’t put your finger on.
Kingston Cookies
A classic Australian sandwich cookie made with two oaty, golden syrup biscuits and a milk chocolate center.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Using salted butter and resting the dough are the secrets to these crowd-pleasing cookies that are equal parts chewy and crunchy.
Pastel Butter Cookies
To give almond shortbread cookies the pastel treatment, dust them with tinted confectioners' sugar blended with finely ground freeze-dried blueberries, raspberries, and mango.
Oatmeal Date Cookies
These superlative oatmeal cookies skip the raisins and use Medjool dates instead.
3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
This easy peanut butter cookie recipe is streamlined for minimal fuss.
By Molly Baz
Nanaimo Bars
The Nanaimo bar is an iconic Canadian confection that is remarkably easy to make.
By Anthony Rose
Goat Butter Shortbread
Goat’s milk butter is mildly tangy, complementing the whole wheat flour and wheat germ in these cookies.
By Mindy Segal
Sweet and Salty Hello Dollies
Bar cookies are always brilliant, but these bars are extra brilliant because salty Ritz crackers add balance to an otherwise strictly sweet treat.
Peanut Better Blossoms
Crunchy peanut butter and a quick, glossy, trufflelike chocolate ganache take classic peanut butter blossoms a step up from their former selves.
By Shauna Sever
All-The-Seeds Hamantaschen
These hamantaschen are filled with a celebration of seeds set in chewy-soft caramelized honey.
By Kendra Vaculin and David Tamarkin
Pies and Tarts
These 3 Pie Pros Will Help You Make Better Pie
We hosted a roundtable with Lauren Ko, Erin Jeanne McDowell, and Ken Haedrich, authors of a crop of new pie cookbooks, about how to make the most of pie season.
How to Make the Best Vegan Pie Crust
A little science can help you make perfect pie crust that’s tender and flaky every single time.
Coconut Custard and Rhubarb Tart
This rhubarb-topped tart is just the thing for all of your spring celebrations.
By Kat Boytsova
Meme’s Coconut Rice Pudding Pie
This chilled rice pudding pie is adapted from the popular dessert at MeMe’s Diner in Brooklyn, NY.
By Bill Clark
Grapefruit-Orange Crostatas
While these mixed citrus tarts bake, the semolina flour in the frangipane absorbs the juices and turns into a slightly puffed, airy layer surrounded by flaky pastry.
Easy Fruit Tart with Pecan Cookie Crust
Here, lemon curd-spiked whipped cream fills an easy press-in crust. Sprinkle berries on top for a simple finishing touch, or arrange sliced fruit in a rose-like pattern for a stunning presentation.
Frozen Margarita Pie
Tart, creamy, and boozy—this is your favorite cocktail in pie form.
Banana Cream Pie
Roasted peanuts pull double duty in the graham cracker crust and sprinkled over the topping, keeping the bananas from making this pie excessively sweet.
Fruit Galette With Buckwheat Crust
Galettes were invented to make amateur bakers feel like pros. No trimming, no tucking, no crimping, no venting, and no soggy bottom.
Breads
Tangzhong Makes Milk Bread Better—But Not for the Reason You Think
Many bakers attribute milk bread's feathery softness to tangzhong, a roux that’s incorporated into the dough.
Do You Really Have to Discard Sourdough Starter?
How sourdough really works—and what to do with your discard.
It’s Baking Season—Are You Using the Right Yeast?
Get a better rise on your sweet loaves, pastries, and doughnuts with yeast that’s trained for a high sugar dough.
How to Make Better Bagels at Home
We talked to Daniela Moreira of Call Your Mother Deli to troubleshoot bagel fails, flops, and flats. Here's what you need to know.
By Joe Sevier
What Went Wrong With Your Sourdough?
Here are the answers to 18 of the most perplexing issues novice sourdough bread bakers face when first starting out.
By Joe Sevier
Give Your Pizza Dough Some Pineapple Juice to Help It Relax
Some fresh fruit juices contain just the right thing to prevent the dreaded dough snap-back.
Knead, Rest, Repeat: How Gluten Actually Works
Gluten is a superhero with more webs than Spider-Man. But how can you get it to do what you want?
Yeasted Beer Bread
This no-knead loaf is made with a combination of whole grain rye and bread flours. Molasses and dark beer add warm notes that enhance the rich flavor of the rye.
Nan-e Barbari
This leavened Persian flatbread gets a final touch of sesame and nigella seeds.
English Muffin Toasting Bread
This yeasty, coarse-textured breakfast loaf makes the best toast ever.
Saturday White Bread
This recipe is designed for someone who wants to make good, crusty loaves of white bread from start to finish in one day.
By Ken Forkish
Adjaran Khachapuri
This khachapuri recipe makes all you need for a meal—a luscious cheesy, eggy, buttery bath to dip bread into.
Savory Gruyère Bread With Ham
The ham and cheese-filled loaf is the savory quick bread you didn't know you needed.
Orange Sweet Rolls
These thinly-rolled pastries are made with both orange zest and juice for a full burst of sweet citrus flavor.
By Joe Sevier