25 Best Cake Flavors Ranked From Worst To Best

There's always a reason to eat cake: Whether it's for a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, farewell party, or simply because of a dessert craving, cake is often the perfect indulgence. And, with so many different cake varieties available, there's a cake for practically every mood and occasion. 

Cake is like pizza or ice cream in that it has to be really bad in order for it to become inedible. So, while most cake is good cake, particular varieties of cake tend to suit specific occasions. While certain types of cake are not necessarily superior to others, some cakes are only meant to be consumed at certain times of the year. The kind of cake you like depends largely on personal preference. 

That being said, the flavor profile of some cakes means that they are unlikely to ever attain gold standard in the world of cake flavors. If you're ordering a cake or venturing out to your local bakery, it's best to make an informed decision about your cake flavor of choice. There's so much to learn about cake, from classic recipes to the best and most popular types of cake!

However controversial this statement may be, it needs to be said: Chunks of fruit don't belong in cake.  Pies, crisps, crumbles, and cobblers all work well with fruit. There's no shortage of fruit-worthy desserts. So when it comes to apple cake, it just feels unnecessary to throw chunks of apple into an already fluffy cake. There are several variations of apple cake, from German apple cake to French apple cake as well as an Irish apple cake. 

According to The Baltimore Sun, a Jewish version of the apple cake is made with oil rather than butter and is often consumed at festivals such as Hannkah. Most types of apple cake do have a moist and delicious taste that feels quite festive. It's a lovely flavor, and if it's one that was part of your childhood, it may have special appeal. Either way, there's no way to justify fruit inside a cake. 

Fruit and cake simply do not pair well together, and strawberry cake is no exception. That being said, something about the image of bright pink icing slathered on an even brighter pink cake conjures up images of sickly sweet childhood birthday cakes. Strawberry cake might be delicious, but most renditions are way too artificially sweet to be considered anything better than average.

There's something about Pepto-Bismol-colored food that just doesn't sit right, especially because there are plenty of ways to incorporate strawberries into a dessert that do not taste so artificial. Strawberry shortcakes are a great example of how a strawberry dessert should be made. In most cases, strawberry shortcakes involve preparing the cake and the strawberries separately and combining them into one dessert. 

Strawberry cake is more strange than delicious. A strawberry-based dessert that doesn't look and taste quite so cartoonish might be a dessert that is actually worth tasting. 

Black Forest cake might just be too much of a good thing: The cherries in this cake tend to overpower the whole flavor. According to Kitchen Project, this cake's name refers to the Black Forest region of southwest Germany that is known for its Morello cherries. A Black Forest cake combines preserved morello cherries in syrup with cherry liqueur. The cake layers are made of moist chocolate cake with whipped cream between each layer. This cake is fairly easy to assemble.

You can make this cake alcoholic or non-alcoholic depending on your preference; however, since this cake is known for its signature taste, there isn't much room for experimentation in terms of the other ingredients. This cake is a beloved German classic and has stood the test of time, but it's just not quite as universal as some other simpler flavors. It might be risky to bring this cake to an event since the overpowering flavor of cherries might throw some people off.

Something about orange cake feels so classic and old-world: Perhaps this is because the orange cake recipe may have been invented by Benedectine monks, according to Penguin Australia. This classic cake is the perfect teatime snack. There are a few different ways to make an orange cake: You can use a whole orange (along with the skin) in the cake, which is a Sicilian-style technique, or you can simply mix fresh orange juice and zest into the batter to impart a delicious fruity flavor. 

If you're a particular fan of citrus cakes, other recipes, such as the Lemon Drizzle Cake, are also worth trying. While there are multiple different ways of making an orange cake, this cake simply isn't interesting enough to be amazing. This flavor may be ideal for a garden tea party; however, it certainly isn't festive or exciting enough to rank higher than some of the other, more standard types of cake. 

The names of foods can often be misleading. So, it might not be a surprise to learn that German Chocolate Cake is not German at all. According to NPR, this cake was named after a chocolatier called Sam German, who created a form of baking chocolate for the Baker's Chocolate company: This chocolate was named German's Chocolate after its maker. In 1957, a woman sent a cake recipe to a newspaper that featured German's Chocolate, coconut, and pecan. 

The recipe was so popular that it led to a 73% increase in the sales of German's Chocolate in that year alone. This cake contains delicious layers of chocolate cake and coconut pecan frosting. The combination of chocolate, nut, and coconut gives this cake its unique flavor. That being said, these ingredients combine to create a strong, very specific type of taste that may or may not appeal to everyone. 

Lemon and poppyseed don't seem like a particularly exciting or complimentary flavor pairing; however, more experienced cake lovers know that this type of cake is quite delicious. Whether it is present in muffin or cake form, lemon poppyseed is a classic springtime flavor that's just begging to be eaten alongside a cup of coffee or tea!

