Classic Cake Recipes Made from Scratch

From the Recipe Creator: For a change of pace, you can substitute fresh or frozen peach slices for the pineapple in this old-fashioned recipe. —Bernardine Melton, Paola, Kansas

From the Recipe Creator: I love the excellent texture of this easy cinnamon coffee cake recipe. Always a crowd-pleaser, its pleasing vanilla flavor enriched by sour cream may remind you of breakfast at Grandma's! Make it the night before a holiday to save time in the morning. —Eleanor Harris, Cape Coral, Florida

From the Recipe Creator: My family always asks for this love-me-tender lemon loaf cake. Sometimes, I shake things up and make cupcakes with the batter. So awesome for brunch! —Lola Baxter, Winnebago, Minnesota

From the Recipe Creator: If you want to offer family and friends a dessert that really stands out from the rest, this is the cake to make. The beautiful high, rich sponge cake is drizzled with a succulent chocolate glaze. —Erma Fox, Memphis, Missouri

From the Recipe Creator: This yellow cake will become your go-to recipe for birthdays, but the tender cake with flavorful chocolate buttercream is truly perfect for any occasion. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: This crepe cake comprises multiple layers of wafer-thin crepes held together with the thinnest layer of homemade pastry cream. Finish it with whipped cream or chocolate ganache and an arrangement of ruby red strawberries. —Margaret Knoebel, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: One of the guys I work with shared this dreamy, creamy eclair cake recipe with me and I love it! I can make it ahead of time and it only has five ingredients. —Lori Teeple, Carpentersville, Illinois

From the Recipe Creator: Devil's food cake is darker and richer than regular chocolate cake recipes due to the Dutch-processed cocoa powder and coffee in the cake batter. Our recipe has a from-scratch buttercream that makes every bite as decadent as possible. —Julie Andrews, Rockford, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: This luscious and rich cake is made with ermine frosting and topped with a chocolate ganache. Ermine frosting, also known as boiled milk frosting, is an old-fashioned recipe that is egg-free, light and creamy. —Sue Draheim, Waterford, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: This tender and fluffy cake is layered with a sweet caramel frosting. Ready in under an hour, this cozy cake is perfect for your next holiday party. —Sue Draheim, Waterford, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Calling all Oreo lovers! Between the moist vanilla cake, cream cheese frosting and chocolate ganache, this cake uses 22 Oreos. This means you'll still have a few left in the pack to snack on. —Lauren Habermehl, Pewaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Unlike the pie, this Key lime cake is topped with a decadent cream cheese frosting. You can top it with graham cracker crumbs as a nod to the original pie crust. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: The frosting is the star of this decadent, rich cake. It's made with cream cheese and dulce de leche, letting the sweet caramel flavors come through. To really indulge, drizzle your slice with any leftover canned dulce de leche. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: The Marvelous Mississippi Mud Cake was one of the desserts that always disappeared the fastest at my church's potluck dinners. Don't worry about spreading the frosting around—you want it to look like beautiful chocolate muddy mounds! —Janna Wright, Littleton, Colorado

From the Recipe Creator: This bright and moist lemon cake is topped with a mascarpone frosting. Garnish it with lemon zest for an extra pop of color. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: This chocolate cake is utterly outstanding and completely plant-based. I love adding instant coffee to chocolate cake (whether vegan or not) for a deeper and richer chocolate flavor. —Julie Andrews, Rockford, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: Wonderfully light, airy and spongey—this treat takes everything we love about angel food cake and turns it into a summertime dessert. It's subtly sweet with a bright and fruity mango filling, and lemon juice and zest add a tangy punch to the flavor notes. —Lauren Habermehl, Pewaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Made from scratch and using a 100-year-old recipe, this cake uses simple pantry ingredients and is moist and delicious. Served plain or with fruits and cream, it's a wonderful addition to any recipe collection. —Claudia Lamascolo, Melbourne, Florida

