Our 30 Best Cakes of All Time Will Be The Only Desserts You Ever Want to Make Again

homemade Tiramisu Layer Cake on a cake stand
Photo: Camea

It's no secret that cakes are delicious, but that's not the only reason to love them. Cakes are the perfect dessert for home bakers to make because they are so versatile — they can be as simple or as complex as you like, and as fancy or as plain as you want. Whether you're looking to impress with a birthday cake, want a simple sheet pan cake to take to your next potluck, or simply want a sweet treat after dinner, there is a cake recipe for everyone. Not to mention there are just so many great cake flavors! These top-rated recipes are the best of the best when it comes to cake, and you'll definitely understand why as soon as you make them. Scroll through to explore our best cake recipes of all time.

01 of 31

Too Much Chocolate Cake

Is there really such a thing as "too much" chocolate? We don't think so! This cake has three types of chocolate: Devil's food cake mix, chocolate pudding mix, and chocolate chips, plus a cup of sour cream for an extra moist crumb. It will taste homemade, but with so much less work (and we won't tell).

02 of 31

Carrot Cake III

carrot cake with thick layers of frosting and pecan topping
sarah

With or without the pecans, reviewers say this is the best carrot cake ever. You can make it any pan you like, try shaped Bundt pans for holidays, and make sure to load up on the cream cheese frosting.

03 of 31

Banana Cake VI

If you have overripe bananas sitting on your counter, which most of us probably do, use them to make this tasty banana cake. The cake will be nice and moist thanks to the mashed bananas and everyone will love the cream cheese frosting on top.

04 of 31

Tiramisu Layer Cake

homemade Tiramisu Layer Cake on a cake stand
Camea

This cake looks incredibly impressive, but it's simply made with a box of white cake mix, instant coffee, and coffee-flavored liqueur. To assemble, place one coffee-soaked cake layer on the plate, top with mascarpone filling, add another cake layer and another filling layer, then finish it off with the final cake layer and the coffee-flavored frosting. Now garnish it with cocoa powder and semisweet chocolate and wait for all the compliments.

05 of 31

Golden Rum Cake

Golden Rum Cake
Shellz

This adults-only recipe is the perfect cake for your next get together. Everyone will rave about the butter rum glaze, especially if you do as recipe creator deleteduser suggests and pour half of the glaze into the Bundt pan then re-insert your cake, and pour the other half on the bottom of the cake so it's completely saturated.

06 of 31

Cream Cheese Pound Cake III

Pound cakes are such an easy dessert to make and this one only requires six ingredients. It's very simply flavored with cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract, but reviewers say it's delicious enough on its own that it doesn't require any frosting or topping.

  • How to Make the Best Butter Cakes and Pound Cakes
07 of 31

Granny Kat's Pumpkin Roll

Skip the pumpkin pie this fall and try a pumpkin roll instead. It's a pumpkin-spiced cake with a rich and creamy cream cheese frosting on the inside that has a gorgeous spiral design. If you're afraid of your cake sticking, you can cover the pan with parchment paper instead of just greasing and flouring it.

08 of 31

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Adding sour cream to your coffee cake will produce a moist and tender crumb that pairs perfectly with your morning cup of coffee or tea. In addition to the sour cream, this cake is bursting with flavors from blueberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and chopped pecans.

09 of 31

One Bowl Chocolate Cake III

One Bowl Chocolate Cake III
One Bowl Chocolate Cake III | Photo by Dianne.

It's called a one bowl cake because, as you probably guessed, it's made in just one bowl. The hands-on prep time is minimal, and because you won't use too many dishes, cleanup is a breeze. After baked, you can ice it with any frosting you like — reviewers commonly use chocolate frosting.

10 of 31

Better Than Sex Cake II

This five-ingredient cake is so easy to make thanks to the store-bought ingredients. It's a rich chocolate devil's food cake topped with caramel sauce, chocolate-covered toffee, and whipped cream. As for the name? We'll let you decide if it's accurate.

11 of 31

Kentucky Butter Cake

Yes, the buttermilk Bundt cake is delicious in itself, but the real winner of this cake is the butter sauce. You can jazz it up by using different shaped Bundt pans and sprinkling the cake with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.

12 of 31

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

Overhead view of Irish Cream Bundt Cake recipe on a plate
Polly

If you like Irish cream liqueur, you'll love this Bundt cake. Reviewers say they've even used different flavors of Irish cream and it works perfectly every time. To make sure the glaze reaches the whole cake, you can pour half of it into the Bundt pan, re-insert your cake, then pour the other half on the bottom of the cake.

13 of 31

Eclair Cake

It doesn't get much easier than a no-bake cake, especially when the cake only requires five ingredients. This cake tastes just like a chocolate éclair but with so much less work. Simply layer multiple layers of graham crackers and the vanilla pudding mixture, then top the final layer with chocolate frosting. Now, sit back and relax while your fridge does all the hard work.

