Dorie Greenspan’s 15th book sweetens nostalgic recipes with fresh ideas

Dorie Greenspan, bestselling author and renowned baking authority, has never baked the dense, achingly sweet traditional fruitcake that is an icon of the Southern holiday season.

But the drop in temperature puts her in a similar cake-baking frame of mind: One that stirs cozy memories and fills the kitchen with aromas of fruit, nuts and spices, but without the labor, expense and potential for ridicule.

Greenspan says that many of the recipes in "Dorie's Anytime Cakes" take her back to her Brooklyn childhood, where there was always a cake on the kitchen counter. (Courtesy)

What they all have in common is their simplicity.

These are the cakes she makes regularly and on repeat, she said. But being an “incorrigible tinkerer,” she can’t resist adding dashes of surprise to beloved favorites and encourages “playing around” with formulas throughout the book.

Her most important tip for achieving maximum results: “Get a scale! Keep it within easy reach! And when you become a convert — as I know you will — preach the gospel of scales to everyone else.”

These recipes are very lightly adapted from “Dorie’s Anytime Cakes” by Dorie Greenspan. Copyright 2025, with permission by Harvest, an imprint of Harper Collins. All rights reserved.

With a batter dotted with dried fruit and a topping of sliced tree fruits, grapes and nuts, Fall Harvest Cake offers delectable surprises in every bite. (Illustration by Nancy Pappas. Reprinted from “Dorie's Anytime Cakes” by Dorie Greenspan with permission by Harvest, an imprint of Harper Collins.)

Fall Harvest Cake

• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 medium pear or apple
• 1 ½ cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ cup (50 grams) almond or hazelnut flour
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• ¾ cup (170 grams) plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
• ¾ cup (180 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup (about 150 grams) moist, plump dried fruit, cut into small pieces if necessary
• About 1 cup (170 grams) seedless grapes, stemmed, left whole or halved
• About 1/4 cup (30 grams) nuts, such as sliced almonds, chopped pistachios, broken walnuts and/or pecans
• About ½ cup (160 grams) lemon or orange marmalade or apricot jam for glazing (optional)

1. Center a rack in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees. Coat the interior of a 9-by-9-inch baking pan at least 2 inches high with baker’s spray. (Or butter the pan, flour it and tap out the excess.) Run a strip of parchment paper over the bottom and up two opposite sides.
2. Put the sugar in a large bowl and grate the lemon zest over it. Reserve the squeezed lemon. Use your fingers to squish the mixture until it’s fragrant.
3. Peel, halve and core the pear or apple, and trim the top and the bottom. Place the halves cut-side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise into scant ¼-inch-thick slices. Cut each half in half down the center from top to bottom. Squeeze some lemon juice over the fruit to keep it from browning.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in another large bowl, then whisk in the nut flour.
5. One by one, whisk the eggs and the yolk into the lemon sugar vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the yogurt, vanilla and almond extracts. Gradually pour in the olive oil while continuing to whisk until thoroughly incorporated. Pour it into the bowl with the dry ingredients and, still whisking, gently stir until you have a thick, smooth, shiny, lava-ish batter.
6. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the dried fruit. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Arrange the sliced pear (or apple) and grapes over the top, lightly pressing each piece into the batter to anchor but not submerge it. Scatter the nuts and pat them down gently.
7. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the cake is deeply golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan and a tester inserted into a fruit-less spot in the center of the cake emerges clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the cake rest for 30 minutes before unmolding.
8. Place a cutting board or a platter over the top of the cake, flip it over, remove the pan and peel away the parchment, then turn the cake over onto the rack.
9. Make the glaze, if using: Heat the marmalade or jam with a few splashes of water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring, or heat in short spurts in a small bowl in a microwave. Stir and add more water as needed until it’s thin enough to brush on the top of the cake. Coat the top of the cake, using a silicone brush or a regular pastry brush, with a thin layer. Let the cake cool completely. Serve at room temperature.
10. Store: Wrapped well, the cake will keep at room temperature for 2 or 3 days.

Serves 9 to 12.

Per serving, based on 9, with glaze: 517 calories (percent of calories from fat, 42), 9 grams protein, 69 grams carbohydrates, 38 grams total sugar, 3 grams fiber, 25 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 173 milligrams sodium.

Morning, Noon and Night Thanksgiving Cake, shown here with the optional marshmallow frosting, has the flavors of a sweet potato casserole with the optional pop of cranberries. (Illustration by Nancy Pappas. Reprinted from “Dorie's Anytime Cakes” by Dorie Greenspan with permission by Harvest, an imprint of Harper Collins.)

