One year ago, I made my first cake from scratch. Before that, I had only made one layered cake using a boxed cake mix and frosting from a can because I did not yet know how to make cake and buttercream from scratch. I made my first cake because I had a bunch of extra buttercream and some extra time on my hands. I had always wanted to try to make a layered cake from scratch, so I figured there was no time like the present. I had no idea that that cake would be the start of a year in which I would make 34 TOTAL CAKES! Some of them were just for fun, some of them were surprises for family and friends, and the rest were for people who ordered them. Making all of these has allowed me to try so many awesome techniques and fun flavor combinations.

Because it has been such an interesting, crazy, and completely unexpected year of making many cakes, in addition to the many other items that I make, I figured why not look back at all the cakes completed in my very first year of making them?

Cake 1: Mexican Hot Chocolate Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: alternating layers of chocolate and white chocolate ganaches
• Buttercream: Mexican hot chocolate
• Decoration: vanilla buttercream and Mexican hot chocolate buttercream roses

Cake 2: Margarita Birthday Cake

• Sponge: vanilla, brushed with tequila
• Filling: lime curd and a pinch of salt
• Buttercream: tequila
• Decoration: vanilla buttercream borders and roses

Cake 3: Tuxedo Birthday Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: white chocolate ganache
• Buttercream: espresso chocolate
• Decoration: vanilla chocolate ganache border, and topped with mini tuxedo macarons

Cake 4: Raspberry Lemonade Birthday Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: lemon curd
• Buttercream: raspberry
• Decoration: vanilla buttercream borders and flowers

Cake 5: Nightmare Before Christmas Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: raspberry curd
• Buttercream: chocolate
• Decoration: fondant covered, fondant details, and edible painted sides

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Cake 6: Fall Watercolor Anniversary Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: raspberry curd
• Buttercream: chocolate
• Decoration: vanilla buttercream watercolor pattern, border, and flowers

Cake 7: Robot Birthday Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: strawberry curd and fresh cut strawberry slices
• Buttercream: chocolate
• Decoration: fondant covered, fondant details, and a cake pop for the antenna

Cake 8: San Francisco 49ers Birthday Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: chocolate ganache
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: 49ers colored vanilla buttercream borders and writing, and a fondant 49ers logo

Cake 9: Cookies & Cream Birthday Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: chocolate ganache
• Buttercream: cookies and cream
• Decoration: crushed Oreo cookie pieces around the bottom and halved Oreos placed on top of vanilla buttercream

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Cake 10: Christmas Wreath Cake

• Style: Cake Pop, log rolled with a filling and shaped into a circle
• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: chocolate ganache
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: white candy melts and vanilla buttercream poinsettias

Cake 11: Christmas Snickerdoodle Sheet Cake

• Sponge: snickerdoodle
• Filling: snickerdoodle buttercream with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar
• Buttercream: snickerdoodle
• Decoration: vanilla buttercream poinsettias and writing

Cake 12: Snickerdoodle Birthday Cake

• Sponge: snickerdoodle
• Filling: snickerdoodle buttercream
• Buttercream: snickerdoodle buttercream
• Decoration: vanilla buttercream borders, writing, and roses

Cake 13: Valentine’s Day Chocolate Caramel Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: caramel pastry cream and salted caramel
• Buttercream: chocolate
• Decoration: chocolate buttercream borders and vanilla buttercream roses and flowers

Cake 14: Gluten-Free Birthday Drip Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: peanut butter ganache and salted caramel
• Buttercream: chocolate and vanilla
• Decoration: white chocolate ganache drip, cake pops, peanut butter and chocolate macarons, and caramel and chocolate macarons

Cake 15: Vampirina Birthday Sheet Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: raspberry curd
• Buttercream: white chocolate
• Decoration: purple fondant, fondant ball border, fondant writing, fondant bats, and fondant Vampirina character

Cake 16: Two-Tier Rainbow Cake

• Sponge: blue velvet
• Filling: red and white vanilla buttercream
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: rainbow airbrushed fondant

Cake 17: Reptile Head Cake

• Style: Cake Pop, shaped like a reptile head
• Sponge: blue velvet
• Buttercream: vanilla buttercream
• Decoration: air brushed fondant

