14 Classic Southern Cakes That Deserve a Spot on Every Holiday Table
In the South, a tall layer cake on a glass stand is a sign that someone special is coming to dinner. These Southern cakes have been baked for church homecomings, family reunions and Christmas Eve for generations. Many recipes were passed down on stained index cards, with notes like “do not overbeat” in grandma handwriting. For more crowd sized bakes, see our poke cake and sheet cake recipes. Which of these cakes did your family make..
Red Velvet, the Most Famous of All Southern Cakes
Deep red layers, a whisper of cocoa and thick cream cheese frosting. Red velvet is the cake that made Southern cakes famous all over the world. Buttermilk and a splash of vinegar make it extra tender and give it a slight tang. Many bakers use food coloring for that bold red, while some use beet juice. Is red velvet just chocolate cake with color, or something special? Let us settle it.
You will need: 2 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 1/2 cups oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons red food coloring, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla. Frosting: 16 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 4 cups powdered sugar.
How to make it: Whisk the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix the oil, buttermilk, eggs, color, vinegar and vanilla. Combine until smooth. Divide between two 9 inch pans. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Beat the frosting ingredients until fluffy. Fill and frost the cooled layers.
Old Fashioned Caramel Cake, a True Test of Southern Cakes
Ask a Southern grandmother about caramel cake and she will tell you the icing is everything. Yellow butter layers are covered with a cooked caramel icing that sets into a fudge like shell. It takes patience and a candy thermometer, but the result is pure magic. This is the cake people beg for at church suppers. Have you ever tasted a real cooked caramel icing?
You will need: Yellow cake: 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 4 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon baking powder. Icing: 3 cups brown sugar, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
How to make it: Bake two 9 inch yellow layers at 350F for 28 minutes. For the icing, boil the sugar, milk and butter, stirring, to 234F. Cool to warm, add vanilla and beat until it thickens. Quickly spread over the cooled cake before it sets.
Hummingbird Cake, Southern Cakes at Their Sweetest
Hummingbird cake was first made famous by a reader recipe in Southern Living in 1978, and it is still one of its most requested recipes. Mashed bananas, crushed pineapple and pecans make a moist, spiced cake that stays fresh for days. Cream cheese frosting holds the layers together. It tastes like a tropical carrot cake. Have you ever heard of this one before?
You will need: 3 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 eggs, 1 cup oil, 2 cups mashed bananas, 1 can crushed pineapple with juice, 1 cup chopped pecans, cream cheese frosting.
How to make it: Stir the dry ingredients together. Add the eggs and oil and stir just to combine. Fold in bananas, pineapple and pecans. Bake in three 9 inch pans at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting and pecans.
Coconut Cake for Christmas
A snowy white coconut cake is a Christmas tradition in many Southern homes. Soft vanilla layers are brushed with coconut milk, frosted with fluffy icing and covered in flakes of coconut. It looks like a winter wonderland on a cake stand. Make it a day ahead so the layers get extra moist. Poll: A) love coconut, B) like it, C) only in cake or D) no thanks? Of all the Southern cakes, this one looks the most like Christmas.
You will need: 3 cups cake flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 5 egg whites, 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon coconut extract, cream cheese frosting, 3 cups sweetened coconut flakes.
How to make it: Cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg whites. Mix in the flour and baking powder with the coconut milk and extract. Bake in two 9 inch pans at 350F for 28 minutes. Frost and press coconut flakes all over.
Italian Cream Cake, One of the Great Southern Cakes
Despite the name, Italian cream cake is a true Southern classic, not Italian at all. Buttermilk layers are loaded with coconut and pecans and covered in a rich cream cheese frosting with more pecans. It is the cake for weddings, anniversaries and big birthdays. One bite and you will understand why it is so loved. Why do you think it got this name?
You will need: 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup oil, 5 eggs separated, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup chopped pecans, cream cheese frosting.
How to make it: Cream the butter, oil and sugar, add the yolks, then the flour and soda with the buttermilk. Stir in coconut and pecans. Fold in the beaten whites. Bake in three pans at 350F for 25 minutes. Frost and sprinkle with pecans.
Lady Baltimore Cake From Charleston
This elegant white cake has been linked to Charleston since a 1906 novel made it famous. Tender white layers are filled with a fluffy meringue frosting mixed with chopped dried fruit and nuts. Cherries on top make it festive. It is one of the oldest Southern cakes and a beautiful choice for a holiday party. Have you ever baked a cake with a story this old?
You will need: White cake: 3 cups cake flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 6 egg whites, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon baking powder. Filling: 7 minute frosting, 1/2 cup chopped figs or raisins, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, candied cherries.
How to make it: Bake two white layers at 350F for 25 minutes. Make a fluffy 7 minute frosting. Fold the chopped fruit and nuts into a third of it and spread between the layers. Cover with plain frosting and decorate with cherries.
Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot cake may not be from the South, but Southern bakers have made it their own with extra pecans, pineapple and a thick swoop of frosting. It is moist, warmly spiced and somehow feels a little healthy. Grate the carrots finely so they melt into the batter. This is the cake that always wins over vegetable haters. Raisins in carrot cake: yes or no? It earned its place among Southern cakes long ago.
