27 Popular Cake Flavors, Ranked Worst To Best

The best cake flavorsis 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, 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 from 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. 

Related:  Try These 20 Starbucks Drinks From Their Secret Menu

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.

How We Tested These Types of Cake

We got our hands on all of these cake flavors in some form, whether it was making a boxed mix or buying a slice from a bakery. Because of the differences that are inevitable between boxed cake and bakery-made cake, we mostly ranked each based on flavor alone rather than things like texture. 

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27 Cake Flavors Ranked From Worst to Best

27. Bundt Cake

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

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

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

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 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

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.

Related: We've Got the 20 Best Vitaminwater Flavors—Ranked

19. Marble Cake

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

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

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

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 are cherries thrown in, too—usually preserved Morello cherries—as well as a cherry liqueur. 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

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

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

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

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 has 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.

Related: Ice Cream Cake Recipes You Can Easily Make at Home

9. Devil's Food Cake

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

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

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

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

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.

Related: How to Copycat the Starbucks Strawberries and Cream Frappe

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

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 complemented 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

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

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

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!

Related: I Tried 7 Funfetti Cake Mixes—Only One Was Worth Buying

This story was originally published by Parade on Sep 19, 2024, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.