Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too, With 27 Cake Flavors—Ranked Worst To Best

Stephanie Osmanski

March 18, 2023 at 12:30 AM·13 min read

Ranking all the flavors was no piece of cake (but we did it anyway).

The best cake flavors is a really subjective topic and ranking them all is definitely tougher than ranking the best White Claws, Monster energy drinks and Gatorade flavors combined (like Parade has done previously). With cake, there are so many more flavors than other food categories and so it was an arduous (albeit delicious) process of cake tasting, testing, and crowdsourcing that led to our final results of the best and worst cake flavors.

Keep reading for answers to frequently asked questions about cake—plus, the best cake flavors ranked worst to best.

Which flavor cake tastes best?

While everyone's palette varies from person to person, there are a few cake flavors that most of us can agree on. According to Google Trends data analyzed by jewelry company Shane Co., ice cream cake is by far and away the cake flavor Americans—in any state—gravitate toward.

Ice cream cake was the most-Googled flavor in 10 different states including Arizona, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.

Now, beyond the "ice cream" part of the cake, it's important to take into consideration that there are different flavors of ice cream. With chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ranking as the three best ice cream flavors (at least in Parade's opinion), we can deduce that the most popular ice cream cake flavor is neopolitan.

What are the best birthday cake flavors?

The most popular cake flavors should have no influence over the cake flavor you order for your birthday! At the end of the day, it is your special day, so you should order (or bake) whatever flavor cake you want.

With that in mind, people have ~opinions~ about the best birthday cake flavors. According to BakeryCity.com, some of the most popular birthday cake flavors include carrot, chocolate, vanilla, Funfetti, red velvet and angel food cake (among others).

What flavor cake does everyone like?

Getting everyone in the world to agree on one cake flavor is probably an impossible task. However, if you're doing research for an upcoming birthday cake (or a cake for some other important occasion), rest assured that something on the plain side—at least in terms of flavor profile—might be your best bet.

Data from ContractTesting.com found that chocolate was the most popular flavor of cake. Chocolate cake compliments so many other hints of flavor like strawberry or chocolate mousse, or other flavors of frosting.

Here at Parade.com, we're all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however, all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.

27 Cake flavors ranked from worst to best

27. Bundt Cake

<p>LUIZ CARLOS SANTI/Unsplash</p> — LUIZ CARLOS SANTI/Unsplash

Ah, the bundt cake. The same cake that didn't offend the matriarch of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding family per se but definitely confunded her, this cake with a hole in the middle kind of looks like a big, spongey donut. Is it anyone's fave? Maybe but if it is, those people are hard to find. For us, bundt cake is a major fail.

26. Pineapple Upside Down

Duncan Hines Pineapple Supreme Cake 16.5 oz ( 2 Pack)

Lovers of Pineapple Upside Down cake have a very specific palette. Maybe it's an acquired taste but this fruit-cake hybrid is exactly that: a fruitcake. Do people like fruitcake? Eh.

25. Poke Cake

Also known as poke-and-pour, this is another hole-forward sponge that isn't exactly a fan-favorite. Similar to the bundt, poke cake has holes all over it. You bake it first, poke the holes, then pour a liquid flavor—like cherry syrup, condensed milk, caramel, or chocolate—over the top so it soaks in.

All that goodness aside, the truth of the matter is, cake without holes is infinitely better.

24. Orange Cake

Duncan Hines Signature Orange Supreme Cake Mix 15.25oz (pack of 2)

Surprisingly, orange is one of the better fruit-flavored cakes (although nothing compares to strawberry, #3). While it may not be your first choice of sponge, orange cake is actually relatively satisfying. We do think, however, that other citrus flavors (like lemon, for example) do it better.

23. Carrot Cake

Betty Crocker Bundle - Super Moist Carrot Cake Mix and Rich & Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting Bundle - 1 of Each - 2 Items

We know, we know—some people are obsessed with carrot cake. And there's a time and a place for it. But maybe not at the top of our rankings. There are flavors we find so much more appealing on a regular basis.

22. Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake Mix Bundle Includes Two (2) Duncan Hines Signature Perfectly Moist Angel Food Cake Mix, 16 oz Two (2) Pack And A BVOJ SALES Spreader Included

Angel food cake usually produces mixed reviews but with so many other cake flavors to choose from, it's just not a go-to (no matter how light and airy it is).

