Must-Have Mini Cake Recipes (2024)

Credit: Howard L. Puckett

Great things often come in small packages and that’s the case with these mini cakes and cupcakes. Cute as can be and just as flavorful as full-sized cakes, these little treats are perfect for holiday gifts and dessert buffets.

Raspberry-Swirl Mini Bundt Cakes

Raspberry-Swirl Mini Bundt Cakes Recipe

Impress your guests with the surprise raspberry swirl in these decadent mini bundt cakes that are great as a classic dessert or as a gift.

Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes

Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes Recipe

These mini cakes minimize size without minimizing your chocolate fix. You'll want to use a 12-cup Bundt brownie pan to create these lovely little cakes.

Limoncello Pine Nut Upside Down Cakes

Limoncello Pine Nut Upside Down Cakes Recipe

Limoncello is an Italian liqueur tradionally served as an after-dinner libation. Here the limoncello gives mini upside down cakes a sweet and moist texture.

Buttermilk Bundt Cakes

Buttermilk Bundt Cakes Recipe

This mini Bundt cake recipe offers three garnishing options for these adorable, delicious cakes: Simply dust with powdered sugar, pipe a bit of glaze over the top, or completely dunk the cakes for a heavier coating. Be sure to try the variations--Cranberry-Orange Bundt Cakes and Hummingbird Bundt Cakes--listed at the bottom of this recipe.

Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes

Mini Apple Cider Pound Cakes Recipe

Finish the pound cakes with one of the three toppings--Lemon-Sugar Glaze, Bourbon Glaze, or Streusel Topping--all of which make equally delicious finishing touches for these miniature cakes.

Mini Almond Cupcakes

Mini Almond Cupcakes Recipe

Kids will love decorating these cute Mini Almond Cupcakes. Feel free to tint the icing to a variety of festive shades for these little confections.

Mini Cassata Cakes

Mini Cassata Cakes Recipe

Makes an easy version of cassata, the ornate Sicilian dessert with layers of sponge cake, sweetened ricotta, candied fruit, and dark chocolate.

Mini Lemon-Coconut Cupcakes

Mini Lemon-Coconut Cupcakes Recipe

These tiny treats are all you need to satisfy your sweet tooth. Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting and toasted coconut are all you need to send these bite-sized cakes over the top.

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes

Orange Mini Bundt Cakes Recipe

These adorable mini cakes have chopped orange slice candy in the batter as well as fresh orange juice in the glaze that’s drizzled on top. You’ll score big points when you give a couple of these little cakes for holiday gifts.

Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes

Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes Recipe

This mini Bundt cake recipe features pureed sweet potatoes, raisins, rum, and toasted pecans along with cinnamon and nutmeg and is a perfect pick-up treat for a holiday dessert party.

Angel Food Cake Pops

Angel Food Cake Pops Recipe

These adorable Angel Food Cake Pops are a hit with kids and at parties. You can get creative with toppings and experiment to see which ones you like best.

Cranberry-Vanilla Mini Bundts

Cranberry-Vanilla Mini Bundts Recipe

These buttery rich mini Bundt cakes are filled with a layer of sweet cranberry sauce and topped with a vanilla-scented sweet cream cheese glaze.

Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes

Snowy Chocolate Baby Cakes Recipe

Make these mini chocolate cakes by starting with a devils' food cake mix and baking in muffin pans. The festive holly garnish is simply red cinnamon candies and fresh bay leaves.

Mini Mexican Chocolate Cheesecakes

Mini Mexican Chocolate Cheesecakes Recipe

Utterly scrumptious and the perfect size, Mini Mexican Chocolate Cheesecakes are amped up with vanilla, cinnamon, and cayenne for a spicy kick.

Rum-Raisin Bundt Cake

Rum-Raisin Bundt Cake Recipe

Rum-Raisin Bundt Cake proves to be the perfect cake for gift-giving. The batter makes enough for a 10-cup Bundt cake and 6 mini Bundts.

mini-cheesecake

Micro Mini Cheesecakes Recipe

Cheesecake is good no matter how you slice it but there's just something about these adorable mini cakes. Top with a spoonful of raspberry jam and serve!

