Another year is over, which means it’s time to look back at all of the recipes that made it great. From cake-inspired scones to a maximalist cinnamon roll to a coffee cake so good that we named it our Recipe of the Year, it’s been a year full of stellar bakes. Below, a list of the most popular Bakes of the Week this year. If you haven’t made these recipes yet, now is the time!
1) Carrot Cake Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting
This cake-scone mashup was beloved this year, and it’s easy to see why: They’re easier and faster than carrot cake but still filled with the shredded carrots, toasted pecans, and comforting spices that make their namesake great. A swoop of tangy cream cheese frosting elevates them to a special occasion treat.
Get the recipe:Carrot Cake Scones with Cream Cheese Frosting
Shop the recipe:Sparkling Sugar
2) Peanut Butter Cake
This quick and simple snacking cake punches above its weight. With loads of peanut butter incorporated directly into the batter, the result is a tender, rich, very peanut buttery cake that can be paired with any number of frostings and fillings, from a marshmallow-y Seven-Minute Frosting that evokes a Fluffernutter sandwich to simple chocolate frosting.
Get the recipe:Peanut Butter Cake
Shop the recipe:King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
3) No-Knead Everything Bread
Our top bread recipe of the year, this stunningly simple loaf brings big flavor thanks to a generous coating of Everything Bagel Topping. It’s like a chewy bagel and crusty artisan bread combined into a single loaf — one that you’ll happily want to eat every day for breakfast. (Watch our video on how to make it!)
Get the recipe:No-Knead Everything Bread
Shop the recipe: Everything Bagel Topping and High-Gluten Flour
4) Giant Cinnamon Roll
It’s a giant cinnamon roll — do we need to explain anything more? OK, we will. Baked in a cast iron skillet, this maximalist recipe delivers the best of both worlds: a soft center and slightly crisp edges. Cut and serve this cinnamon roll like a slice of pie to showcase the intricate design — it may just be your new celebratory alternative to cake!
Get the recipe:Giant Cinnamon Roll
Shop the recipe:Vietnamese Cinnamon
5) Pain de Campagne (Country Bread)
This loaf has been called the only sourdough bread recipe you need, and for good reason: It can be made with unfed sourdough discard directly from your fridge, is mostly hands-off (there’s no kneading!), and has a flexible schedule that you can adapt to your timeline. And the bread itself? It has an open crumb, glossy interior, and gorgeous height. What more could you want?
Get the recipe:Pain de Campagne (Country Bread)
Shop the recipe:Unbleached Bread Flour
6) Crumb Lover's Coffee Cake
This streusel-heavy coffee cake was the most popular version of our 2023 Recipe of the Year: Cinnamon-Crisp Coffee Cake. But it’s not the only one you all loved! Other fan favorites included Triple Chocolate Coffee Cake, Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, Cranberry Coffee Cake with Almond Crunch, and Birthday Coffee Cake.
Get the recipe:Crumb Lover’s Coffee Cake
Shop the recipe:Vietnamese Cinnamon
7) Easy Vegan Lemon Cake
You don’t need to be vegan to appreciate this moist, lush cake. Super-tender and tangy from all that lemon, it comes together by hand (no electric mixer needed) and will be on your table in less than an hour. For the brightest, lemoniest flavor, make sure to use lemon juice powder.
Get the recipe:Easy Vegan Lemon Cake
Shop the recipe:Lemon Juice Powder
8) Brownie Cookies
You all really loved dessert mashups this year, including these Brownie Cookies, which combine the fudginess of brownies with the chewiness of chocolate chip cookies. Both the brownie and cookie batter are made using melted butter, which means they come together quickly and can be mixed by hand.
Get the recipe:Brownie Cookies
Shop the recipe:Callebaut Semisweet Chocolate Chips and Double Dark Cocoa Blend
9) Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Turns out, the best thing you can do with your sourdough discard is put it into cookies. These extra-large cookies have thin, crispy edges, chewy centers, and a pronounced butterscotch flavor from the addition of browned butter. And did we mention that they’re loaded with a full pound of chocolate (milk and dark), which melts into irresistible puddles?
Get the recipe:Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
Shop the recipe:Valrhona Dark Chocolate andValrhona Milk Chocolate
10) Cardamom Buns
These stunning buns are perfumed with a flavorful mix of aromatic cardamom, spicy cinnamon, and black cocoa. Brush the gorgeous spirals with a cardamom-infused glaze then top with Swedish Pearl Sugar for a picture-perfect finish.
Get the recipe:Cardamom Buns
Shop the recipe:Cloud Forest Ground Cardamom and Black Cocoa
11) South Shore Bar Pizza
Hailing from the pubs, taverns, and dives of Massachusetts’ South Shore, bar pizza is characterized by a very thin, round crust covered entirely with sauce and cheese to create crispy edges. Be sure to plan for this pie, as the dough requires a long chilling time in the refrigerator before it’s ready to top and bake.
Get the recipe:South Shore Bar Pizza
Shop the recipe:SAF Red Instant Yeast
12) Sugar-Crusted Apple Cobbler
A perennial King Arthur favorite, this apple cobbler is designed to show off the pure flavors of fresh apples. Its cake-style topping with a crispy sugar crust is the perfect complement to the soft, juicy baked apples beneath.
Get the recipe:Sugar-Crusted Apple Cobbler
Shop the recipe:Vermont Boiled Cider andVietnamese Cinnamon
Photography by Danielle Sykes; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
13) Sheet-Pan French Toast
This hands-off French toast is the breakfast shortcut you didn’t know you needed. In the same time it takes to make one slice on the stove, you can bake a whole sheet pan of French toast in the oven. Add a side of raspberry-lemon compote for a bright-tart accompaniment to the toasts’ richness.
Get the recipe:Sheet-Pan French Toast
Shop the recipe:King Arthur Sheet Pans
14) Chocolate Stout Cake
For a deep, rich chocolatey cake, look no further than this recipe. The presence of the stout gives the cake a complex finish, and the slightly bitter hops from the beer act as a counterpoint to the sugar. It's an incredibly sumptuous cake, too, and its dark color comes mostly from the beer and cocoa powder.
Get the recipe:Chocolate Stout Cake
Shop the recipe:Double Dark Cocoa Blend and Belcolade Bittersweet Chocolate Wafers
15) Green Goddess Herb Biscuits
These eye-catching drop biscuits, inspired by the iconic salad dressing, are made with fresh basil, parsley, and chives, which give them a bright flavor and color. They’re also tender and tangy, thanks to the addition of both buttermilk and mayonnaise in the dough.
Get the recipe:Green Goddess Herb Biscuits
Shop the recipe:Popover Scoop
Check outthe top tools and ingredients from this year, too!
Cover photo and food styling by Liz Neily.
