Kat Thompson is the audience editor of Eater’s Southern California/Southwest region. Despite the fact that I’m a cooking editor, I don’t have much experience with cake decorating. I bake a lot, sure, ...

A light, classic coconut cake in all its old-fashioned glory. By Lisa Donovan Credit...Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Sophia Eleni Pappas. In 2013, I ...

Despite the fact that I’m a cooking editor, I don’t have much experience with cake decorating. I bake a lot, sure, but I typically top my cakes with dollops of whipped cream and sliced strawberries or ...