Mini Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes

Mini Orange Creamsicle Cupcakes Recipe

Cream, orange zest, and orange juice are the stars behind the dreamy flavor of these pumpkin-hued cupcakes. Top with black and orange sprinkles for a Halloween-themed treat.

Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce

Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce Recipe

Muffin pans make the perfect baking vessels for these little fig cakes. Gussy them up by spooning a dollop or piping a silver dollar of hard sauce on top, and then garnish them with halved fresh figs, fresh herbs, or even pecan halves.

Fudgy Baby Cakes

Fudgy Baby Cakes Recipe

Don't let the unpretentious appearance fool you. These 8 simple ingredients transform into a decadent dessert that is irresistible. The middle becomes the perfect little pocket to hold sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.

Tres Leches Mini Cakes

Tres Leches Mini Cakes Recipe

Tres leches cake is a classic Latin American dessert. Here, the cakes are baked in 8-ounce ramekins for individual portions of the moist, milky treat.

Mini Pumpkin-Molasses Cakes

Mini Pumpkin-Molasses Cakes Recipe

Mini Pumpkin-Molasses Cakes really embrace the autumnal theme when baked in mini pumpkin-shaped molds. Top with Caramel-Rum Glaze or Vanilla Glaze and cute caramel leaves and vines, if desired.

Miniature Blueberry Cheesecakes

Miniature Blueberry Cheesecakes Recipe

Only 6 ingredients give you bite-sized, no-bake Miniature Blueberry Cheesecakes. They're almost too cute to eat! Almost...

Baby Pound Cakes

Baby Pound Cakes Recipe

Enjoy these pound cake bites for breakfast or as a late-night snack by the fire, or split and toast them with butter. Vanilla bean paste, which can be found at specialty food stores, gives these cakes a sublime goodness. And just as with classic pound cake, we loved the crusty top edges on these, too.

Mini Almond and Grape Cakes

Mini Almond and Grape Cakes Recipe

Inspired by French financiers, these small cakes are dense with the warm flavors of almond, orange zest, and butter. The grapes become a little jammy after baking, which complements the cakes' richness.

Mini Apple Crumb Cakes

Mini Apple Crumb Cakes Recipe

A favorite for breakfast or dessert, crumb cake is a staple during the holidays. Bake it in muffin pans and you've got an adorable, fall-flavored treat that's perfect for kids.

Molten Dark Chocolate Cakes

Molten Dark Chocolate Cakes Recipe

Make a sweet dessert for your dinner party. Mini chocolate cakes filled with more ooey-gooey chocolate are sure to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth.

Bite-Size Sour Cream-Pound Cake Cupcakes

Bite-Size Sour Cream-Pound Cake Cupcakes Recipe

Reviewers rave over these cupcakes made with pound cake batter. Top with vanilla buttercream and who can resist?

Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes Recipe

Use a classic co*cktail combo to flavor a chocolate cake by adding bourbon and cola to the cake batter and topping the mini Bundt cakes with a sweet bourbon and cola glaze.

Mini Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

Mini Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes Recipe

Perfect for entertaining a holiday party, Mini Peppermint and Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes are the ultimate sweet finger food.

Ginger Mini Cakes

Ginger Mini Cakes Recipe

Aromatic ginger flavors the batter of these mini cakes, which are topped with blackberry jam, whipped cream, and candied ginger. No special equipment is required to make this recipe--a 13 x 9-inch cake pan will do just fine.

Chocolate Shortbread Cake

Chocolate Shortbread Cake Recipe

These "cakes" are actually not cakes at all, but contain lots of melted chocolate mixed with butter cookies. There's no need to heat up the oven because the "cakes" just need to chill before they're topped with a luscious, chocolaty glaze.

peanut-butter-cupcakes

Transform your favorite sandwich into bite-sized treats with this fun recipe. Peanut Butter-Cream Cheese Frosting and a dollop of grape jelly make nostalgic toppings for the tiny cakes.

Cake de Ron (Rum Cake)

Cake de Ron (Rum Cake) Recipe

Dark rum and banana liqueur add a mellow tropical flavor to this Bundt cake recipe. If you don’t have mini cake pans, you can bake this one in a regular 12-cup Bundt pan.