Amazing Birthday Cakes and Cupcakes

Festive cake with pink buttercream icing

What's the secret to Ina Garten's moist cakes? Sour cream. Bake three layers, each 9, 6, and 3 inches in diameter, and frost each individually with bright pink frosting. Chill the layers before assembling the cake, then spoon or pipe the remaining frosting around the base of each layer and the top of the top layer. Finish with candy decorations.

Recipe: Birthday cake with hot pink buttercream frosting

Festive cake on a baking sheet

Aina's vanilla and lemon zest cake will be your favorite birthday dessert. It's topped with an easy chocolate frosting and takes just 15 minutes to prepare. Kids can decorate the cake with their favorite chocolates.

Recipe: Birthday cake on a baking sheet

Quick Chocolate Cupcakes

Add mini semisweet chocolate chips to a package of chocolate cake mix. Divide the frosting into portions and use different colors of food coloring to create decorative cupcakes.

Recipe: Quick Double Chocolate Cupcakes

Strawberry cake

Make Ree Drummond's strawberry cake with your kids—her daughters helped her every step of the way. Before frosting the cake, line a plate with parchment paper to avoid mess; when finished, simply carefully remove the parchment.

Recipe: Strawberry Shortcake

Chocolate pound cake

Trisha Yearwood's pound cake recipe is perfect for beginners because it's so easy. Serve this dense cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Chocolate pound cake

Raspberry and orange cake

Giada's cake comes together quickly thanks to a store-bought sponge mix; it contains orange zest and juice. Add raspberry jam to the frosting and sandwich it between the layers.

Recipe: Orange and raspberry cake

Cupcakes with jam and peanut butter

Tyler Florence squeezes grape jam onto the tops of vanilla cupcakes using a pump bottle. Top the cupcakes with a decadent peanut butter frosting and decorate with your favorite candies.

Recipe: Peanut Butter Jam and Cream Cupcakes

Carrot cake with marshmallow cream

Bobby Flay's carrot cake is infused with wonderful spices: freshly grated and crystallized ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The traditional cream cheese frosting is completely transformed by the addition of marshmallows.

Recipe: Carrot cake with marshmallow frosting

Mini Chocolate Meringue Cupcakes

Giada stirs melted chocolate into whipped egg whites when preparing cupcake batter. The result is a miniature, crunchy treat with a soft center.

Recipe: Chocolate meringue mini cupcakes

Flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream

Tyler's rich chocolate cake requires only 6 ingredients and just 20 minutes of prep time. This dessert has earned dozens of top-rated reviews and is sure to please guests.

Recipe: Chocolate cake with whipped cream (flourless)

German chocolate cake with hazelnut-coconut cream

Make Bobby's rich, flavorful version of German Chocolate Cake for your birthday.

Recipe: German Chocolate Cake with Coconut Hazelnut Glaze

Festive four-layer cake

With this recipe, kids will have fun assembling their own cake. Choose a centerpiece: solid, striped, gradient, or rainbow. Then, cover the outside with mini marshmallows, chocolate candies, colorful coconut flakes, or sprinkles.

Recipe: Children's birthday cake

Red Velvet Cake

Cocoa powder is a key ingredient in Sunny Anderson's classic red velvet cake.

Recipe: Red Velvet Cake with Custard

Cake with coconut filling and buttercream

Bobby's Coconut Cake is a great choice for any occasion.

Recipe: Cake with coconut filling and buttercream

Hummingbird Cake

This moist and flavorful cake contains bananas, fresh pineapple and lots of spices.

Recipe: Hummingbird Cake

Light chocolate cake

This delicious cocoa-based cake keeps for several days, so it can be made ahead of time. For a fancy finish, top with white buttercream frosting.

Recipe: Light as a feather chocolate cake

Chocolate cherry cupcakes

When making cherry cupcakes, Sandra Lee combines a dry chocolate cake mix with a rich white chocolate frosting.

Recipe: Chocolate cherry cupcakes