21. Coconut Cake

Duncan Hine's Dolly Parton's Favorite Southern-Style Coconut Cake Mix Set! Flavored With Vanilla Frosting! Easy To Make Deliciously Moist At Home! Choose Your Flavor! (Coconut), 2 Piece Set

As with most things coconut-flavored, this particular cake is rather polarizing. Southern coconut cake is usually on the sweeter side, so we'll give it that. But there's a fine line between an appropriate amount of coconut and too much coconut.

20. Pistachio Cake

You know, pistachio isn't for everyone but if you stan the flavor in general, then this is definitely the cake for you. As far as popularity goes though, this is one of the more niche flavors that's hard to get behind.

19. Marble Cake

Ducan Hines Signature Fudge Marble Cake Mix (Pack of 2) 15.25 oz Boxes

Marble cake is also known as Marmor and while it's fancy as anything thanks to its marbled appearance (literally) that requires two batters, marble cake is fine for a special occasion but hardly the standout flavor.

18. White Cake

Duncan Hines Classic White Moist Cake Mix 15.25oz (Pack of 2)

Much more subtle than vanilla cake, white cake is not to be confused for its similarly-colored counterpart. White cake is typically used for wedding cakes as it has a soft, crumby texture that can handle the stress of intense buttercream or frosting.

But all in all, there's not much flavor in this kind of cake. We give it an "e" for effort but we won't be ordering this one anytime soon.

Oddly enough though, Shane Co.'s research found that white cake is particularly popular in Ohio...

17. Pound Cake

<p>sheri silver/Unsplash</p> — sheri silver/Unsplash

Everyone's tried pound cake before but do you actually know why it's so named? Recipes for this common sponge include a pound of each ingredient: a pound of flour, a pound of butter, a pound of eggs, and a pound of sugar.

Not exactly healthy, of course, but the end result is pretty tasty (although, aptly, it will help you pack on the pounds, too).

16. Black Forest Cake

Kathi Black Forest Cake Mix, 14.6 Ounce

You either love black forest cake or you don't. It's that simple. There's a heck of a lot of chocolate in black forest cake, so if that's too rich for you, stop right there. Then, there's cherries thrown in, too—usually preserved Morello cherries—as well as a cherry liquer. If that sounds like more than your sensitive belly can handle, we don't blame you.

Then again, if you love the cream soda-esque taste of Dr Pepper, black forest is like a Dr Pepper bevy in cake form.

15. Apple Cake

Fisher Northwest Apple Cake Mix, 16.5 OZ (Pack of 3)

Now apple cake is pretty straight to the point but don't underestimate it. This fruit-flavored cake isn't too fruity and as such, it shouldn't be slept on. More subtle than a pie of the same flavoring, apple cake feels cozy and comfortable—like something your grandma would bake. And when deciding on a cake flavor, that's exactly what we want.

14. Icebox Cake

Icebox cake is kinda meh but its most redeeming quality is that it's easy-peasy to make at home. A standard icebox cake requires something crunchy—like your favorite kind of cookies, chocolate, pretzels or nuts. If you want to go really crazy, add your favorite syrup. It's totally customizable to the baker—which is why it gets so many brownie points—but still, it's relatively mediocre.

13. Lemon Poppyseed Cake

If you go hard for a lemon poppyseed muffin or even the lemon loaf at Starbucks, then you'll be obsessed with lemon poppyseed cake. That combo of sweet citrus and nutty, fruity poppyseeds is just to die for. And that glaze? So good. (TBH, this should've made the top 10 but judging cake flavors is tricky business and there were a few in the crowd that were simply more popular.)

12. Double/Triple Chocolate Cake

Duncan Hines Signature Perfectly Moist Triple Chocolate Cake Mix 15.25 Ounce

For chocolate lovers, double or triple chocolate cake really hits it out of the park. But for the rest of us, it can be just too chocolatey. If your belly can't handle that richness, you're going to want to chug a glass of water in between bites. If double or triple chocolate is your thing, however, by all means, go for it.

11. Yellow Cake

Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix, 15.25 oz

Yellow cake is an easy one to love. This flavor is pretty unassuming in that it's not too subtle or too bold and just about everybody likes it. Is it the be-all end-all? Nah, but it is consistently delicious and that's worth something.

