31 Birthday Cake Recipes to Make All Your Wishes Come True
There’s no better gift than a homemade birthday cake. From towering layer cakes to one-bowl wonders, our favorite birthday cake recipes have a few things in common: they’re fun, festive, and require at least one candle.
Our best birthday cakes include floral, fruity numbers (like a tiered take on strawberry shortcake) and rich, fudgy crowd-pleasers (our Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake is a chocolate lover’s dream). With so many options, you can truly match the cake to the occasion: Want an elegant French gâteau for your friend saving up for a trip to Paris? A drip cake to impress your kids? A low-maintenance icebox cake for a poolside soiree? Cupcakes for a crowd? We’ve got the answer for every type of birthday party.
Whether you plan to decorate your creation with buttercream ruffles and showcase it on a fancy cake stand, hollow it out and fill it with candy, or shower it with sprinkles and serve it straight from the pan, it’s your party, and there’s no wrong way to celebrate.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne1/31Super-Moist Yellow Cake With Rich Chocolate Frosting
For classic birthday cake flavor that doesn’t require heading to the grocery store for boxed cake mix, consider this from-scratch yellow cake recipe. The sponge gains its fluffy, delicate crumb from reverse creaming, a technique that starts with dropping the butter into the dry ingredients rather than whipping it with sugar.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova2/31Inside-Out German Chocolate Cake
A glossy chocolate glaze coats the exterior of this just-sweet-enough German chocolate cake. But don’t worry; it’s still got the classic coconut-pecan frosting sandwiched between the layers.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton3/31Dr. Bird Cake
Chopped pineapple, ripe bananas, and flaked coconut come together in this classic Jamaican cake, which you might know as Hummingbird Cake. It’s the perfect way to celebrate a summer birthday or brighten a winter occasion.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne4/31Pandan Chiffon Cake
Cookbook author Kat Lieu transformed her grandmother’s signature lemon cake recipe into this pandan-and-coconut-flavored beauty. Order pandan flavoring online or find it at East Asian food markets.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad5/31Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou6/31Tahini Chiffon Cake With Burnt Honey Cream and Poached Rhubarb
Photo by Joe Woodhouse7/31Giant Vanilla Donut Cake
The perfect birthday cake for doughnut lovers, this nostalgic, ring-shaped dessert tucks a buttery white cake beneath brightly colored icing. Use homemade or store-bought fondant to make the giant sprinkles for the top—or grab a box of pill-shaped candies like Good & Plenty or fruit-flavored Tic Tacs instead.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne8/31Gooey Butter Cake
The signature dessert of St. Louis is exactly what its name suggests—a wonderfully gooey cake that doesn’t quite set when baked. Serve it warm with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich9/31Easy Vegan Chocolate Cake
It’s official: The best vegan chocolate cake is also the easiest chocolate cake, full stop, no stand mixer required. It’s also really delicious. Frost it any way you like. Pictured is our vegan fluffy buttercream frosting, but you could go with a fudgy dark chocolate ganache frosting, nutty vegan peanut butter frosting, or whatever store-bought frosting you prefer.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele10/31Sticky Banana and Chocolate Skillet Cake
This easy cake recipe from cookbook author Ixta Belfrage turns out an impressive dessert that’s surprisingly simple to execute. The one-bowl chocolate cake could stand on its own, but the crown of caramelized bananas and swirls of vanilla bean whipped cream make it a complete showstopper.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks11/31Vanilla-Buttermilk Layer Cake With Orange Frosting and Raspberries
This version of our delicious vanilla-buttermilk cake is doubled up to make a pretty layer cake with orange cream cheese frosting, but it can easily transform into a sheet cake or a tiered beauty for other kinds of celebrations.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne12/31Marjolaine
For a birthday cake that’s sure to impress, dedicate a few hours to constructing this French classic. Hazelnut powder and sifted all-purpose flour give the base a buoyant crumb—all the better for layering with nutty meringue, chocolate ganache, and not one, but two buttercreams.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Kat Boytsova13/31Fancy Dirt Cake
The best birthday cake recipes are unapologetically fun, and this spin on the childhood favorite is no exception. You can use chocolate shortbread or even Oreo cookies for the “dirt”; decorate with edible flowers or gummy worms.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson14/31Orange Chiffon Cake
A citrus-scented spin on a classic chiffon cake, this recipe uses baking powder and separated eggs, beaten to soft peaks, to yield an airy texture. The crumb is delicate, so be sure to cool the cake completely before topping it with whipped cream frosting.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton15/31Blackberry and Chocolate Ice Cream Icebox Cake
Why choose between an ice cream cake and a cookie cake when you can have both? This icebox cake, layered with blackberry jam and crushed chocolate graham crackers, is far easier to put together than it looks.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton16/31Tre Latte Olive Oil Cake
Epi editor Joe Sevier declared this spin on tres leches one of the best desserts he’s ever made. Don’t skip the mascarpone whipped cream on top, which counteracts the sweetness of the sponge with a touch of tang.
