Our Editors' Favorite Southern Living Cake Recipes

Recipe: Dr Pepper Texas Sheet Cake

"My favorite Southern Living cake is the Dr  Pepper Sheet Cake. It's the ultimate treat for when you're feeling down and the only thing that will cure it is an inordinate amount of chocolate. It's super simple to make, and I love that I don't need to dig out my real cake pan. Plus, it will feed so many!"

Katie Akin, Copy Assistant

Recipe: Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

"Pineapple Upside Down Cake is a sentimental favorite in my family. My grandmother, Miriam Baer, always made this cake and it's my dad's favorite. I remember her teaching me how to make it on a warm day over summer break when I was a teenager. I remember feeling so proud she was teaching me this special treat. She also taught me her secret—instead of water, she uses the juice in the pineapple can for extra sweetness. We make it now for family events in her memory."

Rebecca Angel Baer, Digital News Editor

Recipe: Chocolate-Zucchini Cake

"Yes, there's a vegetable in this cake. But don't worry, no part of this rich, fudgy dessert tastes 'healthy' at all. You'll love the chunks of chocolate throughout and the salty-sweet browned butter frosting. And the zucchini (they'll never know) makes the texture tender and moist."

Lisa Cericola, Senior Food Editor

Recipe: White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream

"My sister made this cake during the holiday season and our entire family couldn't stop raving about the unique flavor combination!"

Brennan Long, Social Media Editor

Recipe: Hummingbird Cake

"My favorite Southern Living cake has to be Mrs. L. H. Wiggins' Hummingbird Cake. While I absolutely love the flavor profile, I was also able to finally unravel the mystery of the person behind our most requested recipe for the 40th anniversary of this iconic and beloved cake."

Nellah Bailey McGough, Office Manager

Recipe: Rudolph's Chocolate Truffle Cake

"This triple-layer chocolate cake is so incredible that it ruins you for any other chocolate cake. Anything else just pales in comparison. It has a chocolate truffle filling and a chocolate ganache icing. My husband asks for it for his birthday, our anniversary, and Father's Day. I think he would be perfectly content if I didn't give him any other gift but this cake."

Libby Monteith Minor, Copy Chief

Recipe: Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream

"By far…The Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake with Caramel Buttercream. The frosting is so sweet and delicious. It's a little involved, but I've made it several times. It's so good that if I start to think about it, I start to crave it. If I mention it to my wife, she starts to crave it. I've brought it into the office and people can't believe how good it is. You make your own caramel, and I like to cook it just a little longer to give it a bit of a burnt/smoky flavor. When mixed into the frosting….Yum!"

Robert Perino, Executive Creative Director

Recipe: Lemon Yogurt Cake

"This is a great cake to make for special occasions. The pairing of a flavorful lemon base with a creamy lemon curd makes it taste so summery, and the addition of yogurt ensures the final result is super tender. Delicious!"

Caroline Rogers, Travel & Culture Editor

Recipe: Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream 

"This vanilla layer cake is a terrific base for all sorts of buttercream decorations. When it's not the holiday season, I get creative with the frosting to decorate these light layers for birthdays and springtime celebrations."

Katie Strasberg Rousso, Digital Editor

Recipe: Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake

"My favorite Southern Living cake is our Strawberries-and-Cream Sheet Cake. It's a definite go-to for birthdays and special occasions, and rakes in the compliments without requiring too much work on my end."

Patricia Weigel Shannon, Senior Beauty and Digital Editor

Recipe: 7UP Bundt Cake

"Equally as delicious with or without frosting, using a lemon-lime soft drink ensures that this Bundt cake doesn't dry out and adds an extra layer of flavor."

Jenna Sims, Associate Digital Editor

Recipe: Italian Cream Cake

"My mom and I bake this cake every Christmas. My grandmother is Italian, and my mom grew up in Alabama, so it's only fitting that we got our Italian Cream Cake recipe from Southern Living. There's truly no other cake like it. Even when we've omitted the nuts for my brother's allergy, it still tastes amazing."

Mary Shannon Wells, Digital Assistant Editor

Recipe: Key Lime Pound Cake

"I never thought I would find a pound cake that rivals my mother's glazed lemon pound cake, but this Key Lime Pound Cake is a slice a citrusy heaven. I make it every time I'm dreaming of a tropical vacation."

Kaitlyn Yarborough, Digital Assistant Editor

Recipe: Million Dollar Pound Cake

"I have made this fabulous pound cake recipe so many times for so many different occasions—family reunions, Sunday dinners, or just because I want to bake. I trust it and know that it will always be good (barring any mistakes on my part, that is). If you are worried that it makes more cake than you will need, just slice and freeze individual portions, and you will always have a dessert on hand. And if you happen to get an unfortunate sad streak or the top crust splits from the rest of the cake, simply cut it into cubes and make a trifle."

Patricia S. York, Assistant Food Editor