12 Retro Southern Cakes to Bake Now

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Some cakes just hit different—and these retro Southern cakes know exactly how to sweet-talk your tastebuds. From Coca Cola Cake and Strawberry Pound Cake to Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Pound Cake, they deliver the flavor and flair of grandma’s kitchen (if grandma had a flair for drama and a bundt pan collection). Whether you’re digging into Peach Cobbler Pound Cake, swooning over Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes, or wondering how Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake could possibly taste that good (it does), this lineup is a sugar-coated stroll down memory lane.

Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes

A white ramekin filled with lemon pudding, topped with powdered sugar and a slice of lemon
Photo Credit: Not Entirely Average

Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes are sunshine in ramekin form—fluffy sponge on top, silky citrus pudding underneath, and pure joy with every spoonful. It’s like your favorite lemon bar fell into a warm bubble bath.

To learn more: Warm Lemon Pudding Cakes

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Pound Cake

A slice of golden-brown cranberry bread, garnished with fresh cranberries, and a golden fork nearby, resting on a delicate plate.
Image Credit: Not Entirely Average

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Pound Cake is what happens when fall flavor goes full Southern drama. Spiced pumpkin, tart cranberries, and a surprise cream cheese swirl make this one unforgettable bake.

To learn more: Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Gluten-free Banana Cake Recipe with Maple Walnut Frosting

a hunk of cake, with frosting and walnuts
Photo credit: Not Entirely Average

Gluten-Free Banana Cake With Maple Walnut Frosting turns your average banana bread into a moist, snackable masterpiece. That maple walnut cream cheese frosting? It’s the mic drop of the whole situation.
Get the Recipe: Gluten-free Banana Cake Recipe with Maple Walnut Frosting

Peach Cobbler Pound Cake

A peach cobbler pound cake drizzled with white glaze and topped with fresh peach pieces and crumble, served on a pink plate, with empty plates, peaches, and a plate with more peach pieces in the background
Photo credit: Grandbaby Cakes

Peach Cobbler Pound Cake is your two favorite desserts rolled into one show-off of a slice. Juicy peaches, buttery pound cake, and that golden crust—it’s summer baked into a bundt pan.
Get the Recipe: Peach Cobbler Pound Cake

Berry Sheet Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Two servings of berry sheet cake on plates, with cream.
Photo credit: Downshiftology

Berry Sheet Cake may be gluten-free and dairy-free, but it definitely isn’t flavor-free. Lightly sweet and loaded with berries, this one-pan wonder is easy, breezy, and ready for any picnic.
Get the Recipe: Berry Sheet Cake (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

a fully glazed chocolate mayonnaise cake
Photo credit: Erren’s Kitchen

Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake sounds suspicious but tastes like rich, fudgy magic. The mayo brings the moisture while a ganache drizzle brings the drama—it’s wildly good, no explanation needed.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

Strawberry Pound Cake

side shot of strawberry pound cake with strawberry glaze
Photo credit: The Cookie Rookie

Strawberry Pound Cake is the fruity, pink-glazed cousin of the classic—juicy, dense, and just begging for a fork. Sweet syrup seeps in while tangy glaze seals the deal.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Pound Cake

Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Texas sheet cake in jelly roll pan
Photo credit: Sugar Spun Run

Best Texas Sheet Cake is big, bold, and drenched in warm chocolate icing—just like it should be. It feeds a crowd, satisfies a craving, and keeps Southern potlucks proudly in business.
Get the Recipe: Best Texas Sheet Cake Recipe

Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake

Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake on foodiecrush.com
Photo credit: Foodie Crush

Vanilla And Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake swirls the best of both worlds into every buttery slice. It’s easy, elegant, and made for guests you want to impress without breaking a sweat.
Get the Recipe: Vanilla and Chocolate Marbled Bundt Cake

Sticky Toffee Ginger Cakes

Sticky Toffee Gingerbread Cakes on a platter
Photo credit: Erren’s Kitchen

Sticky Toffee Ginger Cakes bring gingerbread energy and a sticky toffee glaze that coats like a Southern compliment—sweet, rich, and impossible to ignore. Individually baked and ready to charm.
Get the Recipe: Sticky Toffee Ginger Cakes

Coca Cola Cake

A slice of chocolate cake with thick frosting rests on a black plate, accompanied by a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cherry. In the background, there is a classic Coca-Cola sign.
Photo credit: House of Nash Eats

Coca Cola Cake is a fudgy, old-school Southern treat where soda goes from fizzy to fabulous. With a warm pour-over icing and rich flavor throughout, this cake might just outshine your main dish.
Get the Recipe: Coca Cola Cake

Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Filling and Meringue

slice of orange chiffon cake on a white plate
Photo credit: Cooking Classy

Orange Chiffon Cake With Orange Filling And Meringue is a tall, citrusy beauty layered with creamy filling and crowned in toasted meringue. It’s light, bright, and practically floating off the cake stand.
Get the Recipe: Orange Chiffon Cake with Orange Filling and Meringue

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About Jenny deRemer

I am a Charleston, South Carolina-based culinary novice, an ardent authority on all things travel, a designer by trade, and the creator of Not Entirely Average. I have a weakness for farmers' markets, delight in adventures way off the beaten path, enjoy documenting my many moods through photography, and have been known to conquer the occasional yard sale with gusto!

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