Super Easy Cakes That Are Sure to Impress

I am going to be honest and say I have never made an easy cake from scratch! But, I have used every kind of cake mix and if you want an easy cake mix that is moist inside and sure to impress I recommend the butter recipe. They have it in all the flavors last time I checked and the chocolate is actually my favorite.

Tips for Getting a Box Cake to Turn Out Right

Mix your ingredients for the full 2 minutes. This helps to add air into your batter so when it cooks it is lighter and fluffy.
Spray your pan with A LOT of nonstick spray.
Only fill your pan ½ full.
Cook for the least amount of time and check the center with a toothpick. If some of the batter comes out on the toothpick, then cook it for about 3 more minutes and check it again until the toothpick comes out clean. It's always best to undercook first, then add cooking time.
Once your cake has come out of the oven, lean it up on its side so the bottom and sides will release as it cools.

Once it is cool enough, place the cake on a baking rack to let it finish cooling. Then I cut the top off so that the top is flat, making it easier to stack layers.

Frosting for Easy Cakes

If you are in a rush there is always store bought frosting! I like the whipped because it is easier to frost with and it isn't as heavy.

I used the chocolate whipped frosting on this cake, it is a 6" cake with 2 layers. I used 2 tubs of frosting to decorate this size. Always make sure to buy enough because there is nothing worse than running out of frosting in the middle of baking!

Easy frosting is just as appreciate as easy cakes. If you have time to make frosting here is an amazing recipe. ( make sure you follow the recipe EXACTLY!)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter - softened, NOT MELTED
3 to 4 cups confectioners powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
3 to 4 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream

Beat butter for 2 minutes with the paddle attachment on medium speed.

This is what the butter should look like after it has been mixed for 2 minutes.

Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on lowest speed until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla, salt and 2T of milk. Beat for 3 minutes.

After 3 minutes this is what your frosting should look like. If it doesn't you can add more sugar or milk/heavy cream if needed.

Since this frosting is mixed for so long it allows for a lot of air in making the frosting light so it will hold its own shape.

I love to use it on top of my cupcakes.

To do this, just load the frosting into a plastic decorating bag and use an Open star (Wilton 1M).

These are super easy and everyone always comments on them!

Decorating Tips

Now that we have gone over frosting and cakes, let's decorate! There is nothing I love more than easy cakes!

Here is What You Will Need

I stack 2 cakes on top of each other, while the frosting in the middle to hold them together. I put them on my cardboard so I don't have to move the cake after it is completed. Then I load the outer edge with frosting. Use lots and lots of frosting because we are going to scrape a lot of it off. An icing spatula makes this easier, but if you don't have one a butter knife will do the job. As I add the frosting I make sure to fill in any holes or shallow spots.

Place it on the turntable and pull out your icing scraper. See how it has designs on it? That is what will make the texture on the sides of the cake. Press it into the frosting and start turning the table until you are back to where you started. I also like to make sure the bottom of the scraper is all the way down to the cardboard so if I need to go around again I can!

And there you have it... a fun texture that is SO SO easy!

To finish it off I used a small star tip and my frosting bags to put stars along the top and bottom!

But if that is even too complicated go for a naked cake! They are SO easy. Simply stack your cakes using a large amount of frosting to stick them together so the frosting will squish out. Use your icing spatula and run frosting around the outside. The goal with a naked cake is to just make the outside smooth and fill in the air bubbles so you can still see that cake through the frosting, like the one below!