Signature Midwest Cakes
South Dakota: Pioneer Wedding Stack Cake [1]
This modern version of a pioneer wedding cake represents the Mount Rushmore State and its prairie heritage. It's said that each guest brought a cake layer to a pioneer wedding to stack together. Our Pioneer Wedding Stack Cake is based on a simple molasses recipe with applesauce filling. The moist layers are simple, yet elegant.
Iowa: Best-Ever Chocolate Cake [5]
To represent Iowa, we turned to Des Moines-based Better Homes and Gardens® magazine for Best-Ever Chocolate Cake. Our sister publication has influenced home cooks since 1922. Its red-plaid cookbook, first published in 1930, has sold 39 million copies. This delicious recipe never goes out of style.
Missouri: St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake [9]
For the Show-Me State, we went to the Italian neighborhoods of this Mississippi River city for St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake, a one-layer bakery legend that is irresistible for its name alone.
North Dakota: Honey-Glazed Buttermilk Oatmeal Coffee Cake [13]
The Peace Garden State produces almost 20 percent of U.S. honey -- and it's also a big oat producer. The two flavors complement each other in Honey-Glazed Buttermilk-Oatmeal Coffee Cake.
Minnesota: Sour Cream-Walnut Date Cake [17]
Using cake mix cuts steps in Sour Cream-Walnut Date Cake, which has a date-nut center. The baking pan brings in the North Star State's heritage. Family-owned, Minnesota-based Nordic Ware makes the fluted tube pan that gives the cake its familiar shape. The pan's design is more than 60 years old.
Illinois: Amish Apple-Butter Baby Cakes [21]
Caramel sauce adds a creamy-sweet finish to individual Amish Apple-Butter Baby Cakes. You can choose from two Prairie State ingredients, apples or pumpkins, for this treat, which honors the state's Amish bakers.
Kansas: Sunflower Cupcakes [25]
The Sunflower State's wheat crops and native state flower inspired our cake ideas for this part of the Midwest. The cupcake seemed like the ideal shape for this recipe; frosting piped like petals turns the individual Kansas Sunflower Cupcakes into pretty treats. Wheat germ adds a hearty touch to the buttermilk-vanilla cakes.
Michigan: Cherry-Berry Shortcakes [29]
The fruit belt of the Great Lakes State inspired our Cherry-Berry Shortcakes. We played up the sweet cherries grown here, along with blueberries and raspberries. Add the nostalgic summertime biscuit base and sweetened whipped cream for a colorful and tempting dinner finale.
Indiana: Ice Cream Cookie Cake [33]
The top ice cream-producing state in the Midwest gets Ice Cream Cookie Cake created in its honor. You can mix and match cookies and ice cream to make this frosty, no-bake treat that's also an easy make-ahead dessert.
Nebraska; Tinted Angel Cake [37]
The many colors of Kool-Aid, a Cornhusker State invention, give an array of choices for this angel food cake that starts with a mix. Pink lemonade Kool-Aid adds pastel prettiness and a delicate flavor to Tinted Angel Cake. The tropical punch version gives the cake flavor that's as intense as its color.
Ohio: Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Cake [41]
Several states claim to be the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. Since the Buckeye State makes a good case, we created the Old-Fashioned Ice Cream Cake for Ohio. Four layers of baked white cake get sandwiched in ice cream layers in favorite sundae flavors: strawberry, pineapple and chocolate-banana. A whipped topping frosting crowns the cherry-topped dessert.
Wisconsin: Cranberry-Sour Cream Pound Cake [45]
Dried cranberries and dairy products star in Cranberry-Sour Cream Pound Cake from the Badger State. This recipe proves why top ingredients make the best baked goods.