30 Homemade Cake Recipes to Bake from Scratch
From simple sheet cakes to beautiful Bundts and towering layers.
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Let's start here: There's nothing wrong with boxed cake mix. It's the secret ingredient in Ree Drummond's super easy chocolate cake and it can even be used for so make cake mix desserts. But if you're looking to step up your baking skills or you just want a show-stopping dessert for a special occasion, these cake recipes made from scratch are sure to impress. All you need are a variety of classic homemade cake recipes, a simple frosting or cake decorating ideas, and a few decorating tools—plus, a few tips from Ree herself.
When it comes to making a successful cake recipe, Ree has a few baking tricks up her sleeve. One of the most important is don't overmix. "The more you beat the batter, the more the gluten will develop, and the tougher the cake will be!" Ree says. You also want to measure your ingredients properly and follow each step carefully. Remember, baking is a science. It's not like cooking where you can easily leave out something you don't like or alter the amounts and still end up with a pleasing end result.
But don't get intimidated! The 30 cake recipes made from scratch here have easy-to-follow instructions and plenty of standard ingredients you're sure to already have or find easily. So just go for it! Whether you're keeping things simple with an easy sheet cake recipe, letting the pan do a lot of work with a Bundt cake, or going all-out with a gorgeous layered cake, these homemade cakes will make birthdays, holidays, or even any weekday feel extra special.
Lemon Raspberry Cake
The secret to this perfectly springtime cake? Let raspberry jam pull double duty by putting it between the lemon cake layers and in the fluffy pink frosting.
Get the Lemon Raspberry Cake recipe.
Marble Cake
Why choose between vanilla and chocolate when you can have them both? This marble cake is made even better thanks to the tangy-sweet buttermilk glaze.
Get the Marble Cake recipe.
Berry Chantilly Cake
Skip the supermarket purchase! This showstopper features three layers of tender white cake brushed with raspberry syrup and filled with fluffy mascarpone whipped cream and colorful fresh berries.
Get the Berry Chantilly Cake recipe.
Olive Oil Cake
If baking seems intimidating, a great place to start is a one-layer cake like this. Olive oil makes cakes consistently soft and moist. Plus, you can switch out the orange zest for lemon if you prefer that more.
Get the Olive Oil Cake recipe.
Strawberry and Cream Sheet Cake
When strawberries are in season, put them to work in this incredibly tasty and easy-to-make sheet cake. You'll put berries in the batter and layered on top of the dreamy cream cheese frosting.
Get Ree's Strawberry and Cream Sheet Cake recipe.
Lemon Cake
Lemon juice and lemon zest in both the cake and the frosting makes every bite of this beauty bright and flavorful. Topping it all with white chocolate curls makes it extra impressive.
Get the Lemon Cake recipe.
Chocolate Bundt Cake
Attention, chocolate lovers! Get a double dose with this impressive Bundt. You can make it for any occasion really, but it's extra special when you coordinate the sprinkles on top.
Get the Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe.
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Just because something is made from scratch doesn't mean you can't use a few hacks to save time. Here, you can use jarred cherries and canned pineapple slices to speed things up.
Get the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake recipe.
Hummingbird Cake
If you've never had this classic Southern cake, you're in for a treat―literally! It's gently spiced with cinnamon and super moist thanks to banana and crushed pineapple in the batter.
Get the Hummingbird Cake recipe.
Best Birthday Cake
A moist chocolate cake with layers of classic vanilla buttercream is the best way to celebrate a birthday, no matter who it is! It's so much more impressive than anything bought at the store.
Get the Best Birthday Cake recipe.
Coconut Layer Cake
This beautiful cake isn't lacking in flavor. It has coconut extract in the batter and shredded coconut for decoration.
Get Ree's Coconut Layer Cake recipe.
Coffee-Toffee Crunch Cake
This cake is for the real coffee lovers' out there! There's instant coffee in both the cake batter and the frosting for the ultimate boost of caffeine.
Get Ree's Coffee-Toffee Crunch Cake recipe.
Chocolate Sheet Cake
This simple cake is a Drummond family-favorite! It's perfect for just about any occasion—from birthdays to Christmas parties to school bake sales.
Get Ree's Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe.
Sigrid's Carrot Cake
This classic carrot cake recipe is so versatile that you can adjust it based on your preferences. Turn it into a Bundt cake or even a sheet cake, but whatever you do—don't forget the cream cheese frosting!
Get Ree's Carrot Cake recipe.
Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Maple Buttercream
If you thought cakes were for professionals, we've got some good news! This one-bowl cake is easy enough for any skill level. It's lightly spiced, moist, and delicious to serve with a dusting of powdered sugar or homemade brown butter maple frosting if you prefer.
Get the Applesauce Cake with Brown Butter Maple Buttercream recipe.
Chocolate Ganache Cake
This simple, yet elegant cake, is made in one layer so it couldn't be easier. It's rich and chocolatey, with a fancy swirl of peanut butter on top.
Get the Chocolate Ganache Cake.
Lemon Pound Cake
If you're looking for a cake that you can eat any time of day, this recipe is for you! Its bright, lemony flavor would work just as well at brunch as it would for dessert.
Get the Lemon Pound Cake.
Tres Leches Cake
The Spanish name for this cake, "tres leches," translates to "three milks." And that's exactly how it's made. The cake is soaked in heavy cream, evaporated milk, and sweetened, condensed milk to make it extremely moist.
Get Ree's Tres Leches Cake recipe
Apple Cake
This cake is simple, wholesome, and incredibly flavorful! It's loaded with fresh apples, apple butter, cinnamon, and toasted pecans.
Get the Apple Cake recipe.
Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake
This decadent cake is layered with goodness—from the chocolate cake layers and Nutella frosting to the whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Best of all, it comes together in less than an hour!
Get Ree's Chocolate Strawberry Nutella Cake recipe.
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