From the Recipe Creator: This vibrant green matcha cake is topped with a simple vanilla whipped topping to highlight the taste of the matcha. The earthy, almost grassy flavor goes great with a bright fruit like raspberries. —Cathy Trochelman, Brookfield, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Caramel sundae sauce seeps into every slice of this Butterfinger cake. When you combine the caramel with a thick peanut butter frosting and chocolate cake, this dessert tastes like a Butterfinger even before adding the chopped candy on top. —Cathy Trochelman, Brookfield, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: This light and fluffy cake uses Greek yogurt instead of milk. Creamy yogurt helps to keep cakes moist and balance out the sweetness. —Cathy Trochelman, Brookfield, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: You and your guests will never be able to tell this carrot cake is gluten-free. If you want to make a layered cake, bake it in two 9-inch round pans instead. —Julie Andrews, Rockford, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: Delicate and light in texture, this gluten-free version of the beloved cake makes it enjoyable for everyone at the table. Its subtly sweet flavors from vanilla and almond extract make it a perfect base for more diverse toppings, like whipped cream and fresh mixed berries. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: This sweet loaf pan cake is topped with a lemony sugar glaze. It's light and decadent, the perfect complement to a heavy dinner. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: This is the cake you bake when you're looking to impress. With an almond-flavored cake, raspberry jam filling, white chocolate frosting and raspberries as a garnish, it's truly remarkable. —Julie Andrews, Rockford, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: This Boston cream poke cake recipe gives a plain yellow cake mix a flavorful makeover. Vanilla pudding infuses the cake to create a custardy filling, while chocolate chips are melted with heavy whipping cream to create a velvety, delicious frosting. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: This cake is a lemon lover's dream. This cake is a lemon lover's dream. It tastes like pure sunshine with its lemon cake base, homemade lemon curd filling and fluffy lemon cream cheese frosting. —Sue Draheim, Waterford, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: This moist chocolate tres leches cake is ready in under an hour. It's topped with homemade chocolate whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: You'll love this dessert if you love dunking your graham crackers in a glass of milk. This cake incorporates crushed graham crackers and a sprinkle of cinnamon into its batter for a sweet, comforting flavor, and then it gets a rich topping of cream cheese frosting. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: We like a touch of rum for the holidays, and this orangy rum cake is decadent alone or with big swoops of whipped cream. —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada

From the Recipe Creator: Tres leches means “three milks.” This cake gets its name because it uses three kinds of milk—evaporated, condensed and cream. This tres leches cake’s light and airy texture has made it a classic in Mexican kitchens for generations. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen. But if you’re in a hurry, try this quick cloud cake recipe.

From the Recipe Creator: This wonderful recipe dates back to my great-grandmother. You will love the texture the cake gets from pineapple, coconut and, of course, carrots! For lighter appetites or to serve more people, cut it into smaller pieces and place them in pretty cupcake liners. —Debbie Terenzini-Wilkerson, Lusby, Maryland

From the Recipe Creator: It's just not Christmas at our house until this festive cake appears. This is different from other red velvets I’ve had; the icing is as light as snow. For quicker assembly, you can leave the layers untrimmed and simply frost the top and side of the cake with icing. —Kathryn Davison, Charlotte, North Carolina

From the Recipe Creator: I found this Kentucky butter cake recipe in an old cookbook I bought at a garage sale and couldn’t wait to try it. I knew it had been someone’s favorite because of the well-worn page. —Joan Gertz, Palmetto, Florida

From the Recipe Creator: Whenever I get a craving for a tasty old-fashioned treat, I make this cake. Great cooks in my family have been baking it for generations, and their families have been enjoying the wonderful spice flavor and rich frosting. —Nancy Duty, Jacksonville, Florida

From the Recipe Creator: Because I'm our town's postmaster, I can bake only in my spare time. I especially enjoy making desserts such as this one. It tastes amazing as is, or tuck it under ice cream and chocolate syrup like a hot fudge sundae! —Karen Conrad, East Troy, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Pound cake and chocolate make the best marble cake. — Ellen Riley, Birmingham, Alabama

From the Recipe Creator: If you're thinking about pulling out all the stops for a dessert that says wow, look no further. This cherry-crowned beauty—stacked layers of chocolate cake and cream filling—will have everyone talking. —Doris Grotz, York, Nebraska

From the Recipe Creator: This impressive hummingbird cake is my dad’s favorite, so I always make it for his birthday. It makes a memorable dessert for any celebration and is lovely with a summer meal. —Nancy Zimmerman, Cape May Court House, New Jersey

From the Recipe Creator: The rich molasses and spice flavor of this old-time dessert is complemented with a buttery caramel sauce.—Joy Sparks, Muskegon, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: This moist, airy chiffon cake was my dad's favorite. Mom revamped the original recipe to include lemons. I'm not much of a baker, but whenever I make this dessert my family is thrilled! —Trisha Kammers, Clarkston, Washington

From the Recipe Creator: My grandma was very special to me. She had a big country kitchen that was full of wonderful aromas any time we visited. This was one of her prized cake recipes, and it continues to be a favorite from generation to generation. —Denise Strasz, Detroit, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: This moist chocolate cake recipe with coffee reminds me of my grandmother because it was one of her specialties. I bake it often for family parties, and it always brings back fond memories. The cake is light and airy with a delicious chocolate taste. This recipe is a keeper! —Patricia Kreitz, Richland, Pennsylvania

