37 Easy Cake Recipes for Low-Effort, Celebration-Worthy Desserts
If baking a cake from scratch seems overwhelming, look no further than these easy cake recipes. They provide all the fun of baking, without any of the stress. In this roundup of simple cake recipes, you’ll find a solution to just about every baking quandary. Want to make coffee cake, but don’t have time to soften butter? Melted butter makes it a breeze. Did you forget to buy butter altogether? Bake a classic olive oil cake, or our easiest-ever vegan chocolate cake with nary a tablespoon of the stuff. And if you balk at turning on the oven—or even if you don’t have an oven—we’ve got you covered with plenty of no-bake options. (Ever wondered if you can bake a cake in a microwave? The answer is yes.) Whether you’re a beginner looking to level up from boxed mix or an experienced baker in need of a celebratory last-minute dessert, these easy cake recipes have a delicious solution, just for you.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne1/37Super-Moist Yellow Cake With Rich Chocolate Frosting
Think of this as the birthday cake of your childhood, all grown-up. Buttermilk gives the chocolate frosting extra tang, while reverse creaming keeps the crumb moist and springy. One thing’s for sure: This easy cake recipe is an all-seasons, all-reasons favorite.
Photo by Linda Xiao3/37One-Bowl Ricotta Olive Oil Pound Cake
This one-bowl cake calls for both ricotta and olive oil, making it out-of-this-world moist. The higher quality the ingredients, the more flavorful your cake will be.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart4/37Fresh Strawberry Cake
Though it’s technically a dessert recipe, we like to keep this simple strawberry cake on the counter for snacking morning, noon, and night.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne5/37Molten Double Chocolate Mug Cake
Speaking of no-bake desserts, this one doesn’t require you to preheat your oven, either: All the magic happens in the microwave. Start now and you can have molten chocolate cake in as little as three minutes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Kim6/37No-Bake Peach Cheesecake With Wheat Thins Crust
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton7/37Fresh Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Sure, you can use canned pineapple, but we prefer fresh fruit here. If you’re intimidated by the idea of cutting a pineapple, this step-by-step guide makes it a breeze.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Micah Marie Morton9/37Easy Coffee Cake
If you want to bake a cake, but forgot to soften your butter ahead of time, we have just the thing for you. This easy recipe starts with melted butter, which gives coffee cake a pleasantly dense crumb—and slashes your prep time.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell11/37Mochi Cake, Any Way You Want It
Sweet rice flour makes this adaptable cake gooey-bouncy on the inside and crispy-chewy on the outside. This particular recipe can go in any flavor direction you want: Add cocoa or matcha for bold color or cinnamon and cardamom for spice.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova12/37Flourless Chocolate Cake
Photo by Alex Lau13/37Easy One-Bowl Cherry Upside-Down Cake
This upside-down cake recipe calls for frozen fruit and minimal kitchen equipment, making it a breeze for bakers of all levels. But you do need a tall cake pan, otherwise the batter and burbling fruit will overflow.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell16/373-Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake
This naturally gluten-free dessert is impressive enough for special occasions, but easy enough to make in under an hour.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich17/37Cold Oven Pound Cake
Always forgetting to preheat your oven? For the easiest—and best—pound cake, don’t even bother. Starting with a cold oven gives the leavening more time to its thing; it also gives the cake a thick, golden crust. No Bundt pan? Bake it in two loaves instead.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele20/37Pistachio Cake
This moist, flavorful pistachio cake is incredibly fragrant thanks to the addition of orange zest. Topped with softly whipped cream, this one-layer cake can’t be beat.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone22/37One-Bowl Milk Chocolate Cake With Chocolate-Caramel Frosting
the new easy, photography by Willam Meppem23/37Food Processor Carrot Cake
You don’t even need a bowl for this easy riff on carrot cake—just mix all the ingredients in your food processor, then bake. Lightened with ricotta cheese, the complementary cream cheese frosting is one for the ages.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell25/37Olive Oil Apple Cake With Spiced Sugar
Grated apple and olive oil contribute moisture to this loaf cake, warmly spiced with cardamom and ginger. Choose your apples wisely for this baking recipe: Gala and Golden Delicious varieties simply melt into the cake, whereas firmer apples, like Granny Smiths, give it a coarser texture.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert28/37Vanilla No-Bake Cheesecake With a Chocolate Cookie Crust
The easiest cake is the one you don’t even have to bake. Decorated simply with a dusting of cocoa powder, this cool, oven-free cheesecake is an ideal dessert for summer.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton29/37Blackberry and Chocolate Ice Cream Icebox Cake
Ice cream cake may sound like a project, but with almost entirely store-bought ingredients (half a pint of ice cream, blackberry jam, and chocolate graham crackers), the only challenge of this recipe is the assembly—and we’ve got a few tips to ensure it goes smoothly.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad30/37Double Chocolate Layer Cake
Constructing a layer cake doesn’t have to be a whole production. Just look at this chocolate-on-chocolate number: With two sturdy cake layers and ganache frosting to glue it all together, it’s the easiest introduction to stacking cake layers.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell31/37Orange Chocolate Loaf Cake From Florida
Baking legend Maida Heatter picked this recipe up on a Florida orange grove, where it was served with—what else?—tall glasses of ice-cold OJ. With whipped cream in place of butter in the batter and an orange juice glaze brushed on after baking, it’s perfect for brunch or an afternoon snack.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart32/37Mascarpone-Filled Cake With Sherried Berries
No need to fuss with buttercream: Sandwich two buttermilk cake layers with whipped mascarpone, then crown the top with lightly macerated berries.
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Photo by Ben Fink34/37Whipped Cream Cake
This cake from baking maven Rose Levy Beranbaum trades butter for heavy cream, which provides unparalleled moisture without compromising on tenderizing fat content. And it can be used straight from the fridge—no softening required.
Photo by Dayna Smith36/37Lemon Blossom Cupcakes
You know what’s easier than an easy cake recipe? An easy cupcake recipe. These sophisticated, lemon-flavored ones would be right in place at any celebration—just add sprinkles.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Prop styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich37/37Everyday Cocoa Cake