Photo by Oriana Koren17/31Chocolate Doberge Cake
Recognizable by its seemingly endless layers of chocolate sponge, sandwiched with rich cocoa pudding and German buttercream, this sky-high Louisiana classic can be found at parties across the American South. Yes, you’ll need a stand mixer (or a very large bowl) and a whopping 22 eggs (plus two yolks!) to make it—it’s a true special occasion cake, worth every bit of effort.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone18/31One-Bowl Milk Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Caramel Frosting
Baked in a 13x9" pan, this cake is perfectly portable: Cover the top in plastic or a baking pan lid and tote it along to a birthday celebration at the park.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Lillian Chou19/31Golden Beet Cake With the Best Cream Cheese Frosting
Imagine the delicate texture and spices of your favorite carrot cake—but swap carrots for golden beets, mix in sour cherries, cardamom, and fennel seeds, and top it off all with the dreamiest, silkiest cream cheese frosting you’ve ever seen.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson20/31Baked Alaska Saint Pierre
Why light candles when you can light the whole cake on fire? Frost a dome of ice cream and orange sorbet—set atop a Grand Marnier–flavored sponge—with meringue. Once the cake’s assembled, drizzle on more liqueur and (briefly, safely) set the whole thing ablaze.
Photo by Aya Brackett21/31Esterházy Schnitten (Hazelnut-Vanilla Layer Cake)
Vanilla buttercream, toasted hazelnuts, and the faintest hint of coffee make this sophisticated Hungarian dessert fit for the grandest occasions. To gild the lily, dust the top with cocoa powder before serving.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne22/31Gâteau Chocolat-Menthe (Chocolate-Mint Cake)
Adapted from a recipe by famed Parisian patissier Christophe Michalak, this dessert features two gently sweetened chocolate cake layers, mint-infused whipped cream, candied mint leaves, and fluffy chocolate ganache.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne23/31Marguerite Cassis
Whipped cream flavored with crème de cassis—black currant liqueur found in classic cocktails like the Kir Royale—keeps this birthday cake light and airy. Scatter a handful of fresh blackberries or currants on top of the cake for an especially pretty presentation.
Photo by Linda Xiao24/31Crepe Cake
Nothing says “happy birthday” quite like stacks upon stacks of orange-scented crepes layered with pastry cream (it’s easier to make than you might expect). The cake requires at least six hours in the fridge to chill, so plan accordingly.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano and Stevie Stewart25/31Original New York Cheesecake
Photo by Justin Walker26/31Ovenly's Brooklyn Blackout Cake
A signature of New York City bakery Ovenly, this charcoal-hued blackout cake gets its rich flavor and color from Dutch-process cocoa and chocolate stout.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell28/31Strawberry Shortcake With Thyme and Whipped Cream
Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell29/31Coconut–Key Lime Sheet Cake
It’s a good thing this citrusy coconut cake serves a crowd, because we’d be willing to bet the creamy Key lime pie–inspired topping will have your guests coming back for seconds. Pro tip: The lime curd can be made in advance to cut down on pre-party prep time.
Photo by Robert S. Cooper30/31Very Red Velvet Cake With Cream Cheese Icing and Pecans
While most red velvet cake recipes rely on cocoa powder for flavor, this one forgoes chocolate, resulting in vibrant magenta cake layers. They’re a striking contrast to swirls of classic cream cheese frosting.
Photo by Dana Gallagher31/31Sheet-Pan Lemon Poppy Seed Layer Cake
No round cake pans? No problem. Bake the cake batter on a sheet tray, cut the sponge into circles, and layer away. It’s a birthday cake recipe made easy.
