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Cakes, Cakes & More Cakes!

By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated February 4, 2020
French Silk Layer Cake
If there’s anything Betty knows—it’s cake! And these 54 recipes prove it.
There’s a cake for every occasion and an occasion for every cake! Be it the biggest holiday of the year or a small birthday celebration, the right cake for your occasion is here. On this list, you’ll find unbeatable versions of the classics grandma made alongside the most exciting new recipes to come out of our test kitchens. Save Betty’s angel food recipe, if you need a go-to version for your recipe box, but also, don’t forget to try something unexpected. Might we recommend fan-favorite Upside-Down Pecan Pie Cake—it’s perfect for Thanksgiving—or you could impress your kiddo with Butterscotch Pudding Layer Cake—we’d call it the ultimate birthday treat!—either one could be the start of a brand-new tradition.

Ready to roll up your sleeves and get baking? Read our quick tips for making cakes that turn out beautifully and taste like a dream, every single time.

  • For lightly colored tender cakes use shiny pans, which reflect heat. Dark pans or pans with nonstick coating absorb heat faster than shiny pans and can cause cakes to brown too quickly.
  • Fill cake pans only half full with batter. If you fill it too full, it will overflow. If you don’t fill it enough, your cake may turn out flat.
  • Always bake cakes on the center oven rack.
  • Cool cakes on wire cooling racks to allow for air circulation.
  • If you leave your cake in the pan for too long and it sticks, try reheating it in the oven for 1 minute.
  • To remove cake from pan, insert knife between cake and pan, then slide around the edge to loosen. Place wire rack upside down over cake. Invert carefully so cake is on rack and remove the pan. Invert onto another rack and flip cake right side up.
  • Cut cake with a thin, sharp knife in gentle sawing motion.
  • Refrigerate any cake that contains dairy products in the filling or frosting.
  • Store layer or tube cakes under a cake cover to keep fresh or improvise with an inverted mixing bowl.
  • Serve cakes with fluffy frosting as soon as possible, because cake will tend to absorb this type of frosting. You can also store this type of cake under a cake cover or mixing bowl but slip a knife under the edge, so it’s not airtight.

Craving a little more instruction? Continue on to Cake-Making 101. Then, comb through the rest of our cake recipes.