From the Recipe Creator: I get tired of people bad-mouthing fruitcake. It's one of my favorite holiday flavors and I look forward to it every year. This year, I decided to combine it with everyone's favorite, upside-down cake. Try to say no to this fruitcake—I dare you! —James Schend, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Pecans and butter give this cake the same irresistible flavor as the ever-popular butter pecan ice cream flavor. —Becky Miller, Tallahassee, Florida

From the Recipe Creator: This simple and tender cake has been celebrated in my family for years. Dressed up with tinted frosting and confetti, it becomes pure party fun. — Karen Berner, New Canaan, Connecticut

From the Recipe Creator: For our daughter's wedding, a friend made this lovely, airy angel food cake from a recipe she's used for decades. It really is one of the best angel food cake recipes I've found. Serve slices plain or dress them up with fresh fruit. —Marilyn Niemeyer, Doon, Iowa

From the Recipe Creator: This easy, microwave-friendly cake is the quickest way to get dessert on the table for one (or even two). Use your favorite 12-ounce mug and enjoy a fluffy vanilla cake with almost no cleanup. —Julie Andrews, Rockford, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: Dark rum adds richness to the natural flavor of apples in this homey and delicate cake. Serve with a fresh-brewed cup of coffee for a simply wonderful afternoon treat. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: You'll be hearing non-stop compliments when you bring this dessert out. A twist on the traditional red velvet cake, this recipe uses blue food coloring to create a showstopping design while keeping the same flavors we love. —Molly Allen, Hood River, Oregon

From the Recipe Creator: The aroma of a rich pumpkin spice cake baking in the oven is the best and surest sign of fall! Once cooled, spread with a cloud of fluffy and tangy cream cheese frosting. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: This single-serving fluffy cake has a sweet sugar base like a chocolate chip cookie. But unlike a cookie, you only need your microwave and 15 minutes to bake it! —Julie Andrews, Rockford, Michigan

From the Recipe Creator: A dear friend used to make this often, and I think of her each time I make it. It is made with just two ingredients—yes, two! If you keep angel food cake mix and crushed pineapple in the pantry, you can mix up this cake in minutes. You can also make a peach angel food cake the same way: Just use a 15-ounce can of peaches with the juice. —Beverly Raleigh, Tulsa, Oklahoma

From the Recipe Creator: Behold, the beautiful Battenberg! This gorgeous, intricate, almond-flavored sponge cake was made famous as a signature challenge on the "Great British Bake-Off." If you're up for personal baking challenge, the results are stunning and, of course, delicious. —Nancy Mock, Southbridge, Massachusetts

From the Recipe Creator: This champagne cake recipe combines two celebratory treats into one, and we'll cheers to that. Concentrated champagne brings a subtly sweet flavor and added moisture to the cake. —Lisa Kaminski, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Enjoy the classic fall flavors you crave in a fantastic from-scratch cake. Glaze when it's still warm to create that irresistible fritter-like finish. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: Citrusy and bright, this orange olive oil cake is the best afternoon snacking cake with a cup of tea or a frothy cappuccino. A really good olive oil makes all the difference. —Cathy Trochelman, Brookfield, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Looking for a quick and easy vegan birthday cake recipe? This moist, fluffy vanilla two-layer cake with chocolate frosting is for you! It easily comes together using common pantry ingredients and is perfect for any celebration. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Consider this the sister to traditional red velvet cake, just without the red food coloring and cocoa powder. It's still made light and tangy with buttermilk and has a texture that's soft, fluffy and, yes, velvety! Layer and top with a luscious cream cheese frosting. —Molly Allen, Hood River, Oregon

From the Recipe Creator: This delightful layer cake gets a triple wallop of Earl Grey flavor: steeped milk and finely minced tea leaves go in the batter, then each of the delicate cake layers is brushed with a tea-infused simple syrup. A lovely vanilla frosting adorns it all. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen

From the Recipe Creator: My deliciously spiced pumpkin cake has a built-in crunchy topping created with cake mix, chopped pecans and a drizzle of butter. It's a comforting fall treat to cozy up to time and again! —Cathy Trochelman, Brookfield, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: Looking to create an impressive cake that's also incredibly easy to make? This Kit Kat cake is it! It starts with a chocolate cake prepared from a mix, adorned with Kit Kat candy bars and a handful of M&M's for good measure. —Sarah Tramonte, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

From the Recipe Creator: My kids love chocolate cake so I'm always looking for away to kick it up a little. This recipe is so moist, delicious and easy to make. The kids love it. —Elizabeth Wynne, Aztec, New Mexico