25 Slow Cooker Recipes We'll Be Making All Winter

54 Layer Cakes Perfect For Any Occasion

The only thing we could possibly love more than cake? Layer cake. Think about it: layers of cake, striped with filling or frosting, and that satisfying moment when you cut into something impressive like our Strawberry Dream Cake. While we love our pound cakes and our coffee cakes, there's just something about a layer cake that's supremely charming.

From luscious lemon layers to jam cakes to chocolate and caramel cake recipes so rich you'll need a nap after, we've collected some of our best and most impressive layer cake recipes here.

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Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Fresh berries and strawberry-flavored gelatin give this dessert its pretty pink hue. And the vanilla buttercream is a perfect match for the cake layers.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Made with buttermilk, coconut, and pecans, and slathered in cream cheese frosting, this classic Southern dessert is often served at special occasions like birthdays.

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Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely  Southern Living reader Mary Vail-Grube from Allen, Texas shared this family recipe with us, and we fell in love with the combination of caramel frosting with a fluffy banana bread-like cake. Even better, it's a cinch to make.

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Alison Miksch; Prop styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food styling: Mary-Claire Britton Our Southern secret to a moist chocolate cake? Duke's Mayonnaise. This rich layer cake also includes strong brewed coffee to intensify the chocolate flavor.

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Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless If you've never heard of Tomato Soup Cake, it will most likely sound very weird. But if you've ever tried it, you know that it is rich and moist with warm and spicy notes like a carrot cake.

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Greg DuPree Toffee bits and chopped pecans stud this two-layer cake. Browned butter and an option splash of bourbon or dark rum lend a special touch to the creamy toffee frosting. Decorate with toasted pecans and flaky sea salt.

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Southern Living Layers of fluffy, moist German chocolate cake and creamy Coconut-Pecan Frosting make this towering, triple-decker dessert an instant favorite. German chocolate cake is traditionally made with Baker's German Chocolate, but any sweet baking chocolate will work.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox White as a Sunday glove, coconut is the doyenne of Southern layer cakes, a masterpiece of home cookery that has crowned dining room sideboards for more than a hundred years. This towering four-layer beauty has a Coconut-Mascarpone Filling and White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting.

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Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall This buttermilk cake is delicious, but it's the frosting that makes it divine. The rich caramel frosting topped with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt makes for a fancy finish. And we promise it's not difficult to whip up—no candy thermometer required.

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Alison Gootee; Styling: Suzonne Stirling This wonderful fall cake comes to us courtesy of cookbook author Joy Wilson. A must-try for pumpkin pie fans, the cake layers can be made up to three days before your event. Use an offset spatula to swirl the homemade caramel into the frosting.

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Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christina Lane; Food Styling: Torie Cox Whether you're a white cake pro or layering for this first time, this is the perfect cake to serve friends and family. Gingerbread cookies and rosemary sprigs make a charming winter-time topping, but this basic white cake with Vanilla Buttercream can be made any time of year.

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Jen Causey Layers of moist lemon cake, strawberry lemonade jam, and strawberry cream cheese frosting make this four-layer cake a must for strawberry lovers. You can make the tangy homemade jam up to a week ahead of time, then pull it out of the fridge when it's time to assemble. Use fresh berries to whip up an extra dreamy frosting.

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Hector Sanchez In March 1966, Southern Living featured a recipe for the famous Lane Cake in its second issue. Our latest twist? Dried peaches (finely diced and ridiculously delicious) stand in for raisins, and the traditional meringue frosting gets a spirited makeover with a triple shot of peach schnapps.

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Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless Made with a boxed cake mix, instant pudding, crushed pineapple, and mandarin oranges, this dessert is light, fluffy, and fruity, and a little bit tangy, thanks to the cream cheese frosting,

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Monica Farber/Southern Living Slightly boozy and decorated with a festive, zigzag frosting, guests are sure to enjoy this layered take on Christmas eggnog. Use a microplane grater to create a fine dusting of nutmeg on top. 

