Birthday Cake Recipes

Homemade birthday cakes are always special.

I'm sharing 20 of my favorite birthday cake recipes, tried and true, from my list of favorites! There's everything from towering layers to easy 13x9 inch sheets served right in the baking pan.

Be sure to scroll to the bottom for some great tips and how-tos!

Jump to:

• Chocolate mayonnaise birthday cake
• Chantilly with strawberries
• Roasted cherry black forest cake
• Coconut layers with raspberry jam
• Chocolate cream cake
• White layer cake
• Cherry almond cake
• Dark chocolate with Irish cream frosting
• Banana layer
• Spiced devils food
• Lemon cream
• Burnt sugar fudge cake
• Spice
• Holy cow cake
• Classic yellow birthday cake
• Pumpkin
• Southern caramel cake
• Orange
• Chocolate with cookies and cream filling
• Lemon layer cake
• 🎂 How to make a birthday cake
• 🥫 Storage
• 💭 Things to know
• 👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions
• 🧁 Other birthday cake ideas
• 💬 Comments

🎂 How to make a birthday cake

These are just the basic outline of what you'll need to do. Each recipe will have slightly different instructions.

1. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven.
3. Grease and flour pans.
4. Mix the ingredients in the order given in your recipe.
5. Fill the pans half full.
6. Put on middle rack of oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs sticking to it.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pans.
8. Gently run a knife around the edge of the pans to loosen.
9. Turn out to a cooling rack and cool completely.
10. Make your frosting as directed.
11. Fill and stack the layers. If it's more than 2 layers use 4 thin skewers or plastic straws placed through the layers to hold them in place. Put skewers 1 inch from the edge, evenly spaced around the cake.

Crumb coating

12. Thin about ½ cup of frosting with a tablespoon or two of milk to make it very easy to spread thinly.
13. Use this to coat the entire cake with a thin layer of frosting.
14. Chill for 30 minutes.
15. Add the remaining frosting.

🥫 Storage

Unfrosted layers can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored for 3 days at room temperature or frozen for 3 months.

Once frosted it will be fine at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for 5 days. Keep it in an airtight container or cake carrier.

Be careful about refrigerating, however. It can take on off flavors or become dry.

💭 Things to know

Expert tip: Get clean slices by using a serrated knife and dipping it in hot water between slices.

• Preheat the oven at least 10 minutes. Start preheating before you begin the recipe so the batter doesn't sit and wait.
• Don't fill your pans more than half full.
• Most recipes can be made funfetti style by adding a half cup to one cup of sprinkles. Just mix them with about a tablespoon of flour before adding them to the batter to help them hold their color and keep from sinking to the bottom.
• Trim the layers so the tops are completely flat.
• Be sure that your layers are completely cool before frosting or trimming.
• Take the time to put a thin layer (a crumb coating) of frosting on your cake and chilling it until firm, before adding the remaining frosting. This will keep crumbs from getting all over the place and ruining the look of your creating.
• Not into decorating? Use sprinkles, chopped nuts, coconut, or even cookie crumbs on top or up the sides.

👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

🧁 Other birthday cake ideas

• Whipped wedding cake frosting is perfect for decorating.
• White Cupcakes have a vanilla almond flavor that's always popular.
• Pecan layer cake is another vintage recipe that's easy to make and delicious!
• Bundt cakes are easy to make and hold up well so you can make them ahead of time.
• And, of course, you can never go wrong with a cheesecake recipe!

First published March 5, 2021. Last updated June 29, 2021 to add more information.