You will need: 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 4 eggs, 1 1/4 cups oil, 3 cups grated carrots, 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, cream cheese frosting.
How to make it: Whisk the dry ingredients. Stir in the eggs and oil, then the carrots, pecans and pineapple. Bake in two 9 inch pans at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes. Frost the cooled layers generously.
Fresh Strawberry Cake
Strawberry cake is a Southern spring favorite, but frozen berries make it possible all year. Real strawberry puree goes into the cake and the frosting, giving it a pretty pink color and true berry flavor. Top it with fresh strawberries for a showstopper at baby showers and birthdays. Is this the prettiest cake in the list?
You will need: 2 1/2 cups cake flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup butter, 4 egg whites, 1 cup strawberry puree, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon baking powder. Frosting: strawberry cream cheese frosting, fresh strawberries.
How to make it: Cream butter and sugar, add whites, then flour and baking powder with the puree and milk. Bake in two pans at 350F for 30 minutes. Frost with strawberry cream cheese frosting and top with berries.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
Every Southern family has a chocolate cake recipe that wins every bake off. This one uses hot coffee and buttermilk for a dark, moist crumb, and a fudge frosting that tastes like a candy bar. Tall layers make it a real celebration cake. Serve it with a cold glass of milk. Is chocolate the only cake that counts at your house?
You will need: 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup oil, 2 eggs, 1 cup hot coffee, fudge frosting.
How to make it: Whisk the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk, oil and eggs, then stir in the hot coffee. The batter will be thin. Bake in two 9 inch pans at 350F for 30 to 35 minutes. Frost thickly with fudge frosting.
Texas Sheet Cake
Big as Texas and twice as easy. This thin chocolate cake bakes in a large sheet pan and gets a warm pecan fudge icing poured right on top while it is hot. The icing sets into a glossy, crackly layer. It feeds a crowd and comes together in about 40 minutes. It is one of the easiest Southern cakes for potlucks. Who brings this to every family gathering?
You will need: 2 cups flour, 2 cups sugar, 1 cup butter, 1 cup water, 1/4 cup cocoa, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon soda. Icing: 1/2 cup butter, 1/4 cup cocoa, 1/3 cup milk, 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup pecans.
How to make it: Boil the butter, water and cocoa and pour over the flour and sugar. Mix in eggs, buttermilk and soda. Bake in a half sheet pan at 350F for 20 minutes. Boil the icing butter, cocoa and milk, stir in sugar and pecans, and pour over the hot cake.
Texas Pecan Cake
Pecans are the official nut of Texas, and this cake celebrates them in every bite. A buttery brown sugar cake is packed with toasted pecans and topped with even more. Some families add a splash of bourbon or vanilla to the batter. It slices beautifully and keeps well, which makes it perfect for gifting. How do you say it: pee can or pa kahn?
You will need: 2 cups flour, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup butter, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla, 2 cups chopped toasted pecans, extra pecans for the top.
How to make it: Cream the butter and sugars. Add eggs one by one, then flour and baking powder with the milk and vanilla. Fold in the pecans. Pour into a lined 9 inch square pan, cover the top with pecans and bake at 325F for 55 to 60 minutes.
Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Retro Southern Cakes Done Right
This retro cake has been a Southern Sunday dessert since the 1920s. Brown sugar and butter melt in the bottom of a cast iron skillet, pineapple rings and cherries go on top, and the batter covers it all. When you flip it, the fruit is shiny and caramelized. It looks like a vintage magazine photo. Do you use a skillet or a cake pan?
You will need: 1/4 cup butter, 2/3 cup brown sugar, 1 can pineapple rings, maraschino cherries, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup butter, 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder.
How to make it: Melt the butter in a 10 inch skillet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple and cherries. Mix the batter and pour over the fruit. Bake at 350F for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and flip onto a plate.
Sweet Potato Layer Cake
Sweet potatoes are a Southern staple, and they make a cake that is moist, golden and gently spiced. Think of it as sweet potato pie in cake form. A brown butter cream cheese frosting and a sprinkle of toasted pecans finish it perfectly. It is a wonderful alternative to pumpkin at Thanksgiving. Sweet potato pie or sweet potato cake: which wins? It is one of the coziest Southern cakes for fall.
You will need: 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup oil, 4 eggs, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, brown butter cream cheese frosting.
How to make it: Whisk the sweet potatoes, sugar, oil and eggs. Stir in the flour, baking powder and spices. Bake in two 9 inch pans at 350F for 30 minutes. Frost and top with toasted pecans.
Kentucky Blackberry Jam Cake
Jam cake is a holiday tradition in Kentucky and Tennessee that goes back to pioneer days. Blackberry jam and warm spices go right into the batter, making a dark, moist cake that tastes even better after a few days. It was often baked weeks before Christmas. Top it with caramel icing or fresh berries. Is this the most underrated of all Southern cakes?
You will need: 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter, 4 eggs, 1 cup blackberry jam, 1 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1 cup chopped pecans.
How to make it: Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs and jam. Mix in the flour, soda and spices with the buttermilk. Stir in pecans. Bake in a tube pan at 325F for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool and top with caramel icing or fresh berries.