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Hector Manuel Sanchez This cake recipe doesn't actually include cheese, but it will certainly satisfy your sweet tooth. Four citrusy layers are filled with a buttery lemon curd instead. Inserting skewers into the cake and chilling before you frost will prevent the layers from sliding.

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Jennifer Davick Why mess with a classic? This old-fashioned cake will seal your reputation as a baker. The layers have the texture of a pound cake and aren't too sweet or overpowering.

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Hummingbird Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox This is the ultimate recipe for Hummingbird Cake. It's the most requested recipe in Southern Living magazine history and frequents covered dish dinners all across the South, always receiving rave reviews. Do not drain the crushed pineapple, as the juices will make the cake incredibly moist.

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Photo: Greg Dupree You'll fall in love with this too-good-to-be-true strawberry cake. Fluffy whipped frosting made with mascarpone cheese, sugar, whipping cream, and vanilla and almond extracts is the perfect finishing touch. You'll relish slicing into the cake to expose upright strawberries between the layers. When it comes down to the details, this sweet confection takes the cake.

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Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Black and white and lemon all over, this striped cake is a thing of beauty. We call this cake a labor of love, and it pays. You'll get your reward when your guests ooh and aah over the results.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Skip the store-bought chocolate-covered strawberries in favor of something a little more decadent, like this Chocolate Strawberry Cake. We offer plenty of tips for creating the light, fluffy layers and pretty pink frosting. Add the berries on top just before serving.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Blueberry and lemon are a match made in heaven in this three-layer cake. The sweet berries match well with tangy lemon zest and buttermilk in the layers. The fluffy frosting has more intense lemon notes.

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Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch This mile-high cake packs eight layers into one towering package. We're guessing you don't have eight cake pans, so we recommend baking the layers in two batches. Chill your assembled cake to set it before frosting the outside with Lemon Buttercream.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop styling: Lydia Pursell This cake combines two of our favorite things in the whole wide world: bourbon and chocolate. A substantial dose of bourbon in both the cake layers and the icing imparts an oakiness to this towering cake, while the browned butter enhances the bourbon flavor.

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Southern Living If you love everything mint chocolate, you'll adore this cake. Fresh mint leaves instead of mint extract make it just as appropriate in summer as in winter. To extract their minty flavor, bruise the leaves, then steep the mint sprigs in hot water (for the cake layers) and cook them in butter (for the frosting).

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Chocolate Peppermint Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner If you like Peppermint Patties, you'll love our Chocolate Peppermint Cake. The chocolate cake layers, made with coffee, bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, and mayonnaise, are like a cross between a devil's food cake and a chocolate mayonnaise cake. The shiny, marshmallowy Italian meringue should be made just before frosting.

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Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Stack those layers tall and don't bother frosting the sides: you'll want to show off all the goodness that awaits inside these layers. A short freeze allows the ganache to set over the cake layers so that the buttercream can be spread on top of it—make sure you make space for your cake in the freezer.

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Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Sometimes, you just want to stick to the classics, and we'll admit, we do the classics quite well. Strong-brewed hot coffee in the batter helps to keep the cake moist and heighten its chocolatey flavor; the addition of buttermilk makes the cake truly Southern. The frosting is so thick that you won't be able to spread it on the regular way—instead, press it gently onto the outside of the cake using a spatula.

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Alison Miksch Complete with candied carrot curls, this carrot cake truly is the ultimate. The moist layers include grated carrots, pieces of Granny Smith apple, and sweetened coconut, Frost with our indulgent Brown Sugar-Cream Cheese Frosting.

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Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Blackberry jam brings just enough fruity tartness to sweet and spicy layers covered with slightly savory frosting. Garnish with chopped pecans or black walnuts according to your preference.

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Southern Living Layer upon layer of tropical coconut and soft whipped cream topping make this a year-round favorite indulgence.Toast coconut shavings in the oven for an impressive finishing touch.

