15 Healthy Birthday Cake Recipes for Your Next Celebration (2024)

Fruity, chocolaty or packed with spice—there's a birthday cake (or cheesecake!) to fit every occasion. From classics like confetti cake and chocolate cake to gluten-free or vegan recipes, these cakes are perfect for celebrating another year around the sun. Recipes like our Carrot Cake with Candied Carrot Curls and Strawberry Shortcake Cheesecake are as show-stopping as they are delicious.

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Carrot Cake with Candied Carrot Curls

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Our 30th anniversary deserved a cake, and what cake better represents EatingWell than one with vegetables? While many homemade carrot cakes include pineapple in the batter, we made a jammy filling with it instead to tuck between the layers.

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Berry Chantilly Cake

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In this beautiful and simple Chantilly cake recipe, fresh berries are layered with whipped cream and delicate sponge cake for a special sweet that's as well suited for a bridal shower as it is for a birthday or graduation party or other special occasion. Fill and top with any combination of fresh berries.

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Strawberry-Shortcake Cheesecake

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This cake pulls two delicious desserts, strawberry shortcake and cheesecake, into one! Shortcake forms the crust that holds a rich and creamy filling piled high with a fresh strawberry topping. This easy cake uses a no-bake filling that sets in the fridge so you can skip the water bath typically used to make cheesecake.

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One-Bowl Chocolate Cake

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Blueberry Lemon Curd Ice Cream Cake

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For a sweet and easy diabetes-friendly dessert, enjoy this lemony ice cream cake with blueberries.

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Vegan Carrot Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting

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Classic carrot cake goes vegan in this easy recipe, and gets covered with coconut whipped cream to replace the traditional cream cheese frosting. A mixture of flax and water makes a sturdy substitute for eggs in this vegan cake. Plus, sweet crushed pineapple helps to make this cake delicious with less added sugar.

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Rainbow Ice Cream Cake

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This fun and fruity cake is easy to make, once you get the hang of the blending, freezing and layering. Be sure each layer is frozen completely before adding the next to get the maximum rainbow effect. (Some layers may take longer to freeze than others.) If you want more vibrant layers, a drop or two of natural food coloring can enhance the colors. You can sub in frozen fruit if you don't have fresh on hand (just thaw before pureeing), and you can swap frozen yogurt for the ice cream if you'd like.

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Lavender Cheesecake

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Baking homemade graham crackers with a touch of brown sugar and honey makes this cheesecake recipe an extra-special dessert.

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One-Bowl Vegan Chocolate Cake

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This one-bowl vegan chocolate cake is rich, sweet and easy to make. It's perfect for special occasions and for the chocolate lover in your life. This tender cake slices best when it's slightly chilled.

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Almond Cake with Pineapple-Rum Filling

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This cake is a spin on bizcocho mojadito, which is often served at celebrations in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. We made this gluten-free almond cake using a cup-for-cup blend with xanthan gum, such as King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour. If gluten-free isn't your priority, you can substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour and 3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour for the GF flour.

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Vegan Flourless Chocolate Cake

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This deeply dark chocolate vegan cake is not just for vegans. This fudge-like cake is also gluten-free, perfect for Valentine's Day and can even be made kosher to enjoy for Passover by making your own confectioners' sugar. The fresh berries on the side are a nice addition to the rich chocolate.

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Heart-Shaped Cake

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This lightly sweetened heart-shaped cake is a fun and festive way to celebrate Valentine's Day, a birthday or any time that calls for celebration. Raspberries make a cheerful outline, but any fruit or berry will work well in this surprisingly simple cake.

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Lemon Angel Food Cake with Strawberries & Coconut Cream

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Be sure that your tube pan is free from any grease or flour--the batter for this homemade angel food cake needs to be able to climb the sides of the pan as it bakes to hold its structure.

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One-Bowl Irish Stout Cake

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This Irish stout cake can't get any easier: everything is mixed in one bowl, poured into the cake pan and is in the oven in 15 minutes flat. Lining the cake pan with parchment paper makes removing the cake easy and helps with cleanup. After this rich chocolate cake has cooled, enjoy it with the espresso- and Irish whiskey-laced whipped cream topping.

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White Cake

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Perfect for birthdays, this basic white cake recipe makes two 8- or 9-inch layers. To finish it off, frost with our Chocolate Frosting or Basic White Frosting (see associated recipes.)