30 of Our Favorite Graduation Cake Ideas
Updated: Aug. 19, 2023Congrats, grad! We've pulled together some of our best graduation cake ideas for your celebration.
It’s time to celebrate! One way to make a graduation party more special is to bake your own graduation party cake. These easy recipes aren’t too hard to whip up, plus they feed a whole crowd. From sheet cakes to ice cream cakes to cupcakes, you’ll find the perfect cake for your grad. And don’t forget to fill out the dessert table with these other graduation party desserts.
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Banana Split Icebox Cake
One day a friend showed me how to make a traditional icebox cake with just cream and graham crackers. I make it extra special with the fruit. Now everyone at your potluck can have a banana split, no muss, no fuss! —Shelly Flye, Albion, Maine
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Graduation Sheet Cake
This delicious dessert will shape your graduation party into a sweet occasion…and then some. “Its surface is perfect for decorating in any way you like,” details Patsy Dean of Sealy, Texas. “We use it year-round for special events.” —Pasty Dean, Sealy, Texas
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Copycat Celebration Cheesecake
My children were born on the same day five years apart, so I go all out for their celebration. This beauty, with its seven layers, is “sweet!” in more ways than one. The baking and prep is easy, but assembly does take some time, so set aside an afternoon. —Kristyne Mcdougle, Lorain, Ohio
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Cream Cheese Sheet Cake
This tender, buttery cream cheese cake with a thin layer of fudge frosting is perfect for a crowd. It's always popular at potlucks and parties. It's not uncommon to see folks going back for second and even third pieces. —Gaye Mann, Rocky Mount, North Carolina
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Peanut Butter ‘N’ Jelly Cake
I made this fun and flavorful peanut butter and jelly cake for my son’s first birthday. He just turned 33, and he still has to have his favorite treat. Kids of any age have a hard time turning down peanut butter and jelly—especially when it comes tucked into cake and frosting! —Linda Graybill, Sebring, Florida
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Sour Cream Sugar Cookie Cake
My husband requested a giant sugar cookie for his birthday. I wanted to do something a bit more exciting than birthday cookies, so I came up with this sugar cookie cake. The secret to a dense, yet cakelike texture is to make sure that you don’t overbake the cake. —Carmell Childs, Orangeville, Utah
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Chocolate Ganache Peanut Butter Cupcakes
I’ve been baking cakes for years and enjoy trying new combinations of flavors and textures. For this peanut butter cupcake recipe, I blended peanut butter and chocolate. As soon as I took the first bite, I knew I had created something divine! —Ronda Schabes, Vicksburg, Michigan
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Gridiron Cake
Celebrate any big game with this easy-to-make snack cake with cream cheese frosting. —Sarah Farmer, Waukesha, WI
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Strawberry Crunch Ice Cream Cake
While growing up, I loved treats from the ice cream truck that rolled through my neighborhood. This ice cream cake is inspired by one of those crunchy, strawberry novelties. —Lisa Kaminski, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
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Texas Sheet Cake
This chocolaty delight was one of my favorites growing up. The Texas sheet cake is so moist and the icing so sweet that everyone who samples it wants a copy of the recipe. —Susan Ormond, Jamestown, North Carolina
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Toffee Poke Cake
This toffee poke cake recipe is a favorite among my family and friends. I love making it because it is so simple.—Ms. Jeanette Hoffman, Oshkosh, Wisconsin
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Pineapple Pudding Cake
My mother used to love making this easy pineapple sunshine cake in the summertime. It's so cool and refreshing that it never lasts very long! —Kathleen Worden, North Andover, Massachusetts
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Raspberry Cake
Jazz up plain cake with raspberry gelatin and frozen berries. Spread with a light, fruity whipped topping (or this whipped topping substitute), the festive results make a cool and refreshing dessert. —Marion Anderson, Dalton, Minnesota
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Rainbow Sherbet Angel Food Cake
Talk about a dessert that pops off the plate! Sometimes I make this easy cake even more eye-catching by tinting the whipped cream. Use whatever sherbet flavor combination you like. —Bonnie Hawkins, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
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Salted Caramel Cupcakes
To help balance the sweetness of this brown sugar cupcake, our Test Kitchen experts created a unique salty frosting. It’s the best of both worlds! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
I received this recipe from a minister's wife, and my family loves it. —Brenda Jackson, Garden City, Kansas
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Moist Chocolate Cake
This moist chocolate cake recipe with coffee reminds me of my grandmother because it was one of her specialties. I bake it often for family parties, and it always brings back fond memories. The cake is light and airy with a delicious chocolate taste. This recipe is a keeper! —Patricia Kreitz, Richland, Pennsylvania
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Pineapple Sheet Cake
This sheet cake is perfect for serving to a crowd. It keeps so well that you can easily prepare it a day ahead and it will stay moist. I often bring it to church potlucks, and I have yet to take much of it home. —Kim Miller Spiek, Sarasota, Florida
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Strawberry Jam Cake
Every year I make this special strawberry jam cake for the Relay for Life cake raffle. It has raised lots of money for a good cause. —Tammy Urbina, Warner Robins, Georgia
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Yummy Chocolate Cake
My husband and I are trying to eat lighter but still crave sweets. This moist, healthy chocolate cake really helps with that. With the rich frosting, it makes a decadent treat! —LaDonna Reed, Ponca City, Oklahoma
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Shortcut Tres Leches Cake
My mom’s favorite cake is tres leches, a butter cake soaked in three kinds of milk. I developed a no-fuss version that’s rich and tender. —Marina Castle Kelley, Canyon Country, California
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All-American Sheet Cake
My sweet and tangy sheet cake piled with fresh whipped cream and juicy fruit is so good, you might just want to eat it for breakfast. —James Schend, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin
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Pina Colada Tube Cake
We named this a “pina colada” cake because it has coconut, pineapple and rum. It’s a soothing finish at the end of a big spread. —Debra Keil, Owasso, Oklahoma
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Root Beer Float Cake
I add root beer to both the cake batter and fluffy frosting of this summery dessert to get that great root beer float taste. Serve this moist cake to a bunch of hungry kids and watch it disappear! —Kat Thompson, Prineville, Oregon
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Cola Cake with Strawberries & Cream
We Southerners have been eating cola cake for decades. This easy version has strawberries, too. Chill it in the fridge for a dreamy summer dessert. —Peggy Walpert, Fort Worth, Texas
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Peaches & Cream Jelly Roll
Cake rolls make a lovely presentation for a party, and they are simple to cut into even slices. My father taught me how to make them, and sometimes we get together and make them for family and friends. —Malena Coleman, Rockville, Indiana
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Yellow Cake with Buttercream Frosting
This is a classic scratch cake. The homemade buttery frosting and crisp, sugared edges really make it stand out. —Aria Thornton, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Banana Flip Cake
Here’s a recipe that will bring back memories of your childhood. Banana flip snack cakes taste just like the banana flips we used to eat when we were kids. —Berta Hagen, Int’l Falls, Minnesota
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Dr Pepper Cake
This Dr Pepper cake is my favorite “go-to” recipe for any time I have to take food anywhere. Everyone loves it. When it’s baked in layers rather than in a single layer, its presence makes people say “wow.” It is a crowd-pleaser! —Shannon Parum, Vernon, Texas
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Summer Celebration Ice Cream Cake
I wanted to make my youngest son an ice cream cake one year for his summer birthday, as he prefers ice cream to the traditional cake. He picked the flavors and I decided to try my favorite brownie recipe as a crust. It worked! —Krista Frank, Rhododendron, Oregon
Originally Published: April 20, 2021
