Cake Flavor Combinations – How to Combine Filling and Frosting
Pairing the right cake flavors with the right filling and frosting can be critical to the success of recipes. These Cake Flavor Combinations are a great guide to have on hand when you are wondering what to bake or what is the best flavor combination for a particular cake.
Popular Cake Flavor Combinations – Cake Flavor Ideas
Have you ever wondered about the endless possibilities of cake flavor combinations or cake flavor ideas?
- Which flavors go well together?
- Or what cake flavor goes with buttercream frosting?
- What flavor goes with lemon cake? what filling goes well with lemon cake?
- Or even what flavor goes with a red velvet cake? what filling should I use for red velvet cake?
- What goes with a chocolate cake? Which filling should I use in my chocolate cake?
- Which are the best cake combinations? What is the best cake filling combinations?
- Vanilla cake flavor combinations
- Best flavor and filling combinations
- or Best cake favor combination for decorated cakes?
When I started my little cake business one of my challenges was to figure out what cake flavor combinations would go well together. I’d have all these questions in my head and spent hours trying small batches of recipes and seeing whether I really liked them or not. I’ve given away a lot of free cakes just to get feedback and inputs from family and friends.
In truth what may be a family favorite does not necessarily work in business. For example:
- Red velvet cake combination – I love my red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting but when I make it for a customer with fondant I usually use Swiss Meringue Buttercream – it’s easier to work with.
- Cake flavor that goes with lemon cake – I love lemon cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream. But here the weather is so hot that in summer I don’t offer that flavor with fondant cakes. NOPE!! It has to be a buttercream cake and it has to be eaten within 3 days.
Cake Flavor Combinations. Best Cake Combinations for fillings and frostings
I love cakes!! And I love baking new flavors as much as eating them. Over the years I’ve lost count of the many experiments I’ve done with flavor ideas. I must admit that some have not made it to my books as keepers. And yet, I still enjoyed the process.
When I started cake decorating professionally, I started putting together a list of popular flavors and combinations and my list keeps getting longer and longer.
Cake Flavor Combinations or Best Cake Flavor ideas
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So what are some creative cake flavors to try? Here’s a small part of that list, I think you will love very much. (Save/Pin)
Cake Flavors and Filling Combinations
- Almond cake with almond cream and white chocolate buttercream
- Champagne cake with strawberry mousse and champagne buttercream
- Ginger spiced cake with vanilla & honey buttercream
- Earl Grey cake with lavender flavored buttercream
Flavors that go with Coconut Cakes (coconut is one of my favorite flavors)
- Coconut cake with rum-flavored chocolate buttercream
- or Coconut with lime curd and maple buttercream
- Coconut Cake with pineapple cream and Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- and Coconut cake with dark chocolate fudge filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Coconut cake with dulce de leche filling and chocolate fudge buttercream
- even Coconut cake with coconut cream filling and brown butter buttercream
- Toasted Coconut Cream Cake with coconut cream filling and Whipped Cream Buttercream
- Coconut cake with lemon curd and coconut cream buttercream
Flavors that go with Banana Cakes
- Easy Banana Caramel Cake
- Banana cake with salted caramel frosting
- Banana cake with caramel cream cheese frosting
- or Banana Cake with Nutella Buttercream
- Banana cake with coconut cream and Almond Buttercream
- Tropical Banana cake with pineapple cream and whipped cream buttercream.
- Banana Maple Cake with pecan praline filling and caramel buttercream.
- and Banana Blueberry Cake with blueberry filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Flavors that go well with Lemon Cake or Strawberry Cake
- Lemon cake with almond buttercream
- or Lemon cake with raspberry frosting and lemon buttercream
- Strawberry cake with banana mousse and strawberry buttercream
- Lemon cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream
- Vanilla cake, raspberry filling, and white chocolate buttercream
- Orange cake with vanilla chai buttercream
- Try my Strawberry Cake with Velvet American Buttercream
Flavors that go with Chocolate Cake
- Chocolate pecan cake with mascarpone cream cheese frosting
- Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frostings
- or Dark chocolate cake with mint buttercream
- Chocolate cake with chocolate ganache
- Cherry Chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream*
- Chocolate Fudge cake with raspberry or white chocolate mousse and vanilla buttercream
- and Chocolate fudge cake with crushed Oreo buttercream
- Dark chocolate cake with orange, strawberry or raspberry buttercream
- German chocolate cake with pecan praline cream and dark chocolate ganache
Matcha Flavor Combinations
- Matcha cake with coconut cream and matcha buttercream
- or Match pound cake with blueberry filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Match chiffon cake with cream cheese frosting
- and matcha genoise with strawberry and whipped cream
- White chocolate matcha cake with matcha ganache.