Morning, Noon and Night Thanksgiving Cake

For the cake

• 1 ½ cups (204 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (45 grams) whole wheat or spelt flour (or additional all-purpose flour)
• 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or freshly grated nutmeg
• 2/3 cup (133 grams) brown sugar
• ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
• 1 clementine or orange
• ½ cup (120 mL) neutral oil
• ¼ cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups (270 grams) lightly packed, grated, peeled sweet potatoes or yams
• ½ cup (about 60 grams) pecans or walnuts, preferably lightly toasted, chopped fairly fine
• ½ cup (60 grams) moist, plump dried cranberries (optional)

Optional glaze

• ½ cup (100 grams) sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) clementine or orange juice (reserved from the fruit for the cake)
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Optional marshmallow frosting

• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) very soft unsalted butter
• ¼ cup (30 grams) confectioners’ sugar (plus maybe a bit more)
• ½ cup (50 grams) marshmallow creme
• ¼ teaspoon orange-blossom water (optional)
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Center a rack in the oven and heat it to 350 degrees.
2. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan with baker’s spray or butter, then press a piece of parchment paper over the bottom of the pan and up the two long sides, leaving enough of an overhang to use as lifters when the cake is baked.
3. Whisk together both flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves or nutmeg.
4. Put both sugars in a second large bowl and grate the zest of the clementine or orange over them. (If you’re making the glaze, squeeze the juice into a small bowl and cover and refrigerate until needed.) Squish the zest and sugar together with your fingers until the mixture is moist and fragrant.
5. Whisk the oil vigorously into the sugar mixture until smooth, then whisk in the maple syrup. You’ll have a thick blend. One by one, whisk in the eggs.
6. Gently whisk in one-third of the dry ingredients. When they’re blended in, whisk in half of the remaining dry ingredients. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the remaining flour mixture. When it’s almost incorporated, add the grated potatoes, chopped nuts and cranberries, if using, and stir until blended evenly. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.
7. Bake for 53 to 58 minutes, or until the top is honey brown (it will crack), the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan and a tester plunged into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Transfer the pan to a rack and let sit for 10 minutes, gently lift the cake out of the pan, peel away the parchment and set the cake right side up on the rack.
9. Make the glaze, if using: Put the sugar, orange juice, water, and syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir, bring the mixture to a boil and let bubble for 2 minutes, keeping watch and stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. The bubbles will get bigger and the glaze will thicken. Remove from the heat. (Or microwave the mixture in a microwave-safe bowl for about 2 1/2 minutes, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds.)
10. Brush the top of the cake generously with glaze while it’s hot, or wait until it cools. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting. Better yet, wrap the plain cake and tuck it away for a day for a more flavorful cake.
11. If making the marshmallow frosting: Put the butter and sugar in a small bowl and, using an electric mixer, a whisk or a flexible spatula, beat until smooth and creamy. Using a spatula, stir in the marshmallow creme, orange-blossom water (if using) and vanilla until creamy. If it’s too thin, beat in a little more sugar.
12. Cover the top of the cake with as little or as much of the frosting as you’d like.
13. Store: Wrapped well, the plain or glazed cake will keep for at least 4 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw in its wrapper. If frosted, it can be kept, covered, for about 3 days at room temperature or in the fridge, though it may get a little messy.

Serves 8 to 10.

Baked-in-a-Skillet Gingerbread: Apple butter, candied ginger, molasses and spice intensify the autumnal flavors of this homey classic. (Illustration by Nancy Pappas. Reprinted from “Dorie's Anytime Cakes” by Dorie Greenspan with permission by Harvest, an imprint of Harper Collins.)

Baked-in-a-Skillet Gingerbread

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (288 grams) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (68 grams) whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or freshly grated nutmeg
• 2/3 cup (133 grams) sugar
• 1/3 cup (67 grams) brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) neutral oil
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (80 mL) unsulfured molasses
• ¾ cup (200 grams) apple butter, plain or spiced
• ¼ cup (60 mL) full-fat buttermilk (well-shaken before measuring), room temperature
• 1/3 cup (45 grams) finely chopped crystallized ginger (soaked in hot water for a minute and patted dry if hard)
• About 2 tablespoons sanding or turbinado sugar (optional)
• About 3 tablespoons Swedish pearl sugar (optional)