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While a family birthday, a baby shower, or a holiday are all reasons to make a fabulous cake, we believe that any and every day can be a special occasion deserving of one of these desserts. Here, we've rounded up our most popular cake recipes based on what you, the reader, have baked and enjoyed over the years. In the slides ahead, you'll find everything from simple pound cakes and decadent cheesecake to cupcakes, layer cakes, and so much more.
Our number one recipe of all time is no-bake cheesecake, which features a classic graham cracker crust and a filling made with sugar, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. When you want to keep a baking project simple and leave your oven off, this is the recipe for you. We also have a recipe for No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake, pictured here, that will instantly transport you to Florida—minus the heat.
Another all-time favorite is our simple five-ingredient vanilla pound cake recipe. The batter comes together quickly and the majority of the time needed for the cake is reserved for baking it, so you can sit back and relax while the aroma of vanilla wafts through your home. Once it's cooled, you can serve it plain or spread icing on top. We have other variations including a lemon pound cake and extra-rich recipe made with one bar of cream cheese. You'll also find fun cupcakes in flavors like strawberry, chocolate, banana, pumpkin, and vanilla. Some are seasonal, but each recipe is absolutely delicious.
Whether frosted or unfrosted, one layer or up to six, we guarantee that our most popular cake recipes of all time are sure to become your favorites, too.
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No-Bake Cheesecake
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Instead of baking cheesecake in a water bath in the oven, this no-bake version is much easier and just as delicious. It's made with a combination of cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk for the filling and a simple graham cracker crust.
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Vanilla Pound Cake
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While the original recipe for pound cake called for a pound each of flour, sugar, butter, and eggs, our food editors have tweaked the recipe for 21st-century baking—but we promise it's just as delicious.
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Rainbow Cake
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Kids will fall head over heels for this six-layer stunner that includes cake dyed in every color of the rainbow. It's frosted with a Lemony Swiss Meringue Buttercream, which offsets some of the sweetness.
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Hummingbird Cake
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There's a reason why this Southern cake recipe is one of our most popular of all time. It's loaded with texture from chopped pecans, mashed bananas, and pineapple, before it's topped with homemade cream cheese frosting.
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Lemon Cake
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Perk up your dessert course with this tart cake that calls for lemon juice in the batter, plus slices of lemon as a garnish on top.
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Chocolate Cupcakes
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Skip the boxed cake mix and make these chocolate cupcakes from scratch using basic pantry staples, plus butter, eggs, and sour cream for moistness.
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Sprinkles' Strawberry Cupcakes
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Fresh strawberries are folded into these light and airy cupcakes, which are topped with a pretty-in-pink fruity frosting for a summertime treat.
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Lucinda's New York-Style Cheesecake
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Even if you can't make it to the city that never sleeps, get a taste of one of the quintessential foods from the Big Apple with this classic cheesecake recipe.
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Banana Cupcakes with Honey-Cinnamon Frosting
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A sweeter cousin to banana bread, these cupcakes are finished with a sweet-spiced frosting.
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Pumpkin Cheesecake
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The duo of pumpkin purée and pumpkin-pie spice bring an autumnal touch to this cheesecake that would make a perfect Thanksgiving dessert or could be the finale of any special fall meal.
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Flourless Chocolate Cake
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The beauty of a flourless chocolate cake is that they're usually gluten-free and—like this recipe—intoxicatingly fudgy. Even better, this recipe calls for only four ingredients: unsalted butter, chopped chocolate, eggs, and granulated sugar.
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Carrot Cake
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An entire pound of shredded carrots is folded into this lightly spiced cake recipe that's decorated with a classic cream cheese frosting and covered with chopped pecans.
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Chocolate Bundt Cake
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Just one half-cup of sour cream makes this fudgy chocolate cake uber-rich and moist. A silky chocolate ganache poured over the finished Bundt takes it to the next level.
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Salted-Caramel Six-Layer Chocolate Cake
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If a traditional two-layer cake just isn't quite enough for you, how about this epic six-layer chocolate cake with a salted caramel filling and rich chocolate frosting smoothed over the top and sides?
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Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cakes
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With three types of chocolate, these individual multi-layered treats should certainly satisfy your sweet tooth. Milk chocolate and bittersweet chocolate mousses are piped over a layer of chocolate cake.
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Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
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Tangy buttermilk adds a hint of brightness to this pound cake with along with the zest and juice of two lemons. A lovely lemon glaze is a delightful finishing touch.
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Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake
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This is no ordinary coffee cake recipe—it's a multi-layered, streusel-covered treat drizzled with glaze. Enjoy it for breakfast, at brunch, or just because.
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Apple-Cider Doughnut Cake
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Celebrate everything delicious about fall with this moist and soft Bundt cake inspired by everyone's favorite orchard treat. A generous sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar is the only suitable topping!
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One-Bowl Chocolate Cake
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Keep baking simple and dirty dishes to a minimum with this easy cake recipe that is consistently one of our most popular. It gets its chocolatey flavor from Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
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Yellow Butter Cake
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Our all-butter cake recipe also features a combination of all-purpose and cake flour. Cake flour creates a super light, slightly crumbly texture, while all-purpose flour gives the cake a bit more body.
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Red Velvet Chocolate Cake
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Equal portions of red food coloring and cocoa powder make this a standout red velvet cake recipe. Complete the picture with, what else, cream cheese frosting!
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Coconut Cloud Cake
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This cake will instantly transport you to cloud nine. It's light-as-a-feather, made with a combination of 14 egg whites and one cup of cake flour and covered in seven-minute frosting.
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Classic Yellow Cake Batter
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Our most popular recipe for yellow cake calls for cake flour, which has a lower protein count than all-purpose flour resulting in a lighter cake with a fine crumb. The cake gets its sunny hue from a combination of eggs and egg yolks, plus two sticks of butter.
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Versatile Vanilla Cake
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Our favorite vanilla cake recipe starts by beating together butter and granulated sugar; then a combination of eggs and egg yolks are added to the batter, along with vanilla extract, buttermilk, and a flour mixture. It's simple, unassuming, and totally delicious.
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Strawberry Cake
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A pound of strawberries are folded into the batter for this simple buttery cake that bursts with juicy summer flavor and bright red color.
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Apple-Pie Cake
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Can't decide between baking a pie and cake? You don't have to with this six-ingredient recipe that combines the best parts of both desserts, which is why it's so popular.
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Cream-Cheese Pound Cakes
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The recipe for this rich pound cake is a bit of a departure from the old-fashioned version. It calls for eight ounces of cream cheese, six eggs, and three sticks of butter and produces two decadent loaves.
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Chocolate Cake
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Made with buttermilk for moistness and cocoa powder for deep chocolate flavor, our super fudgy chocolate cake is just right for birthdays or any celebration. Decorate it with chocolate ganache or your favorite buttercream.
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Pumpkin Cupcakes
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There's nothing like a delicious pumpkin dessert to snack on during autumn. Pumpkin purée and a blend of four different spices bring fall flavor to this batter; once baked, the cupcakes are frosted with a cream cheese icing and topped with adorable handmade marzipan pumpkins.
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Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing
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Sometimes, the simplest things in life are the sweetest, like these vanilla cupcakes topped with a rich and billowing Swiss Meringue buttercream.
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