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Beth Dreiling Hontzas / Styling Rose Nguyen / Food styling Marian Cooper Cairns This decadent recipe from Brooks Hamaker of New Orleans is deliciously rich as well as moist. If the tops of the layers are a little rounded, he recommends leveling them with a serrated knife. For a colorful presentation, garnish with kumquats, currants, and fresh mint sprigs.

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Chocolate Ganache smoothed between layers of rich chocolate cake topped with Praline Frosting and a warm Bourbon Glaze make this recipe fit for special occasions. Pierce holes in the cake so that the Bourbon Glaze can soak in. Serve alongside a warm cup of coffee or tea.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Make this classic favorite for a crowd and you might not have any leftovers to bring home. Adding a can of crushed pineapple and the luscious Buttermilk Glaze applied before icing make this truly the Best Carrot Cake. Use a box grater to shred your carrots so they'll be perfectly tender.

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ANTONIS ACHILLEOS; PROP STYLIST: CALEB CLARKE; FOOD STYLIST: EMILY NABORS HALL The name says it all. Yes, you can enjoy a homemade chocolate cake without having to put the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. You can even use a hand mixer.

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Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners; Prop Stylist: Shell Royster We present to you the perfect finale to a barbecue. Layers of yellow cake are stacked with a fruity frosting of whipped topping, pineapple, vanilla instant pudding, plus pecans to form a cake that's as unique as its name. While nobody is quite sure how the name started, the Pig Pickin' Cake pays homage to our Southern traditions.

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Test Kitchen pro Ivy Odom asked for this cake for her birthday every year in South Georgia. Her family would add a layer for each year of her life. This recipe includes 18 layers, with each ultra-thin layer is made with just 4 oz. Of batter.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox This recipe stays in keeping with traditional gingerbread ingredients and flavors, but we give it the layer cake treatment to make it feel a little more special. Then we add our special Southern spin: a rich, luscious Southern caramel frosting. This sweet and spicy cake is a holiday dessert that's truly memorable.

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Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Suitable for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, or any time in between, this sweet yet zingy cake is downright delicious. Fresh or frozen cranberries are stirred right into the batter, along with fresh-squeezed orange juice and cinnamon. Garnish with orange slices and sugared cranberries.

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Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Margaret Monroe Dickey, Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hilegas Very ripe bananas and a rum frosting give this cake a classic bananas-foster flavor. If you want to get really fancy, you can sprinkle the banana slices with a bit of sugar and brulee them with your kitchen torch. Serve with a nice cup of hot coffee.

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Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke This humble, homey pumpkin cake hits the spot during cooler fall weather. You can use canned mashed pumpkin for an easy way to speed up the recipe. The cake is delicious eaten plain, or you can whip up a quick Spiced Whipped Cream to spread over and between the layers.

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Alison Miksch; Food Styling: Erin Merhar; Prop Styling: Prissy Lee This cake isn't iced on the sides, as it's meant to have the look of stacked brownstones and mortar. The buttermilk-chocolate layer cake includes two options for frosting. Make the easy, three-ingredient Chocolate Fluffy Filling, or go for the creamy cooked frosting.

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Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Food Stylist: Rishon Hanners If you have a hard time choosing between a slice of cake or pecan pie, this dessert has your name on it.  Tender cake layers are filled and topped with a rich pecan pie filling, then enveloped with a creamy Browned Butter Frosting. Pipe frosting around the top for a pretty presentation.

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Photo: Victor Protasi; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox This stack cake has an apple filling that marries with the layers when allowed to cure for two or three days. Wrap it in cheesecloth and store the cake at room temperature in a dark spot. A simple sprinkling of powdered sugar is all the topping this fall favorite needs.

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Apple-Pecan Carrot Cake Hector Sanchez Here is fall's answer to a carrot cake. This two-layer cake is topped with a crown of Mascarpone Frosting and swirls of Apple Cider Caramel Sauce. Caramel sauce, rather than frosting, sandwiches together the moist cake layers.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Kelly We picture this pink-frosted cake at a New Year's party, Valentine's Day, your best friend's birthday—the options are endless. The batter is easily made with a cake mix, while freeze-dried strawberries give the icing a delicate hue and flavor. Raise a glass to this cake at your next occasion.

