Graduation Tassel Cake
Spring means the school term is coming to an end, and graduation season is almost on us!
Finishing school (of any type or level) is no easy feat, and the fact that these graduates are putting in effort and determination to complete that stage of education is an act that totally deserves more than a pat on the back. If you have someone in your life who is graduating soon, this is a great time to start preparing to celebrate .
Of course, no celebration is complete without a celebratory cake! Someone wise once said that "a gathering without cake is just a meeting " so let's take a hint from them and bake some cake . Here are 55 of our most stunning graduation cake recipes to celebrate the accomplishments of the students in your life.
Related: 30 Naked Cakes You'll Fall in Love with For Celebratory Occasions
What Kind of Cake To Serve at a Graduation Party While you can definitely do "graduation-themed" cakes—such as tassel cakes, graduation hat cakes, diploma cakes or even money cakes, you don't have to feel confined to those.
Maybe the graduate has a favorite cake flavor he/she would love to have on his/her special day. Cupcakes are also a great idea for a grad party because they are self-serve and perfect for mingling.
Or perhaps the guest of honor has another favorite dessert they would love to see transformed into a cake? Check out the S'mores Cake, Oatmeal Cream Pie Cake and Snickerdoodle Cake for tasty examples of this extra personal touch.
Why stop at just one cake? You can also offer a few different varieties for a fun cake buffet.
Related: 25 Best Graduation Party Food Ideas
The Best Graduation Cake Ideas In fact, if you're up to it, feel free to prepare an elaborate and gloriously decadent layer cake , such as a chocolate peanut butter layer cake, a tiramisu layer cake or a 3-layer s'mores cake.
For something less fussy, you can also opt for a simple, but elegant, champagne bundt cake or a sheet pan cookie cake.
Here are 55 of the best graduation cake ideas to celebrate all the new grads! Browse through them, make sure to pin your favorites and let's get baking.
Graduation Cake Recipes Wilton
Decorated with little mini tassels and a gum paste graduation cap, this two-layer cake is great for parties and post-commencement get-togethers.
Get the recipe: Graduation Tassel Cake
Hungry Happenings
These decadently creamy flourless chocolate cake graduation caps will not disappoint! Each mini chocolate cake topped with a square of chocolate is decorated with white modeling chocolate to look like a mortarboard.
Get the recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake Graduation Caps
Martha Stewart
Moist chocolate layers are brushed with a cherry brandy known as kirsch, then filled with pastry cream and cherries. Divine, glossy chocolate ganache is poured over the top.
Get the recipe: Martha Stewart's Marvelous Black Forest Cake
My Recipes
This easy graduation cake is adaptable to the decorations you have on hand!
Get the recipe: Easy Graduation Cake
Taste of Home
Graduation guests are bound to enjoy this sweet "certificate"...to a high degree! The yummy cake features a layer of creamy filling and fresh strawberries.
Get the recipe: Diploma Cake
At Sloane's Table
This small vanilla cake recipe bakes up incredibly soft, stays moist for days, and is perfect for any celebratory occasion!
Get the recipe: Vanilla Cake
Carlsbad Cravings
This white chocolate raspberry cake is made of layers of soft, airy, buttery vanilla cake, luscious raspberry filling and white chocolate cream cheese frosting!
Get the recipe: White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
The View from Great Island
This celebratory almond layer cake with blackberry buttercream is an elegant combination of the perfect yellow cake with an unusual tangy berry frosting.
Get the recipe: Almond Layer Cake with Blackberry Buttercream
Eat the Love
This gorgeous celebratory cake is made with sparkling wine and gin in the buttercream frosting, making it perfect for a graduation party.
Get the recipe: Champagne Cake
Tutti Dolci
This light and lovely citrus champagne bundt cake is perfumed with winter citrus and is the perfect celebratory bundt cake!
Get the recipe: Citrus Champagne Bundt Cake
Domestic Gothess
Vegan chocolate raspberry mousse cake—layers of dark chocolate mousse and vegan white chocolate raspberry mousse sit on top of a layer of rich, moist chocolate cake.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Cake
Life Love and Sugar
Layers of moist chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting and chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups! It’s rich, delicious and so fun!
Get the recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Cake
Grandbaby Cakes
This perfectly moist, tender and soft lemon layer cake is iced in a wonderful lemon cream cheese frosting and bursting with irresistibly zingy and tangy lemon flavor!
Get the recipe: Lemon Layer Cake
Related: 70 Refreshing Lemon Recipes
Life Love and Sugar
This lemon mascarpone layer cake is made with a moist lemon cake, lemon curd and a smooth and creamy whipped mascarpone frosting! It’s light, yet sweet and tart and so darn good!
Get the recipe: Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake
Liv for Cake
This white chocolate mocha cake pairs tender white chocolate espresso cake layers with a whipped white chocolate ganache and silky espresso buttercream.
Get the recipe: White Chocolate Mocha Cake
Reserveamana
This berry mascarpone cake has three layers of rich white cake topped with mascarpone cream and fresh fruit. It’s light, fruity and perfect for spring!
Get the recipe: Delicious Berry Mascarpone Layer Cake
Teak and Thyme
This tiramisu layer cake has soft genoise sponge cake layers soaked in espresso with a creamy mascarpone frosting.
Get the recipe: Tiramisu Layer Cake
Love and Confections
Your favorite childhood lunchbox treat is transformed into a delicious oatmeal cream pie cake. Oatmeal brown sugar cake, marshmallow filling, and vanilla bean frosting are the perfect back-to-school indulgence.
Get the recipe: Oatmeal Cream Pie Cake
Life Love and Sugar
This Kahlua coffee chocolate cake is made with a moist chocolate Kahlua cake covered in Kahlua coffee frosting!
