Food Desserts & Baking Cakes & Cupcakes Ultimate Cake Recipes By Midwest Living editors Midwest Living editors Midwest Living's experienced editors create best-in-class travel, lifestyle, food, home and garden content you won't find anywhere else. We're loudly, proudly Midwestern, and we're passionate about helping our audience explore and create through award-winning storytelling. Midwest Living's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 27, 2023 Trending Videos Photo: Kelsey Hansen Let our recipes inspire you with ideas for chocolate cake, red velvet cake, pumpkin cake, coconut cake, carrot cake and other delicious homemade treats. 01 of 39 Black Forest Cake with Cloud Frosting Carson Downing This simplified version of the German classic gets its fruit flavor from cherry jam and cherry juice. Beating heavy cream with cream cheese creates a beautifully light frosting that is lighter than cream cheese frosting but more stable than whipped cream. View Recipe 02 of 39 Peach Upside-Down Cake Carson Downing This moist cake from Rendleman Orchards in Alto Pass, Illinois, is ideal for a cookout or summer potluck. Upside-Down Cake Recipes You'll Flip Over View Recipe 03 of 39 Peppermint Patty Cake Kelsey Hansen This dazzling cake boasts dark rich layers and silky Swiss meringue buttercream. That frosting is where you get the peppermint flavor, so baker Kristine Moberg of Queen City Bakery says to use a high-quality extract like Nielsen-Massey. View Recipe 04 of 39 Raspberry-Lemon Cakelets Carson Downing Tender from cake flour and bright with citrus, this pretty butter cake will surprise you. Pair it with tea or a glass of bubbly. Sparkling Spring Desserts View Recipe 05 of 39 Vanilla Crepe Cake Kelsey Hansen This cake by chef Gavin Kaysen of Bellecour Bakery in the Twin Cities will wow people with its many layers, luscious creaminess and subtle vanilla flavor. View Recipe 06 of 39 Poppy Seed Bundt Cake Brie Passano Angela Garbacz, owner of Goldenrod Pastries in Lincoln, Nebraska, features recipes that adapt to gluten- and dairy-free needs in her cookbook, Perfectly Golden. This simple, sweet cake reminds her of her time in Poland. Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes to Satisfy Any Sweet Tooth View Recipe 07 of 39 German Chocolate Cake Kelsey Hansen This celebration cake is a staple at Bake Chicago. It has a wonderfully fudgy, old-fashioned, homemade texture. The frosting has an unusual method that may feel initially like it's failing, but stick with it. Laced with sour cream, it's creamy and utterly delicious. Meet Five Midwest Cake Creators (and Try Their Recipes) View Recipe 08 of 39 Cocoa Gingerbread with Heaven Frosting Carson Downing A humble snack dresses up for company. With its nutty flavor and tiny flecks of toasted milk solids, browned butter elevates a simple cream cheese frosting to saintly levels. View Recipe 09 of 39 Chocolate Chai Bundt with Candied Oranges and Rum Buttah Kelsey Hansen Reine Keis of SweetArt Cafe in St. Louis says that the secret to vegan baking is not assuming that one plant-based alternative fits all recipes. Coconut yogurt is her power play in this recipe. Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes View Recipe 10 of 39 Apple Sour Cream Kuchen Carson Downing This German-style, not-too-sweet, yeast-raised cake begs for a cup of coffee. For an extra tang, you can serve it with a dollop of lightly sweetened sour cream. Irresistible Apple Dessert Recipes View Recipe 11 of 39 Gingerbread Latte Cake Kelsey Hansen Rebekah Stuber of Bay Laurel Baking Company in Des Moines says her flavor-packed spice cakes always earn the most raves. Her secret to airy cream cheese frosting on this gingerbread cake? Folding in whipped cream. View Recipe 12 of 39 Seven-or-So Layer Cake Carson Downing This striking (and gluten-free!) cake is inspired by the Jewish bakery classic, Seven-Layer Cake. Our simplified sheet-pan method sandwiches rich mocha glaze with almond cake. View Recipe 13 of 39 Doughnut Bundt Doughnut Bundt. Carson Downing Nutmeg is the secret ingredient that makes this playful Bundt taste just like a cake doughnut. (Be sure to use freshly grated nutmeg—you'll really notice the difference in flavor.) View Recipe 14 of 39 Carrot-Spice Cake with Coconut-Pecan Filling Greg Luna Tender layers of carrot-tinted spice cake are sandwiched with a luscious coconut-pecan filling—and it's all covered in swirls of classic cream cheese frosting. View Recipe 15 of 39 Neapolitan Party Cake Blaine Moats This crowd-pleaser is easier than it looks. (You only make one batter.) Garnish the strawberry-frosted cake with double-dipped berries to hint at the festive stripes hiding inside. View Recipe 16 of 39 Modern Fruit Cakes Carson Downing These super-moist cakes eat like elegant patisserie and are worth every minute of the process. Whipping up a batch to gift? Learn how to make these pretty fruit cake gift boxes for extra sparkle. View Recipe 17 of 39 Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Elderflower Cream Carson Downing To "bring the smell of the field" into this dessert, chef James Bloomfield of Traverse City, Michigan, infuses whipping cream with fresh elderflowers. Get the same effect with a splash of St-Germain. View Recipe 18 of 39 Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake Blaine Moats Sheer three-layered audacity put this creation from a Saint Paul bakery in our hall of fame: buttermilk-cocoa cake, candylike chocolate frosting and creamy caramel sauce. View Recipe 19 of 39 Three-Tiered Fudgy Chocolate Cake Buttermilk and sour cream lend moistness and tang to our old-fashioned chocolate cake. All that's missing are the birthday candles. View Recipe 20 of 39 Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake Like the chocolate-and-vanilla retro classic, this gingery icebox cake requires some make-ahead assembly—but no baking. And it's absolutely drool-worthy. Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love View Recipe 21 of 39 Chocolate Pumpkin Cake This utterly unforgettable cake layers moist chocolate-pumpkin cake, luscious milk chocolate ganache and fluffy pumpkin-spice whipped cream. The recipe comes from Minnesota blogger Amanda Rettke iambaker.net. View Recipe 22 of 39 Whoopie Pie Cake Karen Cope of Minneapolis won a blue ribbon at the Minnesota State Fair for this stunning chocolate-and-marshmallow cake, based on whoopie pie cookies. View Recipe 23 of 39 Prettier by the Pound St. Louis pastry chef Nathaniel Reid gives pound cake a chic, patisserie-style makeover. Your trusty loaf pan never had it so good. Try Double Chocolate Pound Cake, Candied Lemon Pound Cake, Yogurt Pound Cake with Apricots and Coconut, or Hazelnut and Milk Chocolate Pound Cake. 24 of 39 Chocolate Gift Cakes Carson Downing These 6-inch gifting cakes are topped with a swoop of silky frosting. The recipe (which makes three cakes) comes from Minneapolis blogger Sarah Kieffer's cookbook Baking for the Holidays. View Recipe 25 of 39 Coconut Cake This three-layer wonder stays extra moist thanks to butter and buttermilk. The blue-ribbon recipe is from Teresa Reese of Osceola, Nebraska. View Recipe 26 of 39 Cutie-Pie Carrot Cake Book club meeting. Mother's Day brunch. A well-deserved raise. Cream cheese frosting is always the answer, especially when it's on a 6-inch cake that's perfectly sized for life's everyday celebrations. View Recipe 27 of 39 Tres Leches Cake A Mexican standard and guaranteed backyard crowd-pleaser, our brown-sugar sheet cake is soaked in milky syrup, chilled, then topped with whipped cream and berries. View Recipe 28 of 39 Chocolanutty Banana Cake Dessert or coffee cake? It's up to you. A hint of orange rounds out the flavors. Rise and Shine Breakfast Breads View Recipe 29 of 39 Coffee Nut Torte Cocoa and rum flavor the soft butter frosting that crowns this airy three-layer cake from Elizabeth Varga of Barberton, Ohio. The recipe came from her Hungarian grandmother. View Recipe 30 of 39 Zucchini Olive Oil Cake with Lemon Drizzle With its subtle mix of warm spices, vanilla, maple and citrus (and tangy white icing), this is no ordinary zucchini cake. The recipe comes from The Vegetable Butcher cookbook, by Cara Mangini. View Recipe 31 of 39 Lemonade Cake Lemon Butter Frosting tops a summer-perfect cake flavored with thawed lemonade concentrate. View Recipe 32 of 39 Fabulous Red Velvet Cake We gussied up chocolate cake mix with sour cream and red food coloring, then crowned this cake with a white chocolate-cream cheese frosting and toasted coconut. View Recipe 33 of 39 Toasted Fennel-Lemon Cake This moist beauty begs for a mug of afternoon tea. Fennel seeds add the faintest hint of licorice flavor, just enough to make the cake stand out from the other Bundts in the room. We like the sweeter flavor of Meyer lemons in this cake. Look for them sold in bags at large supermarkets. If you substitute regular lemons, reduce the zest to 2 tablespoons. View Recipe 34 of 39 Carrot Pineapple Cake No one will believe you baked this beautiful, moist cake in your slow cooker! The homemade cream cheese frosting is lusciously delicious, but you can substitute canned frosting in a pinch. Divine Slow-Cooker Desserts View Recipe 35 of 39 Poppy Seed Torte The recipe for this four-layer cake-with a puddinglike filling, unmistakable poppy seed flavor and soft whipped cream frosting-comes from Wisconsin's White Gull Inn. View Recipe 36 of 39 Raspberry Swirl Angel Food Cake A subtle swirl of fresh raspberries infuses this homemade angel food cake with light fruit flavor. Like all angel food cakes, it has no fat or cholesterol. View Recipe 37 of 39 Peach Cordial Mini Bundt Cakes The memory of a childhood orchard trip inspired Melinsa Murphey of Olathe, Kansas, to create this recipe. The cakes are moist and sweet and quite generously proportioned, so you may want to serve a half-cake to each person (or bake them in muffin cups instead). View Recipe 38 of 39 Country Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting Begging for a crown of birthday candles, this layer cake has two kitchen tricks working in its favor. Mayonnaise yields a moist crumb; sour cream keeps sugary buttercream in tangy check. (Note: This recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost the entire cake [top and sides]. To leave the sides unfrosted as we did in our photograph, just make a half batch. View Recipe 39 of 39 Pumpkin-Praline Layer Cake This nutty layer cake is a favorite dessert with Midwest Living® readers. Whipped cream tops a moist filling of pumpkin, brown sugar, pecans, butter and more whipping cream. Pumpkin Recipes We Absolutely Love View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit