26 New Year's Eve Cake Recipes Worth Celebrating

If you’re looking for a showstopping, mouthwatering dessert to impress dinner guests, look no further than this lemon meringue cheesecake recipe. The layers of graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake, bright yellow lemon curd, and a big swoop of toasted meringue will get everyone in a frenzy even before their first bite.

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Popular in the Caribbean, rum cake is a vanilla cake that has rum in the batter. Traditionally, dried fruit is soaked in rum for months, then added to the cake batter, but our quicker version involves a poke cake technique to really incorporate that rich rum flavor.

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This light and just-sweet-enough cake is perfect for NYE, bridal showers, or maybe just making it through the week. The good news is that you can use the cheapest bubbly possible, and it'll still be delicious. Plus, if you have any left, consider making these adorable Champagne truffles.

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Chocoflan’s beautiful contrasting layers of chocolate cake and flan are totally mind-blowing. Here's the science: While baking, the cake batter aerates and takes shape before the flan has set, so it rises to the top of the pan. The craziest thing is the layers don’t mix at all during the transfer—it's like magic!

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So, you might be wondering how on earth you're gonna cut a number out of a cake. Don't stress, you've got options! For this cake, we traced our number on the back of an empty cereal box and cut it out. We then placed the number on top of our stacked cakes and used it as a stencil. If you're feeling brave, you could totally free-hand a fun spin on '23 for your new year bash! If you're not feeling brave (no shade), you can buy number shaped cake molds that will bake into perfect numbers. As long as you top it with a fun assortment of candies and/or fruits, it'll look adorable no matter what.

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This recipe combines a fudgy chocolate sheet cake with cheesecake polka dots and crunchy chocolate chips for texture. The cake serves 12, so it's perfect for casual New Year's celebrations and dinner parties. Make sure to cool the cake completely before serving; otherwise, the cheesecake filling won't be set (and nobody wants that!).

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Believe your eyes, we 100% put bubbly right into the batter and frosting of these party-ready cupcakes! As delicious as they are festive, these are a must-make for New Year's Eve.

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A classic chocolate cake is always a good idea, but if you want to switch things up a bit, give this white chocolate cake a try. It's soft and layered with a white chocolate mousse, then frosted with a simple cream cheese frosting. We recommend using good-quality bars of white chocolate with this cake, as it will really make a difference.

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To make these cupcakes really feel like a Moscow mule in dessert form, we pour ginger beer straight into the cupcake batter—a hack that lets you skip the eggs, oil, and water that the box calls for, while giving you all of the gingery flavor you love. Don't worry, we didn't forget the vodka—it's in the frosting!

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We use sweetened condensed, evaporated, and whole milk for this Latin American sponge cake. Some recipes use heavy cream in place of whole milk, but we feel the mixture is already so decadent and that milk helps balance it. Plus, we use heavy cream for the topping, so it still makes its way in there.

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If you’re looking for a simple celebration cake, one that’s perfect for everything from birthdays to holidays, look no further than this light and fluffy sponge cake. Having it in your recipe arsenal will have you ready for anything: You can cube it a trifle, crumble it over ice cream, or—our favorite—stack it with whipped cream and berries. The best part? You can have this entire cake ready in just about an hour.

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It’s hard not to love a creamy, light slice of tiramisu, but we especially love it in cake form. Whether you’re looking for a slightly more approachable take on the Italian classic, or are just a tiramisu fanatic looking for a clever twist, this recipe will make for the perfect addition to any holiday celebration.

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Have you ever wondered what a gooey chocolate brownie paired with cheesecake would taste like? Look no further! This chocolate cheesecake recipe is a chocolate lover’s dream. It’s rich, silky smooth, moist, and almost fudge-like—everything you want in a chocolate dessert.

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Classic buttercream is great and all, but have you ever had Italian meringue? The not-too-sweet frosting pairs well with the rich chocolate cake and looks great swirled or toasted on the outside. Pipe it on to make pretty swirls and rosettes, or use a kitchen torch for a s'mores vibe.

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We used slices from navel, blood orange, Cara Cara oranges, grapefruit, and lemons, but really any of your favorite wintery citrus can be used for this stunner of an upside-down cake.

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Originating in Russia, the Napoleon cake is composed of many layers of puff pastry with a whipped pastry cream filling, and is encrusted with more pastry crumbs. After assembling, the cake is chilled overnight to allow the pastry layers to soften and absorb some of the cream, kind of like a very fancy icebox cake.

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Bigger is better, especially when we're talking cookies. Tip: Don’t be shy with your cookie! Mix up the chocolate chips in the cookie dough for peanut butter or butterscotch chips instead, or if you love all things chocolate, then decorate the baked cookie with chocolate icing or a chocolate ganache glaze. 😍

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Cake and whipped cream is a tried-and-true combination. But a Coke-infused cake with rum-spiked whipped cream? You've got to taste it to believe. This is the gateway to all other alcoholic desserts: soft, spongy cake topped with fluffy whipped cream, drizzled with rich caramel, and drenched with a toppled nip of rum.

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Traditional pâte à choux, the French dough used to make classic éclairs and profiteroles, can be a difficult pastry to make, so for this cheater version, we use graham crackers. They're not technically anything like an éclair, but they're still great for layering in this cake and become soft as the cake chills (sort of like in an icebox cake!).

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Based on classic British sticky ginger cakes, this cake relies on the glorious trifecta of brown sugar, molasses, and honey to create rich dark caramel flavor notes. And stirring in boiling water at the very end of mixing the batter helps to create that moist, tender crumb that we love so much. Enjoy it warm or cold, for breakfast or after dinner, plain or topped with whipped cream, from a plate with a fork or straight out of your hand. No judgment here.

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