Cake 18: Dark Chocolate Red Wine Truffle Drip Cake

• Sponge: dark chocolate and red wine
• Filling: chocolate ganache and red wine ganache
• Buttercream: chocolate
• Decoration: chocolate ganache drip, vanilla buttercream dollops, dark chocolate wine bottles, and dark chocolate and red wine truffles

Cake 20: Dark Chocolate Red Wine Drip Cake #2

• Sponge: dark chocolate and red wine
• Filling: chocolate ganache and red wine ganache
• Buttercream: chocolate
• Decoration: chocolate ganache drip, vanilla buttercream dollops, dark chocolate wine bottles, and dark chocolate and red wine truffles

Cake 21: Pineapple Coconut Birthday Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: pineapple curd, coconut flakes, and toasted coconut flakes
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: toasted coconut and yellow buttercream roses

Cake 22: Easter Basket Birthday Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: lemon curd
• Buttercream: vanilla and raspberry
• Decoration: basket weave, grass border, writing, flowers, and chocolate Easter eggs filled with M&M’s and jelly beans

Cake 23: Gluten-Free Macaron Birthday Cake

• Sponge: gluten-free chocolate
• Filling: raspberry curd
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: airbrushed buttercream, black vanilla buttercream writing, and chocolate raspberry macarons

Cake 24: Easter Basket Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: lemon curd with a raspberry curd swirl
• Buttercream: vanilla and raspberry
• Decoration: basket weave and an airbrushed Easter decal

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Cake 24: Spring Flowers Chocolate Caramel Birthday Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: caramel pastry cream and caramel
• Buttercream: Swiss meringue
• Decoration: multi-color borders and Swiss meringue buttercream flowers

Cake 25: Easter Surprise Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: caramel pastry cream and caramel
• Buttercream: Swiss meringue
• Surprise: Cadbury mini eggs and pastel M&M’s
• Decoration: white chocolate ganache drip, pastel meringues, and marshmallow Peeps

Cake 26: Black and White Design Mini Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: pineapple curd and toasted coconut
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: black vanilla buttercream swirls

Cake 27: Star Wars Galaxy Baby Shower Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling: chocolate pastry cream
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: buttercream galaxy pattern and writing, and fondant stars, balls, and “Baby Jedi” sign

Cake 28: Game of Thrones Throne Cake

• Sponge: chocolate
• Filling (bottom layer): chocolate pastry cream and Oreo pieces
• Filling (top layer): chocolate pastry cream and Twix pieces
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Extra: Rice Crispy Treat back of the throne and arm rests
• Decoration: gold painted fondant strips

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Cake 29: Twix-Inspired Mousse Birthday Cake

• Layers 1 and 4: chocolate ganache
• Layers 2 and 5: caramel mousse
• Layers 3 and 6: blondies
• Decoration: chocolate ganache drip, caramel drizzle, homemade Twix bars

Cake 30: San Francisco Giants Birthday Cake

• Sponge: chocolate and vanilla checkerboard style
• Filling: chocolate ganache
• Buttercream: chocolate buttercream
• Decoration: fondant letters and numbers, and homemade fondant baseballs

Cake 31: Strawberry Champagne Birthday Drip Cake

• Sponge: vanilla, brushed with champagne
• Filling: strawberry curd with fresh strawberry slices
• Buttercream: Swiss meringue
• Decoration: pink drip, Swiss meringue buttercream rope, champagne soaked strawberries, and fizzy bark
• Want to learn how to make it? Click here!

Cake 32: Peachy Keen Drip Cake

• Sponge: vanilla
• Filling: peach compote with a peach curd swirl
• Buttercream: vanilla
• Decoration: white vanilla buttercream stripes, peach Swiss meringue buttercream stripes, white drip, and fizzy bark pieces

Cake 33: “2” Birthday Cake

• Sponge: gluten-free chocolate
• Filling: brown sugar caramel pastry cream and brown sugar caramel
• Buttercream: Swiss meringue
• Decoration: yellow Swiss meringue borders, fondant letters, and cake pop blocks

Cake 34: Margarita Drip Cake

• Sponge: vanilla, brushed with tequila
• Filling: lime curd
• Buttercream: Swiss meringue
• Decoration: white and green Swiss meringue stripes, green drip, white and green buttercream dollops, and green sprinkles
• Want to learn how to make it? Click here!

Thank you so much for checking out this post! Comment below which of these cakes was your favorite! Also, feel free to ask me any questions you have about any of the cakes!