Looking for a showstopping dessert for your Thanksgiving dinner? You’re at the right place. Here, you’ll find 15 beautiful Thanksgiving cake ideas, including easy designs with instructions to allow you to recreate these heartwarming designs.
How to find a Thanksgiving cake idea suited to your cake-decorating level?
I’ve come up with a system. The cake ideas are presented to you according to their level of difficulty. There are three categories :
What Are Beginner Cake Ideas?
These are the easy cake ideas. If you’ve never decorated a cake before (or only did it once or twice), these are the cakes that you should pay attention to.
- What you’ll find: Beautiful Thanksgiving cake ideas that only require basic decoration techniques. This is a great place to start your cake-decorating journey.
What Are Intermediate Cake Ideas?
I have decided to divide this category into two.
Low Intermediate Baker: If you are confident that you’ve mastered the cake decorating basics, such as how to smooth a cake for example, but feel like you still have a lot of techniques to learn apart from this foundation, this category is perfect for you.
- What you’ll find: Thanksgiving cake ideas that require both basic decorating skills and one or two techniques that are a little bit more advanced. This is a great place to grow your cake decorating skills.
High Intermediate Baker: If you’ve mastered both basic techniques and several more advanced cake decorating techniques, these cake ideas are made for you.
- What you’ll find: Stunning cake ideas that can be fairly challenging, but are a great place to get even better than you already are.
What Are Advanced Cake Ideas?
If you consider yourself an experienced cake decorator and have mastered most of the decorating techniques, including the use of fondant, then this is the perfect place for you.
- What you’ll find: Showstopping and challenging cake ideas, perfect to sharpen or maintain your skills.
The Grading System
Finally, I’ve also assigned a grade of difficulty to each cake inspiration: 1/5 being the easiest design to 5/5 being the hardest one. The goal is to make the ranking the most accurate possible. You will find this to be particularly helpful if you happen to fall in the Beginner or the Intermediate Cake Ideas categories.
Growth Tip : This list is great a place to set goals about your cake decorating skills. Pin this post and come back later to tell us how far you’ve come in your cake decorating journey !
How to recreate those Thanksgiving cake ideas?
What cake recipe should you use to make your perfect Thanksgiving cake come true?
To recreate these cake ideas, you will need a trustworthy cake recipe. You have several options.
Adapt your favorite cake recipe
There are a lot of ways to adapt a cake recipe to the golden season. Here are three suggestions :
- You could add fall flavor to your favorite cake recipe :
- A pumpkin cake obviously is the first thing that comes to mind, when you think of fall and Thanksgiving.
- Carrot cakes come as close seconds.
- Finally, spiced cake with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice for example really suits the season too.
- You could add a fall-flavored filling such as :
- Any nut praline would be a hit. Whether you use pecan, walnut, or hazelnut, nothing screams autumn like nuts.
- Apple pie filling (one of my favorite fillings) is such a heartwarming filling. It’s perfect for the slowly dropping temperatures.
- Finally, you could also personalize your frosting recipe to the fall season by adding browned butter or seasonal spices like cinnamon.
Here, you can really have fun and create a cake that suits you. One of my favorite cakes to bake during fall is a carrot cake filled with a walnut praline, paired with a vanilla cream cheese buttercream.
Be careful, if you’re a beginner baker, having to figure out both your cake design and creating a new cake recipe could be overwhelming. Therefore, I always recommend taking your learning journey one step at a time.
Look for a cake recipe
Where? You can ask friends, or family or simply look on the internet. You have to keep two things in mind though :
- The recipe has to be suitable for cake decorating, especially for cakes that require stacking or carving (advanced cake ideas).
- Once again, if you’re a beginner baker, be careful not to put too much on your plate and choose a recipe suited to your current level.
Use my Fall Cake Recipe Recommendation
Finally, you could try the delicious recipes I recommend. As I said earlier apple pie filling is one of my favorite fall flavors, which is why I think that you will love the Apple Pie Layer Cake recipe of Chelsweet.
What you will love about this recipe :
- It’s the perfect comforting fall flavor.
- It’s a really easy recipe. Even if the reverse creaming method might be intimidating, there’s nothing complex about it.
- And, the reverse creaming method will give this cake an unrivaled texture.
How to follow the instructions of the designs.
For the cake designs in the beginner category: I’ll be providing written instructions on how you can make the cake idea presented to you. Don’t hesitate to watch video tutorials about the basic techniques such as how to smooth a cake.
