25 Best Birthday Cake Recipes

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Need a dessert for a birthday celebration? Look no further than my comprehensive list of Best Birthday Cake Recipe ideas!

The absolute best part of my job is seeing someone trust one of my recipes enough to make it for a special occasion like a birthday party.

The thought of one of my recipes becoming a tradition in your families (like the birthday cake your child will request you bake for them year after year) is something that fills my heart with joy.

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Below, you’ll find all the birthday cake recipe ideas you could ever dream of, from easy sheet cakes to impressive layer cakes to cookie cakes and even some unexpected non-cake celebratory treats.

I made sure to include flavors that will satisfy every taste preference. Yellow cake covered in sprinkles, lots of chocolate cakes (because if you know me, you know I love chocolate recipes !), and fun birthday cake flavors like funfetti, carrot cake, and banana cake—you name it, it’s on this list!

I have also added a few Baking Science tips at the bottom of the post to help you nail the best birthday cake ever.

If you make one of these birthday cake recipes for a special birthday dessert, please tag me on Instagram so I can see!

Vanilla Birthday Cake Recipes

Classic Best Birthday Cake Recipe

This Best Birthday Cake is a classic birthday cake recipe and just tastes like a celebration! My vanilla-scented yellow cake combined with perfectly sweet milk chocolate buttercream will have you wishing it was someone’s birthday every day. Top with rainbow sprinkles and birthday candles for the most celebratory centerpiece ever.

Funfetti Cake

Birthday cakes don’t come cuter than this Funfetti Sheet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s the perfect birthday cake recipe for feeding a crowd. This cake is quick, easy, super moist, and ready in just 40 minutes. Bonus: this cake can be made as the super-easy sheet cake you see here, or adapted easily into cupcakes!

Vanilla Poppy Seed Cake with Whipped Ganache

My Vanilla Poppy Seed Cake with Whipped Ganache features three layers of ultra-moist cake and pure vanilla decadence. No special decorating skills needed for this beautiful naked cake! Top with fresh berries for a simple, pretty birthday celebration.

Best Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream

You’ll never go back to a box mix after you try my Best Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting. Classic yellow cake with a simple yet luscious chocolate frosting. Super easy and a million times better than any boxed mix. This birthday cake recipe will become your go-to cake recipe!

Chocolate Birthday Cake Recipes

Best Chocolate Cake

My Best Chocolate Cake recipe is the most flavorful, moist, and tender chocolate cake you’ve ever tasted! Paired with Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting for pure chocolate heaven. Everyone LOVES this cake, and you don’t even need a mixer to make the batter. This will be a hit at any birthday party!

Chocolate Brownie Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Holy indulgence! This Chocolate Brownie Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is the best birthday cake recipe for any chocolate + peanut butter combo lovers in your life. Three layers of fudgy brownie cake, sandwiched with rich peanut butter buttercream and topped with chocolate ganache. As if that’s not enough, decorate with peanut butter cups on top for the perfect easy yet special finish.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Layer cakes are a lot of work, which is why this Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake is such a winner! The cake is tender and moist, and the chocolate fudge frosting is thick and fudgy. Super simple to bake, frost, transport, and serve. Pro tip: serve with vanilla ice cream for maximum birthday fun.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake is decadent, rich, fudgy, and super easy to make. The perfect simple yet elegant dessert for any birthday gathering. Serve with homemade whipped cream and berries for a simple yet stunning birthday treat.

Nutella Cake

This decadent Nutella Cake features four layers of moist and tender Nutella chocolate cake, a generous helping of luscious Nutella buttercream filling, and a super simple naked decoration. This is the perfect birthday cake recipe for any Nutella lover! Top with edible flowers for the ultimate stunning centerpiece.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream

The perfect birthday cake recipe for those who like a little booze in their desserts! Guinness Chocolate Cake with Irish Buttercream features an easy, fudgy, moist cocoa cake made with Guinness beer, frosted in a thick, creamy, sweet Irish cream buttercream, all finished with a semi-naked look and a decadent ganache drizzle. Indulgent adults-only birthday deliciousness at its finest.

German Chocolate Cake

What I love most about this German Chocolate Cake recipe is how simple and easy it is – you don’t even need a mixer! Tender cocoa cake layered with a thick and fudgy coconut and pecan frosting – what’s not to love!? Plus, it only takes a little over an hour to make. There won’t be any leftovers with this birthday cake!

Chocolate Bundt Cake

Chocolate Bundt Cake is decadent chocolate cake heaven at its finest! Fudgy, rich, and moist, this is the birthday cake of every chocolate lover’s dreams. Bonus: it’s super easy to make with no decorating skills required. A couple of birthday candles to top and you’re done!