14 of 31

Crazy Cake

Crazy Cake was popular during The Great Depression, but the recipe still holds up today. The 9x13-inch cake is ridiculously easy to make — especially because you literally make the whole thing in the baking dish, no mixing bowl required!

15 of 31

Coconut Poke Cake

closeup coconut cake

Use your favorite box of white cake mix to make this recipe. No need to do anything from scratch because the sweet creamy coconut milk that goes on top will make the whole cake taste sensational.

16 of 31

Honey Bun Cake I

Reminiscent of the Little Debbie treat, this sweet cake will disappear quickly. Whether you make it in a 9x13-inch baking dish or a Bundt pan, make sure you swirl the cinnamon throughout the batter for the perfect design.

17 of 31

Pumpkin Cake III

slice of pumpkin bundt cake topped with whipped cream
momlovestocook

Pumpkin cake is the perfect fall treat, and it only takes one hour to make. The only change reviewers like to make is to use pumpkin pie spice instead of just cinnamon to give the cake more of a pumpkin-flavored kick. Don't forget to serve this cake with a big dollop of cream cheese frosting.

18 of 31

White Almond Wedding Cake

You don't need to be getting married to enjoy this delicious cake. It may start with a package of white cake mix, but this cake is so much more flavorful than that thanks to the addition of sour cream, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Reviewers like to frost this cake with a buttercream frosting.

19 of 31

Autumn Cheesecake

closeup of a beautiful-looking apple cheesecake with apple slices arranged in circles, topped with cinnamon sugar and chopped pecans
chibi chef

Give your traditional cheesecake a fall-spiced twist by using cinnamon and pecans in the graham cracker crust. Then top the whole cake with cinnamon-sugar coated apples from your fall apple bounty.

20 of 31

Orange Cake

Are you looking for a bright and flavorful cake? Look no further than this Bundt cake that's flavored with lemon pudding and orange juice. Reviewers recommend poking holes in the cake before adding the orange glaze so that it seeps into the whole cake.

21 of 31

Texas Sheet Cake V

Texas sheet cake is the perfect option for when you need to feed a crowd. This easy-to-make, rich chocolate cake has 32 servings and only takes 30 minutes to make. You better save some for yourself because the whole sheet cake will be gone quickly.

22 of 31

Oma's Rhubarb Cake

Oma knows best when it comes to this rhubarb cake. It's perfectly moist thanks to the addition of sour cream, and it's a fun, unique flavor thanks to the rhubarb.

23 of 31

Chocolate Zucchini Cake III

If you have some zucchini lying around, you need to use it to make this chocolate cake. It's moist and fudgy but won't be too sweet — of course, if you want it to be sweeter, you can add chocolate chips too.

24 of 31

Carrot Pineapple Cake I

This isn't your traditional carrot cake. Instead, this cake is loaded with carrots, coconut, walnuts, and crushed pineapple for a flavorful cake that everyone will love. And you can never go wrong with adding some cream cheese frosting.

25 of 31

Lemon-Buttermilk Pound Cake with Aunt Evelyn's Lemon Glaze

This prize-winning cake is a pound cake flavored with buttermilk and lemon that reviewers say is moist, tender, and just the right density. While the cake is great on its own, reviewers love the sweet lemony glaze.

26 of 31

Black Magic Cake

The real magic will be restraining yourself from eating this entire cake before you can share it with your friends and family because it's just that good. Its deep chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder and coffee, and the cake is extra fluffy thanks to the addition of buttermilk.

27 of 31

Cinnamon Coffee Cake II

slice of Cinnamon Coffee Cake II on a white plate
abapplez

This cinnamon coffee cake has a complex flavor that makes it a 5-star recipe. It's made with yellow cake mix, vanilla pudding, cinnamon, walnuts, and the secret ingredient of butterscotch pudding. The cinnamon nut mixture adds a nice crunch to the cake that will pair nicely with your morning cuppa.

28 of 31

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake VII

Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Kathy

Pineapple upside-down cake is such a fun and gorgeous cake to make. It always looks like you've spent hours in the kitchen when really this recipe is only five ingredients and made in a cast-iron skillet.

29 of 31

Pumpkin Ginger Cupcakes

Try something new when it comes to pumpkin and make this pumpkin ginger cake recipe. The cupcakes are light and fluffy but are packed with flavor from the pumpkin puree, spices, butterscotch pudding, and crystallized ginger. You can serve the cupcakes as is or add your favorite frosting — reviewers like to use a buttercream.

30 of 31

German Chocolate Cake III

side view of homemade German Chocolate Cake III
Joseph Smallbone

Chocolate obsessives will not be able to get enough of this German chocolate layer cake. The cake looks fantastic and extremely fancy, so no one needs to know that it only took an hour to make. It'll be our little secret.

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