For the designs in the intermediate category: I’ll provide some guidance on how to perform the more complicated techniques.
For the advanced category: you are an experienced baker, at this point, and you will find great opportunities to put this experience to use. To be completely honest, several cake ideas for the advanced category, I cannot make myself, so trust your abilities and go for it.
Find the perfect Thanksgiving cake idea for your baking skills.
Growth Tip : If you aim to get better at cake decorating, you should choose a cake idea that feels sligthly above your current decorating level. Get out of your comfort zone !
Thanksgiving Cake Ideas Perfect for Beginner Bakers
Here, you’ll find 5 easy fall cake ideas perfect for beginner bakers.
A Fall Sunrise Cake
Difficulty Level: 1/5.
This cake is the perfect easy Thanksgiving cake idea as it focuses on the most important cake-decorating technique: smoothing the cake. This one is particularly forgiving as there’s still a bit of texture left. It’s perfect for a first cake. PS: You don’t have to bake it as high as you’re a beginner.
What you will need:
- Enough orange frosting to cover your cake.
- Fall themed decorations
How to recreate this cake?
- First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only the turn table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Smooth the top edges with your offset spatula moving from the edges of the cake to the center.
- Finally, decorate the cake with your fall decorations following the pictures or your heart’s desire.
What you’ve learned :
Once, you’re done with your cake you can be confident that you now understand how to smooth a cake, which is the foundation of most cake designs.
A Simple and Elegant Thanksgiving Cake
Difficulty Level: 1/5.
This cake is also very beginner-friendly, but a tiny bit less forgiving as it requires the cake to be perfectly smooth.
What you will need :
- Enough frosting to cover your cake, colored in beige.
- Fall themed decorations
- Organic flowers → you can stick to the petals or use the whole flower. If you do so, don’t forget to wrap the stems with floral tape, so they don’t come into contact with the cake.
- You could also use artificial flowers.
How to recreate this cake?
- First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only the turn table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again. Repeat this operation until the cake looks smooth enough for you.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Here, you don’t have to smooth the edges. It is a common technique to give a bit more character to the cake
- Finally, decorate the cake with your fall decorations following the pictures or your heart’s desire.
What you’ve learned :
You now know that perfect is not always what people are looking for, as with the edges of this cake. You’re also becoming a master when it comes to cake-smoothing
An Autumnal Leaves Cake
Difficulty Level: 1/5.
Once again, this easy Thanksgiving cake idea is a great starting point to practice covering your cake in frosting.
What you will need :
- Enough frosting to cover your cake, colored in orange.
- Fall themed decorations
How to recreate this cake?
- First, you must crumb-coat the cake to avoid any crumbs in your final design. Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only the turn table.
- It doesn’t have to be perfect as it only is the first coat. Chill the cake 20 to 30 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, apply a thicker coat of frosting and repeat the smoothing operation. Fill in any gaps and smooth the cake again. Repeat this operation until the cake looks smooth enough for you.
- Chill your cake again for 15 minutes.
- Smooth the top edges with your offset spatula moving from the edges of the cake to the center. You could also leave the edges raw as in the previous design.
- Finally, decorate the cake with your fall decorations following the pictures or your heart’s desire.
What you’ve learned :
At this point, you have learned that it doesn’t take years of practice to be able to create a beautiful Thanksgiving cake. Smoothing a cake is a solid foundation in your cake decorating journey.
A Rustic Fall Cake
Difficulty Level: 1,5/5
This semi-naked cake is perfect for beginners as this kind of cake is really forgiving. It does require some piping though which is why it’s not a 1/5 cake.
What you will need :
- Enough frosting to cover and decorate your cake
- A piping bag and a piping tip similar to the 1A by Wilton (round tip)
- A pumpkin decoration (you could use a cookie or chocolate)
How to recreate this cake?
- Apply a thin and even coat of frosting with your offset spatula all around your cake.
- Smooth it with your bench scraper, holding it at a 45-degree angle on the cake while spinning your turntable. Your bench scraper isn’t supposed to move, only the turn table.
- If you can’t see the cake’s edges underneath, you have put too much frosting. Keep scraping until you see the edges.
- Chill the cake for 20 minutes (until your frosting sets) in the fridge.
- Then, pipe dots the top and the bottom of the cake. If you’re not confident about doing it, you could practice first on a sheet of parchment paper.
- Finally, place your little pumpkin decoration.
What you’ve learned :
You now know how to make a semi-naked cake.
A Pumpkin Pie Cake
Difficulty Level: 1,5/5
What you will need :
- Enough frosting to cover your cake and decorate your cake
- 3/4 of it colored in orange
- For the remaining 1/4 :
- 3/4 colored in tan.
- 1/4 left white.
- A piping bag and a petal piping tip such as the 104 by Wilton for the tan frosting.
- A piping bag and an open star piping tip such as the 4B by Wilton for the white frosting.
How to recreate this cake?
- Crumb coat and cover the cake with your orange buttercream as explained in the previous designs.
- To recreate the border of the pie, practice on a sheet of parchment paper. With your tan buttercream, using your petal piping tip, do a zigzag motion from the center of the cake to yourself all around the cake, while turning your turntable. Go around the cake twice.
- Finally, with your white buttercream, pipe the central piece using a circular motion, without moving the cake. Don’t forget that you can practice on a sheet of parchment paper if you want to.
What you’ve learned :
Very simple piping and cake smoothing can take you a long way when it comes to cake decorating. You now know how to smooth a cake and decorate it with simple techniques, while still creating stunning designs.
Thanksgiving Cake Ideas for Intermediate Bakers
Here, you’ll find 5 intermediate cake ideas for bakers who’ve acquired solid cake decorating foundations.
A Mini Pumpkin Cake
Difficulty Level: 2/5 (Low Intermediate)
This pumpkin cake idea is the perfect place for bakers to move on to the intermediate level. It builds on the foundation, slowly adding to it.
A little guidance
To recreate the pumpkins in this design, I would use basic piping tips such as the 1M and the 6B by Wilton.
A Blooming Fall Flowers Cake
Difficulty level: 2/5 (Low Intermediate)
This cake is also a great option for beginner bakers who have mastered the basics.
A little guidance
If you’ve never made a drip cake before test the drip on a glass to ensure it is the right consistency. Don’t forget to wrap the stems of your flowers for the floral arrangement. You could also use fake flowers.
A Striped Pumpkin Cake
Difficulty Level: 3,5/5 (High Intermediate)
I feel like striped cakes are everywhere, so if you want to move on to more advanced techniques, this is definitely something you have to master.
A little guidance
To recreate the pumpkins, I’d use a 4B and a 1M from Wilton
A Golden Thanksgiving Cake
Difficulty Level: 3,5/5 (High Intermediate)
This cake simply is magnificent. The different textures are an excellent opportunity to step up your game.
A little guidance
Between each step when decorating this cake, be sure to chill your cake in the fridge long enough for the buttercream to set. If you don’t you might end up damaging the previous layer while working on the next one.
A Pumpkin Pie Themed Cake
Difficulty Level: 4/5 (High Intermediate)
While this cake isn’t really technical, it requires a lot of patience which is typically out the window for beginner cake decorators. I will also admit that I am biased. To me, anything involving fondant appears more complex than it actually is because I find it quite annoying to work with.
A little guidance
Create all your pieces of pumpkin pie before sticking them to the cake. It will ensure that they’re all identical and allow you to make changes if necessary.
Thanksgiving Cake Ideas for Advanced Bakers
Finally, you’ll find complex Thanksgiving cake ideas.
A Pumpkin Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
When we think of fall, we all think of pumpkins. With its elegant flower border, this pumpkin cake will definitely be a hit on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
And, while it is a more complex design, it is a great place to start for a baker wanting to take their skills to the next level, as the carving is fairly manageable.
A Thanksgiving Flower Crown Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
This cake and the next one are the perfect opportunity to show that you can make floral cakes with completely different techniques.
These buttercream flowers are fairly popular and require some practice, but they’re easier than the next technique because you create one flower at a time.
A Floral Thanksgiving Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
On the other hand, while both are advanced techniques, in my opinion, these painting-style flowers are a bit more challenging. Each time you move on to the next element, you risk ruining the one you just finished.
I always recommend, for techniques you haven’t mastered yet, to practice them on a sheet of parchment paper and move on to the cake when you feel confident enough.
An Abondance Thanksgiving Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
This cake will challenge you with the same difficulties as the one before, but the end result is completely worth it.
A Realistic Thanksgiving Turkey Cake
Difficulty Level: 5/5
This cake definitely is a work of art. If you’re able to recreate it, be careful not to mistake it for the actual turkey at your Thanksgiving dinner.
Did you enjoy these Thanksgiving cake inspirations? Sharing is caring!
Please let me know in the comments and/or tag me on Instagram @theperfectcakeidea. I’d love to see your creations. And, don’t forget to pin this post so you can come back to it.
Pin this post and come back to it later.
