31 Fancy Cake Recipes That Will Steal the Show

Dark Chocolate Cake I

This dark chocolate cake with a cream cheese, cocoa, and cinnamon frosting will quickly replace your current favorite chocolate cake recipe. Take it from reviewer ZZZORBA who says, "I am a pastry chef, and this is the only chocolate cake that I will make from now on. I separated the eggs and whipped the whites separately with some of the sugar, then folded it all together to make it extra airy."

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• Chocolate Cake Recipes

Pistachio Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream

For a lighter, moist cake that's not overly sweet, this pistachio layer cake with cream cheese buttercream icing is an excellent choice. Plus, the layers can be made ahead of time and frozen for up to a month in advance according to John Somerall from the Allrecipes Test Kitchen. "The presentation with the swirled top and pistachio-coated sides make it a real showpiece," says John.

• Pistachio Dessert Recipes

White Almond Wedding Cake

Sour cream is often used in baking to yield a more moist, slightly more flavorful result, and it does just that in this leveled-up cake mix cake: "A secret ingredient of sour cream makes this cake so moist, dense, and delicious! I use this recipe for my kids' birthdays, but it's a favorite for wedding cakes, too!" says recipe creator CUPYCAKESMURF.

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• What Does Sour Cream Actually Do for My Baking?

Prinsesstarta (Swedish Princess Cake)

This popular Swedish cake is a guaranteed showstopper, and a great way to practice your baking skills. It's made up of layers of white sponge cake with a raspberry jam and pastry cream filling, all of which are draped in a green, almondy marzipan.

• How to Make Marzipan

Vanilla Chai Cheesecake

Vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom give this cheesecake it's chai-inspired flavor, and the gingersnap and amaretti cookie crust puts it over the top. For an elegant presentation, drizzle the cheesecake in jarred caramel sauce.

Banana Layer Cake

If you're a fan of banana bread, you have to make this moist banana cake with a rich caramel frosting. Reviewer SHAWNAK says, "It looks quite professional and tastes even better the next day."

Eclair Cake with Chocolate Ganache

You don't need to be a master pastry chef (or even master eclairs), to make this impressive-looking eclair cake: "This dessert sounds fancy but it is so easy to make and it's a definite crowd-pleaser!"

Champagne Funfetti Ice Cream Cake

From-scratch Champagne confetti cake is layered with ice cream, topped with whipped cream, and drizzled in caramel to create a dessert that's fitting for any celebration. Serve with leftover Champagne, of course.

Smith Island Cake

This nine-layer vanilla cake has a light chocolate ganache filling and icing, making it one worth saving for special occasions. "Using aluminum pans really speeds up the assembly and cooking process," suggests Pam Lolley from the Allrecipes Test Kitchen.

Southern Red Velvet Cake

Unlike most red velvet cakes, which use cream cheese frosting, this Southern-style cake uses a light, butter icing instead: "The frosting absolutely makes this cake!" raves reviewer amydoll.

• Red Velvet Cake Recipes

Banana Cheesecake with Banana Cream Pie Topping

Two all-time favorite desserts merge to make one epic combination. The Oreo® crust adds a touch of chocolate. "I used chocolate-filled Oreos for the crust and sprinkled choc shavings on top to give it some color," says reviewer Kim Koyamatsu.

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• Banana Dessert Recipes

Rainbow Pinata Cake

Prepare for the "oohs" and "aahs" when you cut into this rainbow layer cake that is overflowing with assorted candies and sprinkles. "This was an absolute hit at my daughter's birthday party," says reviewer BRADLEY LATOUR. "Was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be."

• 9 Rainbow Cake Recipes Worth a Pot of Gold

Doberge Cake

"Based on the Hungarian Dobos torte (pronounced Do-bash), this cake was developed in New Orleans and is now a staple throughout Louisiana," says recipe creator metread. This is definitely a special occasion dessert — layers of white cake and custard filling are covered in a chocolate buttercream and chocolate ganache.

Dobos Torte

As the predecessor to the Doberge cake (see the previous slide), this traditional Hungarian dessert is named for its creator, Hungarian pastry chef Josef Dobos. Chocolate buttercream is sandwiched between layers of sponge cake and topped with a caramel glaze.

• Hungarian Recipes

Chocolate Unicorn Cake

Don't be fooled by the adorable unicorn, this recipe uses a from-scratch, dark chocolate cake with homemade vanilla frosting, meaning it tastes as good as it looks. Reviewer Lisa describes the cake as, "Deep chocolate flavor not too sweet and perfectly moist."