Peppermint Chocolate Cake

Peppermint Chocolate Cake is as easy as it is beautiful. This cake is ultra moist and loaded with chocolate and refreshing peppermint flavors. The best birthday cake for any mint chocolate lover out there!

Fun Birthday Cake Flavors

collage of four images: angel food cake, carrot cake, red velvet cake, and chocolate chip cookie cake.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake is a delicious and crowd-pleasing layer cake alternative! This cookie cake features a thick base of chewy and slightly gooey chocolate chip cookie, topped with creamy vanilla buttercream, and garnished with plenty of sprinkles. The perfect birthday cake recipe for any cookie lover!

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is the most mouthwatering birthday cake recipe. Ultra moist, soft, tender, and buttery cake with the most perfect red velvet flavor. Topped with easy cream cheese frosting, and you can get as creative as you’d like with decorating – maybe some confetti sprinkles on top?!

Brown Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This Brown Butter Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is a must-make birthday cake recipe for any carrot cake lover. The cake is perfectly sweet, nutty, and flavorful, while the frosting is rich and tangy. Pro tip: decorate the perimeter of your carrot cake with crushed walnuts or pecans for an easy yet elegant finish to this birthday cake.

Lemon Bundt Cake

This Lemon Bundt Cake is ultra moist, tender, buttery, full of fresh lemon flavor, and topped with a simple lemon glaze. This cake is super easy to make! Decorate with some simple lemon zest or use these adorable lemon-shaped sprinkles for extra cuteness.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

This fun and unusual Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting is better than any store-bought cake. The banana cake is moist and tender with bites of mini chocolate chips throughout. The peanut butter frosting is ultra creamy, luscious, and smooth. Heavenly and a definite crowd-pleaser.

Angel Food Cake

This Angel Food Cake has the most perfectly fluffy texture – and you only need 7 ingredients to make it! Serve with homemade whipped cream and fresh berries for a beautiful, light birthday cake – or add some of my homemade ice cream to really wow your guests!

Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake

Salted Caramel Apple Sheet Cake features an ultra-tender, slightly spongey cinnamon apple cake with a thick, shiny salted caramel glaze. Perfect for serving a crowd during the fall, but it’s delicious year-round, too!

Non-Cake Birthday Treats

non-cake alternatives for birthday celebrations: French silk pie, Tiramisu, cheesecake, and peanut butter pie.

Ultimate Classic Cheesecake

Who says birthdays have to be celebrated with cake? My Ultimate Classic Cheesecake recipe is the best cheesecake recipe ever and might just become a new birthday tradition with your family! Buttery graham cracker crust and a perfectly smooth and tangy cheesecake make for the most delicious, creamy celebratory treat you’ll ever try. Check out more of my cheesecake recipes here.

French Silk Pie

For a non-cake birthday dessert that’s delicious and fun for all ages, look no further than my French Silk Pie! It features an Oreo cookie crust, a rich and creamy chocolate filling, and is topped with homemade whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Chocolate decadence at its finest.

Cosmic Brownies

This copycat recipe for Cosmic Brownies is ultra-rich, fudgy, and chewy, just like the kind you buy at the store, but oh so much better, with no preservatives! The perfect birthday treat for kids of all ages.

Peanut Butter Pie

This homemade Peanut Butter Pie is made from scratch with just a few ingredients and is perfect for any peanut butter lover. This pie is so good, you might want to make two so the birthday celebrant can have one all to themselves!

Tiramisu

This Tiramisu recipe layers classic coffee-dipped ladyfingers with a silky-smooth, rich, creamy mascarpone filling, all finished with a beautiful dusting of cocoa powder. A beautiful and decadent celebratory dessert that will impress your guests and make them feel like they’ve been transported to Italy!

Sprinkle of Science

Birthday Cake Baking Tips

Measure Your Flour Accurately: If your cakes are dry, dense, rubbery, or crumbly, you may have accidentally added too much flour. Measuring ingredients with a digital scale is the best way to ensure accuracy. Check out my How to Measure Flour article for more tips.
Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder: It’s important to understand that baking soda and baking powder are not interchangeable, and both can lose their effectiveness before the expiration date printed on the package. Check out my Baking Soda vs. Baking Powder article for more information, and learn how to test for freshness.
Why Did My Cake Sink in the Middle? There’s nothing more frustrating than baking a cake only to have it sink. Learn How to Prevent Cakes & Cupcakes From Sinking here.
How to Make Birthday Cakes Ahead of Time: You can wrap cooled, uncut, unfrosted cake layers well in plastic wrap and place them inside a freezer bag. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge (do not defrost at room temperature or you will end up with mushy cake).
How to Turn Cake into Cupcakes: Almost any cake recipe can be made into cupcakes! Check out my full guide on how to convert cake to cupcakes (and vice versa!).