12 Cakes to Bake This Year (One for Every Month)
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Some recipes belong to a moment-but others seem to belong to the year itself.
These are the cakes we come back to season after season: simple winter cakes meant for quiet afternoons, bright spring cakes for gatherings and celebrations, fruit-filled summer cakes best enjoyed warm, and cozy spiced cakes that carry us into the holidays. If you love baking even a little, there's something grounding about letting the seasons guide what comes out of the oven.
Inspired by the idea of baking with the rhythm of the year, this is a collection of twelve cakes-one for each month-chosen not because they're trendy, but because they're timeless. These are cakes worth turning on the oven for, worth setting on a stand, and worth sharing.
A Cake for Every Month
January: Almond Cake
January calls for simplicity. After the richness of the holidays, this is the kind of cake that feels calm and reassuring-elegant without being showy, and just right with a cup of coffee or afternoon tea. Our Almond Cake recipe is a reader favorite for good reason: it's quietly beautiful, unfussy to make, and exactly what winter afternoons ask for.
February: Heart-Shaped Bundt Cake (Chocolate or Sour Cream)
February baking is about intention more than extravagance. A heart-shaped Bundt cake feels festive without being fussy, whether you lean toward rich chocolate or a classic sour cream crumb. This is a cake meant to be shared-perfect for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, or simply baking something special for someone you love. If you love chocolate cake, see our heart shaped chocolate cake or this vanilla heart shaped pound cake.
March: Barmbrack Tea Cake
March brings a hint of spring, but there's still comfort to be found in tradition. Barmbrack, a classic Irish tea cake, is rich with history and beautifully suited to St. Patrick's Day. Lightly sweet and meant to be sliced, it's a cake that pairs naturally with tea and invites you to slow down and savor the season's shift.
April: Easter Lamb Cake
Few cakes feel as tied to a season as the Easter Lamb Cake. Both nostalgic and celebratory, it has long been a symbol of spring gatherings and Easter tables. Whether you grew up with this tradition or are baking one for the first time, it's a cake that feels joyful, memorable, and perfect for welcoming the season of renewal. Alternatively, the easy carrot cake recipe is a delicious choice too!
May: Hummingbird Bundt Cake
May is made for gatherings-Mother's Day, showers, luncheons, and afternoons that stretch just a bit longer. The Hummingbird Bundt Cake fits right in. A Southern classic with banana, pineapple, and warm spice, it's the kind of cake that feels generous and celebratory, yet still wonderfully simple to make.
June: Lemon Cake
As summer begins, citrus takes center stage. A lemon cake-whether a Lemon Bundt Cake or this layered lemon cake recipe-feels bright, fresh, and endlessly versatile. It's equally at home on a dessert table or served simply with tea on a warm afternoon. This is the cake that signals summer has truly arrived.
July: Berry Cake Snack Cake
July baking is casual and joyful. This easy berry cake highlights the best of the season-fresh fruit, vibrant color, and uncomplicated flavors. This is the kind of cake you bring to a gathering or serve after a relaxed summer meal, best enjoyed with minimal fuss and plenty of sunshine.
August: Peach Cobbler Cake
August belongs to peaches. A peach cobbler cake feels like late summer at its peak-soft, fragrant, and just sweet enough. Served slightly warm, perhaps with a scoop of ice cream, this cake turns an ordinary evening into something memorable.
September: Apple Cake
As routines return and evenings cool, apple spice bundt cake feels like the natural next step. Cozy yet not heavy, it transitions beautifully from summer to fall. This is the kind of cake you bake on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy throughout the week, slice by slice. Or, for a really simple yet delicious treat, try this caramel apple coffee cake.
October: Pumpkin Bundt Cake
October baking leans into spice-pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. A spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake feels perfectly timed for crisp days and early sunsets. It's comforting, familiar, and unmistakably autumnal.
November: Anytime Apple Cake
November is full of coming and going-guests arriving, meals planned, tables constantly resetting. This anytime apple cake recipe is ideal for this season. Simple, delicious, and endlessly adaptable, it's the cake you keep on the counter, ready for coffee breaks, impromptu visits, or a quiet moment before the holidays truly begin.
December: Spiced Christmas Cake
December baking is about tradition and warmth. An easy gingerbread loaf cake is festive, as is this Christmas Chocolate Bundt Cake. But for a simple holiday cake filled with the season’s best flavors, this festive Christmas Spice Cake brings spice, nostalgia, and a sense of celebration to the table. This is the cake meant for candlelight, for sharing, and for closing out the year with something comforting and familiar.
Whether you bake one cake or all twelve, this collection is meant to be a guide-not a rulebook. Let the seasons inspire you, adapt as needed, and most of all, enjoy the simple pleasure of baking something that feels just right for the moment.
