30 Festive Thanksgiving Cakes for an Extra Sweet Celebration
The best Thanksgiving themed cakes, including decorating ideas, turkey cake designs, and simple recipes for easy desserts for Thanksgiving dinner or a Friendsgiving potluck.
Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to Thanksgiving desserts than pumpkin pie.
Not everyone likes it, and it can get tired serving it year after year.
But there’s another excellent option – Thanksgiving cake!
Cake is universally loved, and there are a ton of different ways to make one.
I put together a list of the best Thanksgiving cake recipes, so you will feel inspired to try something new.
These unique cakes include ideas for:
- Cute decorated turkey desserts
- Super easy dump cakes
- Elegant layer cake designs
- Cakes that taste like pumpkin or pecan pie
There’s truly something for every type of “baker” and celebration.
Let’s check ‘em out!
(🍂 Looking for more tasty Thanksgiving recipes? Check out these Thanksgiving charcuterie board ideas, easy bite-size finger food appetizers, fun Thanksgiving cookies, and easy holiday dips.)
Fun Thanksgiving Cake Recipes
Chocolate Pumpkin Magic Cake
Chocolate Pumpkin Magic Cake is such a unique three in one dessert.
It truly bakes in a mysterious way with three layers of creamy vanilla mousse, moist chocolate cake, AND pumpkin pie on the bottom!
10 Minute Turkey Cake
This easy turkey cake is made from a store bought chocolate bundt cake and packaged cookies and candy, so it’s no-bake and fast to make.
Butternut Squash Cake with Maple Frosting
Butternut Squash Cake combines healthy squash with vanilla and warm spices that smell and taste so good.
The creamy, sweet, and tangy maple cream cheese frosting is the perfect contrast to the rich, moist cake.
Easy Crustless Nantucket Cranberry "Pie"
Nantucket Cranberry Pie is not really a pie.
It’s more like an upside down cranberry cake, and it’s one of the fastest desserts you can make. With no crust to roll, you can assemble it in five minutes!
Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting
This moist Pumpkin Spice Cake with Brown Butter Frosting is one of the tastiest fall desserts!
The brown butter frosting has specks in it and tastes sweet and nutty.
The pumpkin cake is packed full of spices and topped with adorable chocolate pumpkin truffles.
Pumpkin Dump Cake
Pumpkin Dump Cake has all of your favorite Fall flavors wrapped in one delicious dessert!
It’s made with spice cake mix and pure pumpkin puree and takes only 10 minutes to prep. Dump, bake, and eat!
Turkey Cake
Picture this: It’s Thanksgiving, and you’ve got one job - to bring a dessert.
You could go for the classic pumpkin pie, but where’s the fun in that?
Instead you can impress your friends and family with a turkey-themed cake that’s so good, they’ll be talking about it all night.
Apple Upside-Down Cake
Apple Upside Down Cake is a richly spiced cake covered in decadent brown sugar caramelized apples that taste like apple pie filling.
It’s extra delicious when served with whipped cream or ice cream.
Pecan Pie Cake
Pecan Pie Cake has all the favorite elements of a pecan pie: ooey gooey filling and tons of pecans.
It has a pecan-filled cake too, to really take it over the top.
Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu
The perfect combination of a pumpkin spice latte and your favorite Italian dessert, Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu is creamy, rich, and delicious.
A rich pumpkin cream layered between espresso-soaked ladyfingers topped with a cocoa and cinnamon dusting is the perfect fall dessert.
Chai Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Pumpkin Layer Cake with chai spices, a thin layer of pumpkin filling, and topped off with creamy cinnamon buttercream frosting.
Pumpkin Roll
This pumpkin roll cake recipe will become your new favorite Thanksgiving dessert.
Soft, moist, and with tangy cream cheese and fall-inspired flavors, this sweet treat is delicious, easy to make, and looks fantastic!
Apple Crumb Cake
Warm Apple Crumb Cake is brimming with sweet apples and a crunchy double cinnamon streusel topping.
Best of all, it's soft, perfectly spiced, and drizzled with caramel sauce.
Pumpkintini Cocktail Cake
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Martini bundt cake is flavored with pumpkin puree, rum, whiskey, maple, warm spices, and topped with a simple glaze.
It tastes just like your favorite pumpkintini cocktail, baked into a moist and tender cake!
