16 Best Candy Cakes Ideas

Along with cookies, cakes are one of my favorite desserts to bake because you can easily share them at gatherings. Something I’ve gotten into recently is Candy Cakes.

Premade candy is super simple to decorate with, and if you’ve been tasked with making a cake for a holiday gathering, you’ll easily find all sorts of themed goodies lining drugstore and grocery store aisles by the fistful!

Because candy is so sugary, I like to find cake flavors that complement things like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Gumdrops without being too harsh on the stomach.

Several of these recipes I’ve found to curate this list strike the perfect balance between pure sugar and a comfort-food taste level. I’ve listed sixteen different cakes below, the final one being my favorite because I’m a huge fan of chocolate.

1. Candy Bar Cheesecake

Chocolate cheesecake is already an irresistible dessert that you can bake anytime.

Well, this recipe is a great way to take it up a notch and use up leftover Halloween candy!

Add some caramel sauce, Snickers, Milky Way bars, and any other candies you like, and this cake will be perfect for those with a sweet tooth. In addition to peanuts, I want to add toasted almonds or walnuts on top.

2. Snickers Candy Cake

I like making dishes that look pretty in addition to tasting good. If you follow this recipe, you’ll end up with a cake that belongs in a bakery window.

All the shortbread crust, cake, and frosting flavors blend to make an easy Snickers cake.

Adding chunks of Snickers candy bars to the top is a great choice, but I’ve also added some to the batter for a little surprise inside.

3. Cotton Candy Cake

This cake looks like a cloud that a unicorn would take a nap on!

Whenever I see designs like this, I always get a little intimidated, worried that I’m going to mess it up. But, the fun thing about cotton candy is that it’s supposed to be blended with a marbling effect, making this a perfect design for beginners or bakers who tend to get a little messy.

The result looks magical, and it does taste like cotton candy from the fair!

4. Poke Cotton Candy Cake

I wanted to follow up the Cotton Candy recipe with this one as an alternative if the first choice sounds a bit too sweet for your teeth.

The light flavors of this cake are still delicious. And no, the poke in the title isn’t referring to Hawaiian poke bowls.

When you poke holes in the cake and pour the pudding mix over the top, it creates a whimsical marbling effect inside.

5. Birthday Candy Cake

You can certainly serve this cake at something other than a birthday party, and no one would complain.

The top of it looks like a vegetable platter but is filled instead with sugary goodness.

The fun part, too, is you can add whatever you want to the top. If you’re going to mix and match your favorite candies with dried nuts or chunks of fruit, have at it!

6. No-Bake Candy Cake

Yes, this cake is a no-bake, but probably not in the way you’re thinking. It’s a simple but extravagant-looking centerpiece with candy as the focal point.

When I tried this, I also added the candy buttons and the gumballs, but I went for a more solid color style cake, and I added chocolate candies and wrapped cake pops to the top instead of lollipops.

Just like the Birthday Candy Cake, this no-bake cake has the flexibility for you to customize it to your heart’s content.

7. Candy Corn Cake

A devilishly delicious choice for a Halloween party, this Candy Corn cake does take patience, but when you’re done, it’s both beautiful and quirky. To me, it almost looks like a vintage skirt or dress from the 60s.

This recipe is easy because the base cake can be anything you want, even a box mix. The fun of the candy is all in the design.

8. Marshmallow Candy Swirl Cake

When I saw this Marshmallow-Candy Swirl cake, I immediately thought of a baby shower or bachelorette party.

Compared to some of the other cakes on this list, the look of this cake is a bit more understated, almost elegant in its aesthetic.

The frosting is easily my favorite part; Swiss meringue buttercream makes my heart melt.

9. Candy Corn Poke Cake

This is my second favorite recipe on this list, and it’s also so easy. Another tasty poke cake, but this one is great for fall and Halloween.

The candy of choice is candy corn, but I like to add those little cream pumpkin candies on top, as well as some walnuts to make it look extra festive.

10. Vegan Cotton Candy Ice Cream Cake

I’ll admit most of these desserts haven’t been vegan friendly, and I don’t want anyone with dietary restrictions to feel left out.

This cotton candy ice cream cake is just as pretty and enjoyable as the other cotton candy cakes while also being dairy-free.

I think this dessert goes wonderfully with a hot cup of coffee or tea, and I like to sprinkle coconut shavings on the top.

11. Chocolate Piñata Cake

There are few who dislike a well-made chocolate cake, but I think even those who do would be hard-pressed to find a problem with a dessert filled with candies.

This is another recipe that looks complex when it’s, in fact, super easy. My biggest bit of advice is always to chill your layer cake before you hollow it out.

My golden window of time is forty-five minutes to an hour in the freezer.

Then it’s easier to frost, and you won’t need to worry about the heat from the cake causing a collapse or the candy inside melting.

12. Neapolitan Cake

Three flavors, one cake batter? Amazing. The vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry are great on their own, but a fun touch is topping this cake with candies!

I like to add chunks of dark chocolate with sea salt, as well as slices of Ho Hos.

With green and red M&Ms, and adding some green food coloring to the vanilla layer and red food coloring to the strawberry, you can easily turn this into a unique cake for Christmas time.

13. Candy Bar Drip Cake

Drip cakes; have a dramatic, bold look to them. This recipe adds a dash of whimsy by adding a tier covered in Kit Kats, chocolate M&Ms, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

I’ve made this cake a couple of times for parties and special events, and sometimes I spruce it up by picking a cake flavor that goes well with chocolate.

Coconut cakes, an almond and spice cake, and cinnamon brandy cakes complement the milky sugar of the candies.

14. Pink Drip Cake

Another drip cake, but with the bright and girly fun of pink!

This recipe does include lots of pink candies, but I think this cake can look just as pretty if you top it with white candies or even yellow.

Once you’ve picked your candies and applied the frosting, the decorations take five minutes as you have to pile them on.

15. Candy Bar Cake

Chocoholics take notes; this cake has a rich chocolate flavor and a decadent ganache drizzle.

The candies pictured atop the cake look classy with touches of white.

When I made this recipe, I personalized it by adding a coffee-flavored frosting and using lots of candy bars and barks with caramel and coconut.

16. Chocolate Candy Bar Cake

This last cake is the simplest on the list and a great intro recipe for those looking to bring candy into their baking.

It uses a box mix along with other ingredients you can easily find at the grocery store.

I hope you enjoyed these candy cakes! Remember not to put too much pressure on yourself to make a dessert perfectly.

It’s cake, and as long as it tastes great, everyone who enjoys it will have a big thank you to give.