Cake Flavor ideas for Fall
- Pumpkin Coconut Cake with coconut cream caramel
- or Pumpkin cake with chai latte buttercream
- Pumpkin maple cake with pecan filling and maple buttercream
- Fall spice cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Apple spice cake with caramel filling and Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Pumpkin cake with pumpkin pie filling and no butter cream cheese frosting
- Pumpkin ginger cake with pumpkin spice buttercream
- Apple pear cake with apple pie filling and whipped cream buttercream
- Pumpkin white chocolate cake with pumpkin spice buttercream
- Apple Pie Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Cake Flavor Combinations aka Best Cake flavor ideas
How to Create a Simple Cake Fillings Combination
Well, not all are straightforward but often creating these can be as simple as tweaking your basic vanilla buttercream recipe just a little. For example:
- Almond buttercream is just your regular buttercream with almond flavoring
- Mint buttercream – just a mint flavoring
- Lemon buttercream – replace the liquid in the recipe with some lemon juice when making vanilla buttercream
- and Nutella buttercream is just Nutella added to your vanilla buttercream too
Check out my post where I share how to make different buttercream flavors with one basic buttercream recipe. As well as, my post; One Vanilla cake with many different flavors and One Chocolate cake with many different flavors.
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Cake Flavor Combinations aka Cake Flavor Ideas
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Thank you so much for these combinations – I love each and every one.. But when I have to make something I’m always stuck!!
I know what you mean Harley. Exactly, the reason why I wrote this post.
Good day! I was asked to make a tiered Scottish DundeeNaked wedding cake. It will have liquor soaked sultanas. What flavor butter cream do. you suggest to go between the layers>
Thank you!
Usually, I never add buttercream for my Scottish Dundee Cakes – I just sprinkle almonds for a tea cake or cover it with marzipan for a celebration cake. You can use apricot or orange marmalade too.
The last time I made a naked one I made a thick disc of marzipan in between.
Well, with buttercream I’d go with marzipan buttercream, orange marmalade spread – my personal favorite is apricot jam spread (literally add marzipan paste in the buttercream) and
I’d use Swiss Meringue Buttercream not American – Vanilla, orange or marzipan flavor.
Hope this helps.
I love all the choices and flavors you have here. I was looking for inspiration, now I have so much I’m feeling greedy. Can’t decide which to try fist.
Thank you Mcclimon. So happy you hear you found this articles helpful. Thank you so much for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much. Have a wonderful week.
Can I fill the cake with whipping cream and crumb coat it with buttercream?
Yes you can Yukti.
Hi Veena
I want to try mirror glaze cake. Can u suggest me which flavour cake, filling for the cake if I wish to give white chocolate panache frosting . Can I go with vanilla buttercream filling?
Many cakes will go with mirror glaze Juby. Mousse or even a chocolate or vanilla cake coated in buttercream. Just make sure the buttercream or ganache is really chilled well or frozen. You can use vanilla frosting too! Just chill it really well and pour the glaze before you have any condensation.
I am planning on doing a dark chocolate cake with lemon curd filling and a lemon buttercream but am wondering if the flavour profile will be liked by others? Suggestions?
Ami. This is a tough one! I personally do not like chocolate and citrus fruits but many people do. If I was making it for someone specific I’d check first so it does not disappoint them. If I was making it for a group of people I’d go with a more acceptable yet exotic flavor – like chocolate coconut, chocolate vanilla, chocolate dulce de leche – you get the idea. Lemon and orange are great flavors but not everyone will enjoy the combination paired with chocolate. Again that’s just me.
Greetings from Lagos Nigeria. This is a beautiful blog with lots of ideas. I have a question though.
Will peanut butter buttercream filling pair well with a coconut cake?
I intend making a coconut cake on Friday and frosting completely with cream cheese and coating with coconut.
Helen. When it comes to combinations often you have to think as a group rather than individual. Personally I don’t like peanut butter and coconut but I can bet there will be many who would love it. If this is the only cake at the even I recommend playing safe with flavors you know will be appreciated by everyone. If you have more than one cake then of course make one flavor you can take a chance on.
Thank you so much for this post. Thank you! You have no clue how lost I am at that last minute when I want to make a cake and have no clue what pairs together. Thank you
Happy to be able to help. I know that feeling of being lost years back when I just started. I’d have all these wonderful ideas but at the endth moment I’d be blank.
Hi
Can I ask if when you make a cake would you always use ganache to cover the cake no matter what flavour the cake is before you put the fondant on?
Thank you
Lesley
No Lesley..!Not always ganache! Often meringue buttercream which can be Swiss or Italian. With kids cakes my most popular is my Velvet Buttercream. But in summer when the weather is too hot for buttercream all fondant covered cakes are with ganache..
Do you have the fillings recipes?. Thank you
I have some filling recipes – look under recipes / fillings Thanks
Brilliant tips.. Thanks for sharing Veena! I’ve made your cakes few times and always turned out great, but it’s nice to get some different ideas of cake flavour combinations.I always make my sponge cakes this way and always get lots of compliments. Making cakes is easy with our cake baking tips..Worth trying if you never have.Cant wait for the next recipe:)