Triple Chocolate Roll Cake

"A chocolate cake is wrapped around alternating stripes of white chocolate whipped cream and a whipped dark chocolate mousse for not only great flavor, but a striking presentation as well," says recipe creator Kim. "Make sure to really chill your fillings before whipping--overnight would be best--or they won't fluff up properly. This takes some time and patience to make--so plan ahead when making this cake!"

• Cake Roll Recipes

Rainbow Citrus Cake

A rainbow of citrus flavors — orange, lemon, and lime — alternate with a lemon custard filling and are topped off with an orange cream frosting. "It is definitely fun and pretty, and you can clearly taste the distinct flavor of each of the lime, lemon, and orange layers, each as delicious as the next," says reviewer naples34102.

Cannoli Cheesecake

This Italian-inspired cheesecake takes from its namesake with ingredients like ricotta cheese, mascarpone, and chocolate chips. To keep the top of the cheesecake from cracking, try turning off the oven when the cheesecake is done and leaving the door cracked for about an hour, as John Somerall from the Allrecipes Test Kitchen suggests.

Easy Six-Layer Rainbow Cake

This bright and cheery rainbow layer cake has a mascarpone frosting that helps to hold the cake together and preserve it for next-day enjoyment.

Apple Frangipane Cake

"This is a dense, moist, and very flavorful apple frangipane cake that is very almond-forward in a yummy way," says Pam Lolley from the Allrecipes Test Kitchen. "The apples complement it nicely and I loved the crunch of the toasted almonds on top."

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

A favorite summertime beverage is transformed into a frosted layer cake. Some reviewers suggest adding a little red food coloring to the strawberry reduction for a stronger presentation.

• Strawberry Dessert Recipes

Caramel Cake

Sometimes fancy means new and innovative, and sometimes it means classic and elegant. This decadent caramel cake with caramel icing can definitely be described as the latter.

Walnut-Cream Roll

This mildly sweet and nutty cake roll is filled with chopped walnuts for added texture and flavor. Here's a tip: Toast the walnuts first for a more robust flavor.

Mexican Tres Leches Cake (Pastel de 3 Leches)

"Pastel de 3 leches literally means 'cake made with three milks' in Spanish, and this classic Mexican cake is soaked in just that," says recipe creator mega. "Super moist and delicious, this cake is easy to make and will be the talk of your next party!"

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• 12 Traditional Mexican Dessert Recipes

White Wine Pound Cake

While you might not typically include pound cake in a collection of fancy recipes, this is not your typical pound cake recipe. This cake starts with yellow cake mix, but the addition of white wine to both the batter and the glaze takes it up a notch.

Extreme Chocolate Cake

Over 2,600 home cooks have given this chocolate cake a 5-star rating. Try swapping freshly brewed coffee for boiling water to give a mild espresso flavor, as reviewer Patti Nelson Grønborg suggests.

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White Tres Leches Cake

Traditional tres leches cakes are soaked with milk (three kinds: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream). This version uses the same ingredients to create a mousse-like mixture, resulting in a cake that holds up better to frosting and other decorations.

Tiramisu Layer Cake

Don't tell anybody, but the secret to this cake version of a favorite Italian dessert is actually boxed cake mix. "Fancy taste without all the work," says recipe creator bettina.

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Opera

This is one cake to make when you're looking to stretch yourself in the kitchen: "I first tried this at baking school, and I became addicted to it...it is a layered dessert of a thin cake with ground almonds, filled with ganache and coffee buttercream, and topped with more ganache. It's a lot of steps, but well worth the effort," says recipe creator Giselle. The best part is, you can make the individual components in advance and assemble them later.

Genoese Sponge

Compared to its sponge cake counterpart, genoise sponge cake is a little more crumbly and less springy. A traditional sponge cake has just three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs; but the genoise sponge cake gets its denser texture from the addition of butter.

Russian Honey Cake

"The tiny amount of bitterness we get from the burnt honey really is the secret here, and the slightly tangy whipped cream frosting provides a bit of acidity and lovely light texture; and unlike other frostings, it's not too sweet," says Chef John of this towering layer cake.

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Related:

• Pictured: Chocolate Coconut Trifle
• 50 Fancy Desserts That You Can Make at Home
• 15 Fancy Cookie Recipes
• 11 Different Types of Cake — and How to Tell Them Apart
• Browse our entire collection of Cake Recipes.