Loaf Cake

The recipe for this moist, dark, fragrant gingerbread pays tribute to Dona Abramson and Stuart Tarabour at the Bright Food Shop, a terrific little Mexican-fusion café in Chelsea where I spent some time. This was my favorite of their desserts, and it has since become a seasonal classic at Gramercy Tavern, though I've made a few adaptations and embellished a bit. My recipe has just a touch of cloves, and instead of just the ginger and cinnamon in a typical gingerbread, I use a panoply of spices, including cardamom, nutmeg, and a lot of fresh ginger, to give the cake a racy, intriguing flavor. The most unusual thing about this recipe is that stout is substituted for the water or coffee used in most gingerbread recipes. I find it adds a lot of richness and underscores the spices. Since it is made with oil, this cake will stay moist for several days. Dress it up or simply enjoy it on its own, with coffee, tea, or a beer!

This sunny mango bread is ultra-moist and bursting with tropical flavor; the loaf is topped with a tangy mango-lime glaze that sets to a glossy finish.

An all-purpose gluten-free blend does the heavy lifting here, keeping the ingredient list short and sweet.

Sick of summer squash? Not with this ultra-moist, fudgy chocolate zucchini bread.

Preserved lemons rein in the sweetness in this plush olive-oil-based loaf.

Roasting strawberries is a great way to get that Valentine’s Day staple on your dessert menu, even with out-of-season berries.

This tender, gently spiced cake enrobed in dark chocolate ganache requires that you make your own sweet potato purée. And yes, it’s absolutely worth it.

Warm ginger and fragrant cardamom kick this classic loaf cake up a notch.

The best part of this Passover-friendly flourless chocolate cake from Masa Madre bakery in Chicago might be the Mexico-inspired café de olla ganache that gets poured over top.

This lightly spiced chocolate cake from Yossy Arefi's book Snacking Cakes is packed with pumpkin purée and features spices often found in Mexican chocolate. If you choose to use it, the pinch of cayenne adds a pleasing bit of warmth. 

A tea cake that's true to its name, this loaf harnesses the power of citrusy Earl Grey tea for its distinct flavor. Lemon poppyseed can't hold a candle. 

Instead of icing, this spiced loaf from Elizabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s ‘Tartine: A Classic Revisited’ is blanketed in a fluffy vanilla meringue.

The most casual-cool carrot cake of all time.

Pumpkin Spice Bread gets all grown up thanks to the addition of fresh ginger in this super-moist no-fuss bread with a crunchy pumpkin seed topping.

Every cook should have at least one good dessert up their sleeve, and this classic, lightly-glazed lemon pound cake should be yours.

CINNAMON. CRUMBLE.

Earthy, nutrient-rich whole grain flours give this classic banana loaf cake recipe some added personality.

Olive oil and almonds keep this gluten free cake moist. Eggs keep it together. Chocolate and sugar keep it delicious. Who’s missing gluten now?