10. Cheesecake

<p>Tina Guina/Unsplash</p> — Tina Guina/Unsplash

Where are The Golden Girls when you need 'em? Cheesecake isn't just a staple of this throwback TV show; it's also an easy way to incorporate just about every kind of flavor into a gelatin-like sponge (without the gelatin). This kind of cake usually have several layers with the thickest being on top. But the best part is this delicious hack: Take a spoon of the cake itself, then a spoon of the graham cracker crust. This combination of both cake and crust is like heaven in your mouth.

9. Devil's Food Cake

Duncan Hines Classic Devil's Food Cake Mix (2 Pack)

Here's another one for chocolate lovers, but unlike double or triple chocolate, devil's food cake is a bit more palatable. Moist and rich by nature, this cake pairs super well with white or yellow angel food cake, which is why you'll often see it in layered cakes.

8. Lemon Cake

Betty Crocker Super Moist Lemon Cake Mix and Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Lemon Frosting Bundle - 2 of Each - 4 Items. "There's Pudding in the mix!" Cake Mix

It's very hard to mess up lemon cake and for that reason, you can't really go wrong. Usually a safe bet no matter where you order this sponge, lemon cake is also the most popular flavor in the state of Vermont. Guess they like it tangy!

7. Raspberry Cake

<p>Aneta Voborilova/Unsplash</p> — Aneta Voborilova/Unsplash

Raspberry is extremely popular in cake-baking and it's used a lot as a complimentary flavor (like chocolate raspberry cake) or as a filling. All the way around, raspberry cake is perfection but it's worth noting that raspberry as a stand-alone cake flavor is more of a specialty.

6. Red Velvet Cake

Betty Crocker Super Moist Red Velvet Cake Mix with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting Bundle

As with some other polarizing flavors, red velvet cake is one of those hate-it or love-it types. The fan-favorite flavor of the state of Alabama, red velvet cake is as rosy-red as its name suggests but it's the decadent ratio of cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top. It's truly a genius flavor and we'd like to personally thank whoever figured out that cocoa powder, cream cheese and buttermilk could work so well together.

5. Strawberries and Cream Cake

<p>Becky Fantham/Unsplash</p> — Becky Fantham/Unsplash

Strawberry-flavored ice cream ranks pretty close to #1, so it should come as no surprise that strawberries and cream cake is also rated well.

Taking the number six spot is the strawberries and cream cake. This can also be a strawberry shortcake—it's essentially the same thing: a sponge-like vanilla layer cake with cream and strawberries in between the layers.

It's delicious, and no one would argue that it's not. It's not in the top five because it's not as popular as some other cake flavors. Plus, there's the fact that it kind of seems like a seasonal dessert. It's not like you'd go out of your way to make a strawberries and cream cake in the middle of winter. But it's a cake that tastes as good as it looks—that's for sure.

4. Funfetti Cake

Pillsbury Moist Premium Cake Mix 15.25 Ounce and Funfetti Vanilla Flavored Frosting 15.6 Ounce

Funfetti is like the Hannah Montana of cake flavors... You get the best of both worlds! It's not two separate flavors per se, but the vanilla sponge is complimented well by the burst of rainbow crunchies you can find throughout.

As far as we're concerned, Funfetti is the quintessential birthday cake flavor!

3. Chocolate Cake

Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix, 15.25 oz (Pack of 12)

Plain old chocolate cake isn't actually plain or old at all. It's a real winner in our eyes because a) most people love it b) it's satisfying! and c) it's neither too rich or too pale of a flavor. All in all, it's a stunning cake flavor.

2. Vanilla Cake

Duncan Hines Signature Perfectly Moist French Vanilla Cake Mix, 15.25 Ounce (Pack of 12)

Vanilla cake is not basic and anyone that tells you otherwise should be escorted out of your birthday party. No, just kidding—don't kick anyone out for hating on vanilla cake, but this flavor is absolutely the bee's knees for most people who enjoy cake.

Everyone else? We don't understand you but you know, more for us!

1. Ice Cream Cake

<p>Jordane Mathieu/Unsplash</p> — Jordane Mathieu/Unsplash

While naysayers (AKA haters) will say that ice cream cake is difficult to make and annoying to store and tricky to cut, most cake lovers really don't care.

Whether it's the perfect temperature or just a little too melty, ice cream cake is ALWAYS good. No, not good—delicious!

Next up, the best Dr Pepper flavors from worst to best.

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