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Photographer: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Boxed cake mix really can be great with a few extra touches, and we have the recipe to prove it. Our Test Kitchen called this salty-sweet peanut butter frosting "out of this world," but the drips of chocolate ganache take it into orbit. If you're in a pinch, you can substitute jarred hot fudge, but the homemade version is worth your time.

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Southern Living Not just for birthdays, this cake would be just at home at a spring potluck or summer barbecue. The recipe is both simple and special, with ingredients like real vanilla bean, fresh strawberries, and a tablespoon of rum. Chilling the cake helps it hold together.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones Here's another opportunity to fancy up a box of cake mix. We provide detailed instructions for those who want to attempt the rose design. If you'd rather keep it simple, you can still enjoy the wonderful raspberry frosting.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Kelly Chocolate cake and a cookie frosting go together like Oreos and a glass of milk. That's why we paired a buttermilk chocolate cake and a delicate Italian meringue buttercream, both flecked with cookie crumbs. It's totally fine with us if you want to add a scoop of cookies and cream ice cream.

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Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn This sunny cake is sure to bring a smile to your face. Our Lemon-Coconut Cake has a luscious lemon filling and a sweet cream cheese coconut frosting. Press flaky coconut around the sides for the finishing touch.

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Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner This family reunion favorite is worthy of any special occasion. The sour cream and soda in the batter result in a very tender crumb. To give the cake a fun and fizzy look, top it with sugar pearls of varying sizes.

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Southern Living We've transformed the beloved summer cocktail into your new favorite dessert. Our Margarita Cake uses lime-flavored gelatin in the batter and tequila in a lime syrup that is brushed across each cake layer. Store-bought margarita mixer spikes the rich cream cheese frosting with additional flavor. If you enjoy a salty rim on your glass, feel free to garnish your cake with flake salt as well.

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Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford Lemon and raspberry work together in this stunning two-layered cake. A layer of fresh raspberries inside creates a base for the extra-thick filling. Serve at a birthday party, shower, or special summer event.

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White Chocolate Wedding Cake

To stack the cakes, hold a dowelling rod at the side of the 23cm/9in cake and mark with a pencil where the icing comes to. Cut the rod and three others to the same length. Push the rods into the cake about 5cm/2in away from the sides, to form the four corners of a square in the centre of the cake. Place the pillars on top of the largest cake, positioning each one over a dowelling rod, then top with the 15cm/6in cake. Decorate with fresh flowers.

White Chocolate And Green Tea Mousse Cake With Fresh Raspberries

This dessert looks impressive, but it's far easier to make than you would expect from my long and detailed instructions. The dessert is light and not too sweet, and is perfect as the last course of a feast.

The cake needs several hours in the fridge to set, so if you like, bake and assemble it the day before you plan to serve it. To make it, you need a cake ring that is 18cm (7 in) in diameter and at least 5cm (2 in) high; if you don't have one, use a springform pan (minus the base) with the same dimensions.

The cake batter is the same one used for ladyfinger biscuits, although when baked, the result is different from the commercial types, which are crisp and dry. For the dessert, the batter is piped into three cake layers, rather than into long, slender ladyfinger shapes.

The recipe calls for two types of white chocolate. The first, used in the mousse, is "real" white chocolate – often labelled as couverture. It's made with cocoa butter and the packaging will always state the amount it contains – usually 25 per cent to 35 per cent. The decoration is made with chocolate coating, often labelled as compound chocolate (or compound coating); it contains vegetable shortening instead of cocoa butter.

For the matcha (green tea powder), there's no need to use the super-expensive ceremonial-grade quality, but do buy one that you are willing to drink because the colour will be more vivid than the type usually labelled for desserts.

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