Our Most Baked Cake Recipes of All Time

By Mary Shannon Wells
Jen Causey

Whether you have a birthday, anniversary, holiday, dinner party, or major sweet tooth to curb, these are our best cake recipes to make from scratch. There’s truly never a bad time for a slice of cake, and these are our most delicious desserts you’re going to love. We brought together some of our favorite vintage recipes like Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake, Coconut Chiffon Cake, and our Ultimate Carrot Cake recipe that will wow guests. Some of our best picks are remakes of the classics, like our Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake, our Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes, and our Sea Salt-Caramel Cake. So whether you want to keep it old-school with our most timeless choices or mix it up a bit with newer creations, these are our most delicious homemade cake recipes of all time. If you don’t have any events coming up, it’s time to invite company over for a dinner party because you’re going to want to bake every one of these cake recipes from scratch.

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Hummingbird Cake

This Southern gem boasts three incredibly moist layers flavored with canned pineapple and bananas.

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Vintage Fresh Apple Cake

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Amy Burke

Recipe: Fresh Apple Cake

Nothing says fall like our cozy Fresh Apple Cake that’s filled with apples, cinnamon, and nuts.

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Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake

This recipe is our summertime-friendly version of our classic Red Velvet Layer Cake.

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Coconut Chiffon Cake

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: Coconut Chiffon Cake

The Coconut Chiffon Cake is one of the most storied and gorgeous cakes you can make.

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Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Mary-Claire Britton

Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

There’s a rich history behind this rich cake, and once you make it, you’ll never question whether mayonnaise belongs in a dessert again.

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The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Photo: Alison Miksch

Recipe: The Ultimate Carrot Cake

Every cook needs a go-to carrot cake recipe for holidays and gatherings, and this one is our best of all time.

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Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing

This classic Southern recipe was made to feed a crowd, but our Texas Skillet Cake brings the same beloved flavor with a smaller yield.

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Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Caramel Apple Coffee Cake

The true test of a good coffee cake is in the streusel, and this one is topped with a luscious caramel sauce that makes this fall treat to die for.

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Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

Alison Miksch

Recipe: Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

This pound cake recipe is fluffy, flavorful, and totally decadent. The best news? We have a recipe for Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes to make serving even easier.

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Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Southern Living

Recipe: Heavenly Angel Food Cake

A classic, super-soft Angel Food Cake recipe will never fail at any party.

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Honey-Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Recipe: Honey-Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This classic, eye-catching dessert is made from start to finish in your cast-iron skillet. You’ll love the honey-infused version of Pineapple Upside-Down Cake we came up with.

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Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

This mini, boozy recipe is an update on our classic Coca-Cola Cake that we grew up with.

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The Lane Cake

Hector Sanchez

Recipe: The Lane Cake

This cake has a history that dates back more than 100 years, and we’ll surely be making it hundreds more.

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Key Lime Icebox Cake

Photo: Hector M Sanchez; Prop Stylist: Heather Chadduck; Food Stylist: Vanessa Rocchio

Recipe: Key Lime Icebox Cake

Key Lime Pies and Icebox Cakes are both essential to Southern cooks, and this easy recipe combines the two perfectly.

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Sea Salt-Caramel Cake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Sea Salt-Caramel Cake

Our most recent rift on the classic Caramel Cake Recipe has the ideal amount of salty and sweet.

 

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Strawberry Dream Cake

Greg Dupree

Recipe: Strawberry Dream Cake

This gorgeous cake is all about presentation that wows—not to mention, it’s absolutely delicious.

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Fudge Cake

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton

Recipe: Fudge Cake

You simply can never go wrong with an indulgent fudge cake recipe, like this classic one from Elizabeth Heiskell’s What Can I Bring? cookbook.

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Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Italian Ricotta Cheesecake

Ever since this creative, citrus cheesecake recipe ran in our November 1995 issue, it’s been wildly popular with Southern Living readers.

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Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

Spooning still-warm icing over this pumpkin cake will make the prettiest Bundt for your Thanksgiving table.

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Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Poke cakes make for the most rich way to feed dessert to a crowd, and this recipe is one of our favorite ways to eat Banana Pudding.

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Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

Straight from the cover of our December 2017 issue, this recipe is one of our most popular white cakes for Christmas.  

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Blueberry-Cornmeal Cake

Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Blueberry Cornmeal Cake

It’s best to make this cornmeal cake in the summer, when fresh blueberries are abundant at the farmers’ market.

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Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Jim Franco

Recipe: Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

Serve this dreamy cheesecake recipe at Christmas with our White Chocolate Snowflake Garnish, or leave the snowflake off and serve to the chocolate lovers in your family any time.

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Mississippi Mud Cake

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Recipe: Mississippi Mud Cake

Southerners young and old love this marshmallow-filled cake recipe, which comes with directions to bake Mississippi Mud Cupcakes, too.

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Classic Southern Pound Cake

Skyler Burt

Recipe: Classic Southern Pound Cake

We’ve tried tons of pound cake recipes over the years, and this version is always tried and true.

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Key Lime Pound Cake

Jen Causey

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

 Our Key Lime Pound Cake somehow manages to be both substantial and airy.

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