12 Warm and Cozy Fall Cakes to Bake Now

Turtle Cheesecake — The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

If fall has you craving cozy desserts, we've got you covered. From warm pumpkin spice cake, to gooey cinnamon roll cake, an outrageous maple walnut cheesecake, and stunning layer cakes made with seasonal apples and pears, browse our best fall cake recipes to bake up in your kitchen this autumn.

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01 of 12

Maple Walnut Cheesecake

The Spruce / Katarina Zunic

The cozy fall flavors of maple and walnuts make this cheesecake a true autumn delight. The moist and fluffy maple filling and sweet graham cracker and ground walnut crust are a delicious combination of tastes and textures. Top with maple whipped cream or maple cream sauce for Sunday dinners and holidays.
02 of 12

Southern Italian Ricotta and Pear Cake

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Travel to Southern Italy without leaving your dinner table with this fabulous, boozy Italian-style layer cake. While it does take some effort to assemble, the two meringue-like layers of hazelnut dacquoise, and creamy filling of ricotta cheese, sauteed fresh pears, vanilla, and pear liqueur, create an impressive result that is worth it.
03 of 12

Butter Pecan Layer Cake

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

Imagine two layers of buttery vanilla cake studded with plenty of chopped pecans and frosted in an oh-so-heavenly pecan buttercream, and you've got a delicious Thanksgiving dessert. This rich-tasting, Southern-style butter pecan cake delivers the moist texture of a pound cake in a beautiful presentation and a fantastic crunch in every slice.
04 of 12

Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

Move over, carrot cake. Spiced with ginger and cinnamon, this tender pumpkin layer cake is topped off with a fluffy cream cheese frosting and chopped pecans, making it an ideal dessert for fall events but especially Halloween. Or bake it ahead for your Thanksgiving menu, freezing the layers using tips included in the recipe.

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05 of 12

Turtle Cheesecake

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Turtle cheesecake is a super-sweet confection that is sure to please. A sweet pecan and graham cracker crust is topped with a classic cream cheese filling and buttery caramel, pecan pieces, and chocolate chips. This divinely decadent cake is bordered by decorative pecan halves for a beautiful dessert to serve at fall holiday dinners.
06 of 12

Cinnamon Roll Cake

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Cinnamon roll lovers, this ooey-gooey cake is for you. It combines everything you love about a warm, frosted cinnamon roll in the form of a cake that delivers major wow factor. You make it by forming a giant, from-scratch cinnamon roll, then bake it up in a 9-inch round cake pan. And of course, it's finished off with a cream cheese frosting decoration. Sliced into wedges, it's the ultimate comfort food cake.
07 of 12

Winter Squash Spice Cake

The Spruce / Molly Watson

Moist, rich, and mildly sweet with just the right amount of spice, this tasty snacking cake is easy to mix up and bake. It's also a great way to use up leftover cooked squash from holiday dinners, and works nicely as an easy family dessert, an after school snack, or even an autumn breakfast alternative to banana bread.
08 of 12

Football Cake

The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

Fall football games just got that much sweeter with this sporty chocolate football cake. It's amazingly easy to turn a regular, single-layer chocolate cake into an edible football with one little trick. Frost the cake with chocolate buttercream, then pipe a few lines and laces with white icing, and you've got a dessert that will score with anyone who eats it.

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09 of 12

Skillet Pear Upside-Down Cake

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Seasonal fall pears shine in this stunning skillet upside-down cake that's perfect for fall holidays. It starts as a rich, cinnamon and vanilla cake batter baked atop pears in a buttery brown sugar sauce, which creates a caramelized bottom layer. When the cake is inverted after baking, the sweet syrup drips down from the pears and infuses the cake with even more luscious flavor.
10 of 12

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

The Spruce / Leah Maroney

Nothing says fall like pumpkin spice, and nothing says easy breakfast like a sweet, tender coffee cake. A yummy companion to your hot cup of java, this streusel-topped pumpkin spice coffee cake includes all the delicious flavors of pumpkin pie, in an easy, sliceable cake you can eat while you're still in your pajamas.
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Moist Fig Preserves Cake With Caramel Glaze

The Spruce / Diana Rattray

Figgy, moist cake drizzled with a generous amount of caramel glaze is an ultra-comforting fall dessert. Made with sweet fig preserves and loaded with chopped pecans, this cake bakes easily in a Bundt pan. You need only 3 minutes to whip up the caramel sauce, but the cake is also great on its own or topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
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Honey Cinnamon Apple Cake

The Spruce / Anita Schecter

Each bite bursts with cinnamon and honey flavor in this comforting apple cake. It combines a traditional Rosh Hashanah honey cake with a cinnamon loaded apple cake, for a homey fall dessert that makes great use of a seasonal bounty of apples. Feel free to add a large handful of walnuts to the batter for extra texture, if you like.

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