Get the recipe: Kahlua Coffee Chocolate Cake
In Bloom Bakery
Sweet and tender maple pecan layer cake full of chopped pecans, frosted and filled with decadent brown butter buttercream.
Get the recipe: Maple Pecan Layer Cake
Baking a Moment
This perfect vanilla cake bakes up soft, buttery, and moist, with a fine, delicate crumb. So easy it’s practically foolproof, and it all comes together in just one bowl.
Get the recipe: Perfect Vanilla Cake
Chelsweets
This white chocolate raspberry cake recipe is made with fluffy white cake layers and its white chocolate frosting is perfectly balanced with a tart raspberry filling!
Get the recipe: White Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake
Liv for Cake
This almond amaretto cake is a must for any almond lover! Almond cake layers infused with Amaretto liqueur paired with classic vanilla buttercream.
Get the recipe: Almond Amaretto Cake
Sugar Geek Show
The best Oreo cake recipe! Three layers of moist vanilla cake filled with chopped Oreos and then thick and creamy vanilla frosting that tastes just like the filling from actual Oreos. Topped with more Oreo frosting and Oreo cookies!
Get the recipe: Oreo Cake Recipe
The View from Great Island
This orange creamsicle cake is an easy orange layer cake made from scratch for birthdays, family meals and summer potlucks. It’s the perfect orange dessert!
Get the recipe: Orange Creamsicle Cake
Vintage Kitchen Notes
Smooth and delicious, this bundt cake recipe will make you a fan of white chocolate and berries! The flavors are subtle and deep at the same time, the crumb is dense and tender and the cake lasts for several days.
Get the recipe: White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake
Beyond the Butter
This chocolate chip cake is two layers of moist and delicious cake with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips baked right in, and a sweet vanilla chocolate chip buttercream frosting to boot!
Get the recipe: Chocolate Chip Cake
Milandra's Kitchen
The beautiful layers, the simple flavors of perfect whipped cream, raspberries, blueberries, a hint of jam and tender yellow cake make something magic.
Get the recipe: Easy Berry Chantilly Cake
Life Love and Sugar
This lemon raspberry layer cake has moist, light layers of lemon cake, lemon curd filling and a raspberry frosting. It’s decorated with buttercream, lemon slices and a few blossom flowers for a cake that’s perfect for summer!
Get the recipe: Lemon Raspberry Layer Cake
Butternut Bakery
The ultimate cake for any chocolate lover-with layers of fudgy brownie cake, chocolate frosting, chocolate ganache and a pile of brownies on top.
Get the recipe: Fudgy Brownie Cake
Tatyana's Everyday Food
The best summer fruit cake-sangria cake with fluffy sponge cake, whipped cream and fruit!
Get the recipe: Summer Sangria Cake
Love and Olive Oil
The summer fun has just begun! This colorful strawberry funfetti ice cream cake will have you smiling from ear to ear!
Get the recipe: Strawberry Funfetti Ice Cream Cake
Life Made Simple Bakes
A summer favorite turned into a drool-worthy dessert fit for a party, no campfire required! This s’mores layer cake has a graham base, fudge frosting and a homemade marshmallow meringue frosting.
Get the recipe: S'mores Layer Cake
Mama Gourmand
Bite into a dream come true with an ultra-moist gluten-free red velvet cake recipe that is also ridiculously easy to throw together!
Get the recipe: Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake
Tastes Better from Scratch
This easy homemade chocolate bundt cake recipe is heavenly, topped with chocolate ganache and mini chocolate chips.
Get the recipe: Chocolate Bundt Cake
Sally's Baking Addiction
Sunshine-sweet lemon blueberry layer cake dotted with juicy berries and topped with lush cream cheese frosting. One of the most popular cake recipes on this website!
Get the recipe: Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake
Peas and Crayons
Sheet pan cookie cake: This classic chocolate chip cookie cake is the ultimate birthday cake!
Get the recipe: Sheet Pan Cookie Cake
Butternut Bakery
This is truly the best-ever carrot cake recipe. It's incredibly moist, perfectly spiced, and smothered in cream cheese frosting. It's the only carrot cake recipe you'll ever need!
Get the recipe: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Sally's Baking Addiction
Create an absolutely mouthwatering snickerdoodle cake filled with buttery cinnamon swirls and topped with creamy brown sugar cinnamon buttercream frosting.
Get the recipe: Snickerdoodle Cake
Sugar and Soul
Yellow cake is an old-fashioned cake made with a rich blend of butter, eggs and buttermilk for a tender butter cake that’s perfect for birthdays and everyday celebrations!
Get the recipe: Yellow Cake
Queenslee Appetit
This turtle chocolate layer cake starts with rich, decadent and moist chocolate cake layers that are filled with a caramel pecan sauce and covered in a smooth caramel frosting, then finished off with a caramel and ganache drip and chopped pecans!
Get the recipe: Turtle Chocolate Layer Cake
Related: 16 Keto-Approved Chocolate Desserts
House of Nash Eats
This S'mores cake is an over-the-top decadent dessert with layers of moist chocolate cake, graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache and homemade marshmallow filling, all surrounded by a luscious buttercream frosting. It's a scrumptious, irresistible twist on one of summer's most iconic desserts!
Get the recipe: 3-Layer S'mores Cake
The Little Epicurean
This chai layer cake features three layers of chai-infused cake frosted with vanilla bean Swiss buttercream.
Get the recipe: Chai Layer Cake
Broma Bakery
This decadent caramel cake is moist, buttery and full of caramel flavor! Made with homemade caramel, the best vanilla cake ever and a fluffy vanilla buttercream swirled with caramel sauce, you’ll love this caramel layer cake!
Get the recipe: Caramel Layer Cake
Up next: Spring Pies That Outshine All Other Desserts
View comments