30+ Thanksgiving Cake Ideas (Easy & Delicious)

While pies typically reign supreme on the Thanksgiving dessert menu, I think these delicious fall-inspired Thanksgiving cakes deserve a lot more attention!

Your Thanksgiving guests will love the autumn flavors of apple spice, pumpkin cake, butter pecan, maple and can you say luscious, dreamy frosting? Move over pies, Thanksgiving cakes have arrived!

This round-up of delicious Thanksgiving Cake ideas will give you dozens of cake recipes to consider for your Thanksgiving dessert menu. The hard part is deciding just which cake recipe to make!

Thanksgiving Cake Ideas

I’ve broken down these cakes by type so check the Table of Contents below for easy quick-jump buttons straight to your favorite cake type or browse them all, there are some really delicious ideas for your Thanksgiving dessert menu!

Thanksgiving Layer Cakes

Traditional layer cakes topped with delicious fall-inspired frostings are a gorgeous addition to your Thanksgiving menu. Take a look at a few of my favorite Thanksgiving-inspired layer cakes…

Maple Syrup & Pecan Layer Cake

This Thanksgiving cake is the perfect combination of flavors and textures. The warm maple syrup blends perfectly with pecans for an out of this world cake, the maple frosting is amazing too! Thanksgiving dessert is served!

Thanksgiving Turkey Oreo Cake

Have you ever seen a cuter Thanksgiving cake than this one by Something Swanky?! Adore this turkey cake!

Sticky Toffee Pumpkin Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

A delicious sticky toffee pumpkin cake, perfect for your fall gatherings, especially a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table!

Homemade Carrot Cake

This sweet and moist carrot cake might not be what you’d traditionally see on a Thanksgiving dessert line-up, but trust me, it will be a popular one!

Maple Walnut Cake

Maple belongs on your Thanksgiving dessert menu in some form or fashion. It’s such a delicious warming flavor this time of year and this cake is sure to please!

Sweet Potato Cake with Bourbon Salted Caramel Frosting

A spiced sweet potato cake with a bourbon salted caramel frosting. It’s similar to carrot cake, so moist and tender cake with chunk of walnuts. Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes, and now it’s a CAKE too!

Biscoff Caramel Cake

This Biscoff Caramel Cake has cream cheese cake layers atop a Biscoff cookie crust, caramel cream cheese filling and Biscoff buttercream.

Chocolate Pecan Cake

Everything you love about chocolate cake with a pecan twist!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cake

One of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts is my brown sugar pie, but it might just have to be swapped out for this Brown Sugar Cake this year! Wowza!

Toasted Butter Pecan Cake

This Toasted Butter Pecan Cake Recipe is filled with nuts, cream cheese and delicious flavors! A delicious edition to your holiday menu!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Move over Thanksgiving pies, this pumpkin spice cake tastes just like autumn! And it’s a beauty!

Hummingbird Cake

While it’s not a traditional fall flavor exactly, hummingbird cake is a popular Southern cake that’s often enjoyed on Thanksgiving (and year-round too). It’s similar to a spice cake, making it perfect for the fall.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Try this delicious twist on a basic pumpkin cake with added delightfully crunchy layers! This beauty will be a showstopper at your Thanksgiving feast!

Butternut Squash Cake

Have you ever tried a butternut squash cake? It’s naturally sweetened and has butternut squash baked right into the batter. Now this is a delish twist on a classic Thanksgiving dish turned into a cake idea, right?! Love it!

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

While technically cupcakes, these are always on my Thanksgiving dessert menu! They’re pecan pie in cake form, what else could you want?

Turkey Cupcakes

I had to include one more cupcake in here, even though I know we’re talking all about Thanksgiving cake ideas, but this one is a WINNER every time I make them! Turkey candy corn cupcakes are so cute!

Thanksgiving Cheesecakes

While it’s certainly debatable if cheesecakes can technically be called cakes, but when it comes to Thanksgiving cakes, cheesecakes definitely deserve a spot! Here are our suggestions for your Thanksgiving menu…

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

Wow your Thanksgiving guests with a decadent carrot cake cheesecake! This is the perfect twist on a plain cheesecake for the fall holidays!This perfectly spiced carrot cake with cheesecake swirl layer and sour cream topping is light, airy, and not overly sweet.

