Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes 23 Classic Cakes Everyone Should Bake Before They Die By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 19, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Something about the layer cake scares us. Perhaps, we're not confident in our frosting skills, or maybe we're just terrified of the moment we have to flip the layers out of the round pans. But, really, neither is a reason to skirt around some of the most classic cakes of all time. That's why we've created what we're calling "the baking bucket list." Each one of these 25 classic cakes has something special, and not all of them are layer cakes. (Hello Bundt pan, my old friend.) Some are like eating a slice of history, and some are like tasting a sliver of plain heaven. What all of these recipes have in common: They deserve to be made—and to be made by you, ASAP. Whether starting with the simple Southern pound cake, beloved Hummingbird Cake, or iconic Lane Cake, get out your cake stand and call your friends. It's time to share a slice (or two). This will be the tastiest bucket list you've ever completed. Read on for 25 classic cakes everyone should make at least once. 01 of 23 Classic Southern Pound Cake Skyler Burt; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Karen Rankin Recipe: Classic Southern Pound Cake Ah, these might be our favorite four words in a sequence. This recipe is the ultimate classic, and it should be baked right and baked often. 02 of 23 Mama's German Chocolate Cake Southern Living Recipe: Mama's German Chocolate Cake This cake is dressed to impress and deserves to be baked from scratch. German's Sweet Chocolate sweetens its layers, but a rich frosting, chunky with pecans and flaked coconut, is really the star of the recipe. 03 of 23 Blackberry Jam Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Blackberry Jam Cake You won't see this cake often, but it's always there, waiting to steal the show if you just let it. Kentuckians lay claim to this spiced cake with homemade berry jam and nuts, just as much as the Derby or bourbon. 04 of 23 Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake This cake is a New Orleans original typically made for special occasions—and this half-and-half version is a particular favorite. Expect six to nine layers of vanilla sponge cake sandwiched between custard or creamy filling. 05 of 23 Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Lemon-Orange Chiffon Cake The chiffon cake was introduced in the mid-20th century and dubbed the first "new" type of cake in over 100 years. Trust us, the extra fluffy layers paired with citrus flavors will have you swooning. 06 of 23 Sea Salt-Caramel Cake Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sea Salt-Caramel Cake Caramel cake is about as classic as it gets in the South. Try your hand at our most recent rift on the basic Caramel Cake Recipe. Sea salt perfectly compliments sweet caramel. 07 of 23 Red Velvet Layer Cake Jennifer Davick Recipe: Red Velvet Layer Cake Don't be frightened. This crimson cake is not nearly as complicated as you imagine. (Down here, it became a national treasure after its appearance in 1989's Steel Magnolias in the form of an armadillo-shaped groom's cake.) 08 of 23 The Ultimate Carrot Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: The Ultimate Carrot Cake It's called "the ultimate" for a reason. Everyone should have this spiced, nut-studded cake—coated in cream cheese frosting—in their repertoire, and you can quote us on that. 09 of 23 Strawberry-Lemonade Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Strawberry-Lemonade Cake This cake feels like a breath of fresh air. Tender lemony layers live in perfect harmony with strawberry-lemonade jam filling and strawberry frosting. 10 of 23 The Lane Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: The Lane Cake Here's the deal with the Lane Cake: You might never eat this iconic Southern cake if you don't make it yourself. It's got a lot going on, but there's a reason to every rhyme. 11 of 23 Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake Alison Miksch Recipe: Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake Two words: Triple Chocolate. That sums up this cake deliciously—and the two glazes just put it over-the-top. For any hostess, this cake will catch some eyes. 12 of 23 Best White Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christina Lane; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Best White Cake The White Cake is as much part of Southern Living's history as anything, and we're always trying to perfect the recipe. This particular version is beautiful in its simplicity, but will always steal the show at Christmastime. 13 of 23 Orange Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Orange Cake This recipe is retro, which is just how we like our pound cakes. Why mess with a good thing? The citrus-flavored Bundt pops on any spring table. 14 of 23 Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Fresh Peach Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusel Every hostess needs a coffee cake under her belt. Make it this one. Sweet, juicy peaches take center stage in this recipe. 15 of 23 Texas Skillet Cake Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Texas Skillet Cake We upped the ante on Lone Star favorite, the Texas Sheet Cake, by making it into a dense, fudgy skillet cake. Here's why you should make this version: You can eat the cake straight out of the skillet, topped with vanilla ice cream. 16 of 23 Key Lime Pound Cake Jen Causey Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake Take your classic Southern pound cake to the beach! You'll be serving up slices that capture the flavor of the Florida Keys with this citrus recipe. 17 of 23 Lemon Cheese Layer Cake Southern Living Recipe: Lemon Cheese Layer Cake Don't be deceived by the name—you won't be getting a cheesecake out of this. You'll be getting something even better. These citrusy cake layers are sandwiched with rich, buttery lemon curd. (In southeast Alabama, a few ladies are still famous for their towering 14-layer lemon-cheese cakes.) 18 of 23 Coconut Pound Cake Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake This cake wows even the most seasoned of pound cake patrons. Coconut, pecans, and bourbon make up a mighty Southern trifecta. 19 of 23 Caramel Apple Cake Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Caramel Apple Cake This might be the prettiest cake you'll make all year. (And it requires only 20 minutes of hands-on prep time.) The fall-inspired cake is topped with sautéed apple slices and a to-die-for apple-brandy caramel sauce. 20 of 23 Coconut-Butter Pecan Sheet Cake Southern Living Recipe: Coconut-Butter Pecan Sheet Cake The name alone should have you drooling. You won't find an easier or more delicious sheet cake in the bunch. 21 of 23 Praline-Cream Cheese King Cakes Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop styling: Claire Spollen; Food styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Praline-Cream Cheese King Cakes We don't think this need apply only to New Orleanians, either. These cream-filled treats are a Mardi Gras tradition, and this recipe makes two—so keep one and share the other. 22 of 23 Orange Chiffon Cake Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Orange Chiffon Cake In the cake world, this is the crème de la crème of all baker triumphs. The light, fluffy chiffon cake climbs high in the tube pan. No frosting needed. The cake's flavor stands alone. 23 of 23 Hummingbird Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hummingbird Cake We had no idea this cake would become our most popular and beloved Southern cake recipe ever when it was submitted in 1978. You aren't really a Southerner until you've tasted its moist layers packed with pineapple, pecans, cinnamon, and bananas. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit