14 Cake Recipes For all Skill Levels

Bakers, this one’s for you. Whether you’re new to dabbling in the kitchen, can confidently tell when your egg whites have reached the perfect “medium peak,” or somewhere in the middle, we’ve got a whole crew of Milk Bar recipes that’ll help you say YES to cake.

These cake recipes are perfect for whatever you’re cooking up this summer––whether that’s lounging poolside, cooling off inside, or preparing for a big get-together. Whip up our Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake or Compost Pancakes whenever your day needs a little à la mode moment. Craving a crumbly breakfast cake to pair with your morning cold brew? Meet our Cake-Mix Coffee Cake. Or maybe you’re ready to go full tropical vibes with our take on the summer cook-off staple, Pineapple Upside Down Layer Cake. Make sure you get your tiki glasses out for that one.

No matter what your taste buds are craving, these recipes will help you push boundaries in your kitchen. Plus, they go really well with creamy, cool Milk Bar ice cream on top ;)

Page Contents

Funnel Cake Cake-Mix Coffee Cake Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake Brownie Cake Compost Pancakes Compost Cookie Tin Angel Food Cake Classic Strawberry Shortcakes The Ultimate Pound Cake Banana Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes Gooey Butter Cake German Chocolate Cake Waffles Milk Bar Ice Cream Pints Pineapple Upside Down Layer Cake Spiced Carrot Cake with Graham Frosting Tiramisu Layer Cake Birthday Cake

Beginner Cakes

A no-fuss cake is often just as tasty (if not more) than those fancy-schmancy concoctions behind the glass at a bakery. They’re perfect when you have little time and especially great for the little bakers in your life.

Funnel Cake

Frying up a funnel cake is so easy we wouldn’t be surprised if you started hosting state fairs in your kitchen. Better yet, you can top your funnel cake any way you want: chocolate drizzle, gooey fruit syrup, whipped cream, or keep it traditional with a mountain-sized heap of powdered sugar.

See Recipe

Cake-Mix Coffee Cake

Cake for breakfast. Need we say more? Our fun and simple Milk Bar take on classic coffee cake combines cake mix, sour cream, and your favorite canned, frozen, or pie filling-style fruit to create the perfect pairing for your morning roast. Breakfast cake is already genius. We just made it a little extra.

See Recipe

Goes well with Pie Ice Cream!

Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake

This is mixin-mug-microwave-magic. Like our iconic Compost Cookies, this hot cake breaks all the rules by combining potato chips, ground coffee, chocolate chips, pretzels, butterscotch, and more into two warm personal mug-style servings. It’s gooey yet dense, sweet, and salty. And yes, you’ll never look at your microwave the same way again.

See Recipe

Brownie Cake

It’s a brownie. It’s a cake. It’s BIG dessert energy done in the simplest way. Chewy, fudgy, tender, and light, this recipe brings together our all-time favorite dessert textures. Take your baking skills up a notch with layers of nougat or caramel on top, or go à la mode with an enormous scoop of ice cream. It’s your brownie cake vision. We just want you to embrace it.

See Recipe

Goes well with Chocolate Mint Cookies N' Cream Ice Cream!

Compost Pancakes

These pancakes are where super fluffy springboards of creativity meet the spirit of our Compost Cookie and its cacophony of mixins to create a pantry-inspired breakfast or afternoon snack. Start with our easy pancake base, then go to town with your additions or keep it true to compost form. But there’s only one secret: pancakes are proven to taste way better when you make them in your PJs.

See Recipe

Compost Cookie Tin

You’ve made the pancake, noshed on the mug cake, now try “the one” that started it all. And by one, we mean three. Order a tin of our iconic Compost Cookies, because honestly, you can never have enough sweet and salty treats.

Order Now

Intermediate Cakes

If you’re ready to flex in the kitchen, oh do we have some cakes for you.These recipes call for a few more steps and a smidge of technique, but they’re still do-able desserts that’ll garner plenty of oh wows! from the crowd. Perfect for your summer cook-off, warm night BBQ, or end of school pool party.

Angel Food Cake

Get your bundt pan out for this heavenly dessert dream. Besides its iconic shape and oh-so-fluffy texture, this cake is a canvas for baking exploration. Have fun with different extracts or jazz up your topping with cream, strawberries, blueberries, or go full-on with a glaze. Oh wow, that sounds marvelous.

See Recipe

Classic Strawberry Shortcakes

These shortcakes are “the” legendary shortcakes that launched the dreams of one particular baker into the dessert stratosphere (spoiler: it was our founder, Christina Tosi). These cakes were born from simplicity, a short time span, and easy-to-find ingredients, but they came together as a sweet centerpiece. So go on, show off your baking skills. Bragging rights can be all yours too.

See Recipe

The Ultimate Pound Cake

Pound cake’s cool by itself and all but when you make it ultimate with chocolate, coffee, and pretzels, you’ll never settle for a plain old loaf cake again. This pound cake is inspired by our iconic compost lineup, and forms a sweet yet slightly savory trifecta when paired with our Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake and Compost Pancake recipes. The secret to compost desserts is always more is more, so get ready to raid your panty and have some extra fun.

See Recipe

Banana Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

If you’re ever encountered our Banana Hazelnut Layer Cake and thought, “What? That’s amazing. I want to make it. But into cupcakes. And in fewer steps…” you’re in luck! The mini-version of our wildly-popular layer cake comes down to three components: moist banana cupcake, creamy chocolate hazelnut frosting, and a chocolate crumb garnish. They’ve got the “oh, that’s fancy” look with a “wow, that was manageable” charm.

See Recipe

Gooey Butter Cake

Do you secretly love an undercooked cake? Us too. Now you can make a cake that was made for ooey-gooey lovers–one that goes a step beyond the microwave. Start with a cookie-like crust, then fill it in with a cream cheese-based filling. Bake it up, and voila. No need to hide that gooey cake love anymore.

See Recipe

German Chocolate Cake Waffles

What makes a German Chocolate Cake Waffle German? Honestly, we’re not exactly sure, but we’re a big fan of the ingredients. Cocoa powder and sweetened shredded coconut make these waffles disappear as soon as they’re served. But the real star of the show? The heaping scoop of Milk Bar Ice Cream you’ll put on top. hint, hint

See Recipe

Goes well with Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Ice Cream!

Milk Bar Ice Cream Pints

Want to take your waffles up a notch? Swap the whipped cream for creamy Milk Bar ice cream. Ship our signature flavors like Cereal Milk and Birthday Cake straight to your door or find them at your local Whole Foods, Publix, Ahold, and Target.

Order now

Expert Cakes

Are you ready to get your master apron on and conquer a Milk Bar Layer Cake recipe? We believe in you. These recipes are certified cake projects—elaborate, but the payoff is a beautiful, showstopping cake that will make you wonder if you’re some kind of cake genius. Turns out you definitely are.

Pineapple Upside Down Layer Cake

We love a PUD for its tropical-inspired retro vibes, but our Milk Bar spin takes those party cake feels on a baking quest with layers of coconut cake, maraschino cherry soak, box-cake inspired frosting, and yellow-crumb topping. But the poached pineapple (uh-huh, poached) is what makes this cake-dream super special. Get those tiki glasses out. Both you and this cake deserve a swanky party.

See Recipe

Spiced Carrot Cake with Graham Frosting

All of you year-round Carrot Cake lovers out there—we see you, and we appreciate you. Our carrot cake recipe is a Milk Bar tribute to your CC-love with layers of cinnamon-spiced rounds, velvety liquid cheesecake, white chocolate milk crumb, and graham frosting. Because when mom told us to eat our veggies, we knew she also meant in cake form.

See Recipe

Tiramisu Layer Cake

Tiramisu is the lush, layered genius of Italian desserts. Inspired by Tosi’s Northern Italian roots, this recipe is a special hand-me-down done Milk Bar style. Start with vanilla cake and soak the bejesus out of it with a deep, bitter coffee soak. Then layer with chocolate crumbs, creamy coffee frosting, and—wait for it—fluffy cannoli cream. Celebrate every layer by snacking on some cannoli cream along the way. It’s allowed (and encouraged).

See Recipe

Birthday Cake

If you made it this far, congrats! You deserve a pat on the back and a celebration…with cake, of course. Our iconic Birthday Cake is the perfect celebrate-anytime cake. Get it shipped straight to your kitchen

Don’t forget to share your masterful creations with us on social with the tag #MilkBarRecipe. We can’t wait to see what you bake up! Order Now