This review article provides an overview of our recent studies of the direct oxidation of hydrocarbons in solid-oxide fuel cells. The use of a thermally stable, highly porous, yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) matrix, which allows for the optimization of the anode composition and catalytic properties, is described. Studies of the direct oxidation of hydrocarbons using anodes composed of mixtures of YSZ, copper, ceria and samaria-doped ceria are also presented. The results of these studies demonstrate that copper-ceria based anodes are active for the direct electrocatalytic oxidation of a wide range of hydrocarbons including alkanes, alkenes, and aromatics.