According to Spiceography, the use of poppy seeds began when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt and poppy seeds were brought to Greece. Over time, the Ancient Romans began using them in desserts. The seed gained popularity across Europe as well. Poppy seeds are used for cooking as well as for their healing properties. 

The perfect lemon poppyseed cake is buttery, rich, moist, and lemony. It toes the line between sweet and sour because it has an amazing balance of citrus, sugar, and poppy seeds. Poppyseed is an underrated cake variety though it is more of a summer flavor. 

If you dig into some coffee cake for breakfast, you'll know that it really seals the deal. When you see the fluffy coffee cake with streusel on top, you know that it will be a good day. That's because coffee cake is the antithesis of overly sweet cakes. It's perfect alongside a cup of tea, or as its name suggests, coffee.

According to The Palmier, coffee cake likely originated in Northern or Eastern Europe. These early versions actually contained coffee, as opposed to coffee cakes today, which contain eggs and sour cream. The sour cream helps give this cake its signature moistness and airy texture. This fluffy cake is topped with streusel that is made with subtle, warm cinnamon notes.

While it could (or maybe should) be a more versatile item, coffee cake isn't normally the type of cake to be served during special occasions. Instead, this spongy, grown-up cake is perfect for everyday consumption, and for enjoying along with your favorite beverage.

People who like sheet cakes will probably also enjoy ice cream cakes. Sheet cakes contain white sugar, flour, eggs, and heavy whipping cream and are popularly eaten at birthday celebrations. A classic ice cream cake recipe combines a layer of fluffy cake topped with vanilla ice cream followed by another layer, and some deliciously creamy and rich frosting on top. 

Some renditions of ice cream cake (such as Carvel's range of cakes) primarily contain ice cream, and while these are delicious, a true ice cream cake contains actual layers of sponge. That being said, you really can't go wrong with ice cream-based desserts. Whether it's a baked Alaska or any recipe rendition that combines ice cream with pretzels and other ingredients, the result is sure to be delicious. Ice cream really allows you to get creative and ice cream cake is one of the best cake flavors ever!

While pound cake has a wonderful flavor, texture-wise, this cake is in a league of its own. This simple, vanilla-tinged cake has a lusciously dense texture. Pound cake is delicious on its own, but it can also be served spruced up with chopped fresh fruit, a citrus glaze, marble swirl, and more. It can also be topped with coconut flakes or cocoa powder. 

According to What's Cooking America, pound cake was created in Britain sometime in the 1700s. This cake derives its name from the original recipe that requires one pound each of ingredients such as butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. This makes the recipe super easy to remember, and it hasn't changed much today. While some pound cake recipes require a touch of baking powder, no leavening agents are needed to fluff up the cake. This allows the cake to stay moist and dense, like a buttery brick!

Carrot cake is a tried and true classic. The chunks of carrot in this cake add a discernable bite, giving this carrot cake a fantastic texture. Thw walnuts also add a satisfying crunch. According to Bakerpedia, the cake likely originated in England during World War II. This cake also skyrocketed in popularity during the 1980s. Carrot cake is topped with a thick layer of cream cheese icing to bring some sweetness to this otherwise tame spice-based cake. Buttermilk powder can be added to the frosting to enhance the taste and provide it with a slight acidity. 

This cake can also be topped with marzipan carrots. The vanilla and cinnamon give carrot cake a delightful yet comforting flavor. Some carrot cake recipes also include ginger, nutmeg, pecans as well as cocoa powder. This cake fits all occasions, from afternoon teas to birthday celebrations to anniversaries, and everything in between.

Lemon cake is a great way to make a gloomy day a little brighter. This cake has a sunny coloring and a lemony flavor profile that screams summertime. And yet, lemon cake has managed to surpass seasonality restrictions and is enjoyed year-round. Each bite of this moist, zingy lemon cake provides an instant pick-me-up and is a solidly classic flavor.

Lemon cake is just a basic cake made with white sugar instead of brown sugar to keep the texture light. It also uses both lemon juice and zest to give the cake its signature pop of lemon. When done right, lemon cake is just sweet enough and possesses the unmistakable freshness of lemon zest and a soft, buttery texture.

This type of cake ranks high for its universality. Whether you like your cake fruity or relatively simple with icing topped sponge, you'll probably fall head over heels for lemon cake.

Vanilla is a highly popular flavor, and vanilla cake is quite beloved too. It's delicious and versatile, and though it is a classic, it can be difficult to make vanilla cake exciting. It's a great starting point for those who are just getting into baking, as it is a simple cake that can form the base for more complex creations. Vanilla cake can be jazzed up with fruit or various different kinds of icing. Some possible toppings for vanilla cake include edible flowers, chocolates, buttercream frosting, marshmallows, marzipan, desiccated coconut, nuts, and sprinkles. 

According to Vanilla Queen, vanilla has a long history as a highly desired plant. In the early 1500s, vanilla was exported from Mexico on ships bound for Spain. Since then, it has been used as a popular flavor in various parts of the world. Vanilla is a flavoring that has truly stood the test of time.