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
Cranberry Upside Down Cake is perfect if you are looking for something special and unique to add to your holiday dessert table.
The cranberries not only look gorgeous sitting on top of the cake, but they add a nice, tart contrast to the brown sugar syrup, which soaks into the buttery, rich cake underneath.
Pumpkin Pecan Cake
Pumpkin Pecan Cake has a delicious cinnamon crumb topping and can be made ahead of time for your holiday gathering.
With easy to find ingredients, it’s simple to prepare in one bowl and makes for a super moist cake!
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake
Pumpkin Spice Latte Cake is basically the world famous Autumn drink in cake form!
Three layers of pumpkin spice cake soaked in a coffee syrup and covered in a dreamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Carrot Cake with Caramel Frosting
Carrot Cake with Caramel Buttercream is moist and tender because it's made with vegetable oil instead of butter.
It's spiced up with cinnamon and nutmeg too and the frosting is a swiss meringue buttercream with a caramel sauce added to it.
Pumpkin Crunch Cake
Pumpkin Crunch Cake has a rich layer of pumpkin cake, topped with pecans and a simple 2 ingredient streusel.
It’s super easy, and starts with cake mix and a can of pumpkin and ends with an amazing fall dessert.
Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
This amazing Spice Cake has all of the classic flavors of fall.
Pumpkin spice, cinnamon, apple and even a hint of molasses, then topped with a sweet-and-tart homemade cream cheese frosting that you’ll want to eat with a spoon.
Pumpkin Gingerbread
Pumpkin Gingerbread is loaded with molasses, ginger, and cinnamon and is topped with a Maple Pecan Icing.
All the flavors of the holidays in one delicious dessert. Your mouth will water the whole time it’s baking!
Apple Cake with Butterscotch Sauce
This Apple Cake is a cookie-like cake loaded with fresh apple slices and topped with an amazing butterscotch sauce.
It’s extra delicious when served warm and topped with whipped cream or ice cream.
Pumpkin Earthquake Cake
Pumpkin Earthquake Cake is made with a moist, spice cake mix that's been doctored up with canned pumpkin, pumpkin spice and more.
There's a cream cheese filling swirled into a pumpkin spice cake and milk chocolate chips sprinkled on top.
Sweet Potato Cake With Marshmallow Buttercream
Richly spiced Sweet Potato Cake tastes like all your favorite fall memories.
With a decadent marshmallow buttercream that comes together in just 5 minutes and a homemade caramel drizzle, there's nothing you won't love about this cake.
Vanilla Pumpkin Magic Cake
Pumpkin Magic Cake is nothing short of amazing!
Having a layer of pumpkin pie on the bottom of a yellow cake is pure genius, and the best of all worlds.
Apple Cider Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze
Apple Cider Pound Cake with Caramel Glaze has all the fabulous flavor of apple cider and caramel all together in one delicious pound cake.
It can also double as breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. But be warned - it’s addicting!
Chocolate Cake with Pumpkin Filling
A doctored up box cake mix starts off this Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake, but the pumpkin cream cheese frosting and pumpkin spice flavor take it over the top.
With a unique flavor combination of chocolate, pumpkin and coffee, it’s like your favorite fall coffee shop drink in cake form!
Butter Pecan Cake
Butter Pecan Cake is an extra special spice cake topped with a sweet coconut pecan frosting.
Soft, fluffy, tender crumbs, that will melt in your mouth with each bite. Best of all no piping skills are required for the frosting!
Pumpkin Fudge Poke Cake
Pumpkin Fudge Poke Cake is a deliciously rich and decadent 9x13 dessert cake.
Simply bake the pumpkin cake, then poke holes all over to create space for hot chocolate fudge sauce to seep through, creating an ultra-moist cake everyone will gobble up.
Caramel Apple Dump Cake
Soft bits of cake and tender spiced apples greet your tastebuds with each bite.
Caramel Apple Dump Cake couldn't be easier and quicker to prepare with the help of a cake mix and apple pie filling!
Ready to try some fun Thanksgiving cakes?
I hope this list of unique Thanksgiving cake ideas has given you tons of inspiration for new recipes to try.
From cute turkey cakes to easy sheet cakes and fancy layer cakes, there’s something for everyone!
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