Creme Brûlée Brownie Pumpkin Cheesecake

This amazing creme brulee brownie pumpkin cheesecake with a fudgy brownie crust, creamy pumpkin cheesecake, and a crispy caramelized sugar top is absolutely sinful.

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

This Caramel Apple Cheesecake is baked in a gingersnap crust! It’s full of apple flavor!

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Move over pecan pie, this cheesecake version of the popular Thanksgiving dessert is sure to be a winner!

Thanksgiving Sheet Cakes

Keep it simple with easy Thanksgiving sheet cakes! Take a look at my favorites below…

Pumpkin Patch Cake

Pumpkin Patch Cake starts off with a simple sheet cake, topped with chocolate frosting and then decorated with candy pumpkins. It will be a delight for kids of all ages at your Thanksgiving celebration!

Easy Apple Sheet Cake

Quite possibly my favorite apple cake! My mom got this recipe decades ago from a college roommate’s mother in the Shenandoah Valley. I even have this recipe in my latest cookbook, it’s that good! If you want an easy Thanksgiving cake idea, this is it!

Pumpkin Cake

You CAN’T beat a classic pumpkin cake for Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

Moist pumpkin cake with brown sugar cinnamon swirls and a cinnamon roll icing? This pumpkin cinnamon roll cake is a fan favorite EVERY time I make it!

Apple Dapple Cake

Apple Dapple Cake is an heirloom cake recipe full of warm spices and baked apples which give this vintage cake an incredibly delicious moist texture.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Falling somewhere between a pie and a cake, this delicious pumpkin pie cake will please the pumpkin pie and cake lovers alike!

Thanksgiving Bundt Cakes

What’s not to love about a bundt cake? They’re easy to make and serve a crowd of hungry Thanksgiving friends and family members! Slice and serve these Thanksgiving bundt cakes.

Chocolate Turkey Cake

What is more perfect for Thanksgiving than a TURKEY cake?! I love that you can recreate this with your own favorite bundt cake. This cake is one of my favorite Thanksgiving cake designs!

Bourbon Spice Bundt Cake

My brother’s recipe for bourbon spice bundt cake is sure to be a popular one for Thanksgiving! It’s loaded with delicious spices and of course – bourbon! Serve this with a delicious scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Apple Harvest Cake

The cream cheese glaze over this layered apple harvest cake will be the perfect sweet finish to your Thanksgiving dinner! Pass me a fork!

Pumpkin Truffle Bundt Cake

This decadent pumpkin truffle bundt cake will have your Thanksgiving guests coming back for seconds!

Even More Thanksgiving Cake Ideas

While these Thanksgiving cakes don’t fall into a pretty category like layer cakes or cheesecakes, trust me, these are NOT to be missed… you’ll even find my famous apple dump cake recipe below! The holiday season never tasted so good!

Apple Dump Cake (with Pecan Topping)

While this is not a traditional “frosted cake” so to speak, this apple dump cake is always the first to go at my holidays and gatherings. It’s like a mix between cake and cobbler in the best way possible! Plus, a pecan topping? Perfection!

Pumpkin Roll Cake

Pumpkin roll cake combines tender pumpkin cake with a generous swirl of cream cheese filling for a classic dessert full of fall flavor. This cake is such a pretty one for your Thanksgiving table.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

Second only to my apple dump cake is this pumpkin dump cake! What a dream dessert for your Thanksgiving menu, YUM! Dump cakes are such an easy Thanksgiving dessert to make.

Italian Apple Cake

Torta di Mele, aka classic Italian apple cake, is a dessert all Italian nonnas make! It’s soft and fluffy, and easy to make with just 8 ingredients!

Apple Fritter Cake

Apple Fritter Cake with a sweet powdered sugar glaze is a simple loaf cake that will remind you of your favorite apple fritter.

If you’re looking for Thanksgiving dessert recipes and want to include a few Thanksgiving cakes, be sure to bookmark this page for some delicious options! Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. Need ideas for your the rest of Thanksgiving feast? Check out these favorites!

• Fall Charcuterie Board (perfect Thanksgiving appetizer)
• More Thanksgiving Appetizers
• Set a gorgeous Thanksgiving tablescape!