6 inch cake recipes are perfect for small gatherings or birthdays! Grab your 6-inch cake pans and let’s run through some of these delicious small cakes that are perfect for any special occasion!

Mini cake recipes are easy to adapt from 8-inch cake recipes or cupcake recipes! Below, I’ll walk you through how to make those adjustments so you can have the perfect cake in the perfect size!

A collection of images featuring delicious 6-inch layer cakes! Coconut cookies and cream cake, German Chocolate cake, pumpkin cake and more!

You will love the combination of coconut and Oreo in this amazing 6-inch coconut Oreo cake! The cookies and cream cheese frosting is smooth and delicious!

Coconut Cookies and Cream Cake
A delicious coconut cake baked on top of an Oreo crust. Each cake layer has a coconut filling on top and then a cookies and cream frosting goes around the entire cake. It's a delicious combo of flavors!
A Coconut Cookies and Cream Cake on a white plate against a white background.
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

German chocolate cake is one of my all-time favorites! I make it every year for my birthday. The rich coconut pecan frosting is gooey and delicious paired with the moist chocolate cake layers! The cocoa powder in this recipe is bloomed (adding hot water to cocoa powder) which gives it a richer chocolate flavor! You can serve it with just the pecan frosting or you can make my delicious Chocolate Buttercream Frosting as well!

Small German Chocolate Cake Recipe
This Small German Chocolate Cake Recipe is a three layer 6 inch cake recipe. Each layer is filled with a gooey homemade coconut pecan frosting (featuring toasted pecans and toasted coconut). We love to frost the edges with chocolate buttercream frosting, and while yes it makes this cake extra delicious and decadent, the chocolate frosting isn't required!
A photo of a two layer German Chocolate Cake with coconut pecan frosting between the layers.
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

This spice cake is deliciously moist and perfectly spiced. It’s the moist amazing cake to enjoy any time of year, but I love it in the fall!

Spice Cake
This spice cake has the best blend of spices AND it’s topped with an irresistibly smooth cream cheese frosting. A perfect cake for parties or every day enjoyment. 
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

This golden Oreo cake is made with a golden Oreo crust on the bottom of each cake layer. It has the most perfect vanilla flavor and a yummy Golden Oreo frosting!

Golden Oreo Cake
This delicious Golden Oreo Cake features a moist vanilla cake layer that's topped with a Golden Oreo buttercream frosting, a whipped cream cheese filling. This cake is seriously amazing, so decadent, and loved by everyone!
A three layer Golden Oreo Cake on a white plate against a white textured background.
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

This pumpkin layer cake has deliciously moist pumpkin cake layers with a smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting! It’s the perfect fall cake!

6 Inch Pumpkin Layer Cake Recipe
A moist pumpkin cake loaded with pumpkin flavors and fall spices. This cake is topped with a silky cream cheese frosting. It’s the perfect pumpkin recipe to make each fall!
A Pumpkin layered cake frosted with cream cheese frosting.
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

There are so many fun ways to use this smash cake! This small vanilla cake can be covered in sprinkles, frosted with colored frosting, and more! This cake is perfect for any birthday celebration and a fan favorite birthday cake for first birthdays since it’s a smaller cake! We love seeing the kiddos dig through this cake with their little hands!  

Smash Cake Recipe
A super moist vanilla cake! This cake is perfect for any occasion.
A sprinkle covered Smash Cake Recipe on a white marbled cake stand.
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

If you’re a big lover of 7 Layer Bars then you will love this 6-inch 7 layer bar cake! It has the perfect amount of flavors you love in a magic bars recipe: butterscotch frosting, coconut chocolate chip cake, and a graham cracker crust!

7 Layer Bar Cake
This moist 7 Layer Bar Cake tastes JUST like the classic 7 layer bars dessert! This cake features 3 graham cracker crust lined cakes with a coconut pecan filling and butterscotch buttercream. The finishing touch is a chocolate drip!
A slice of 7 Layer Bar Cake on a white plate.
Get the recipe here! Pin Recipe

This citrus cake from Sally’s Baking Addiction has a tangy citrusy flavor that is beautiful in a cake!

6 Inch Sunshine Citrus Cake – Sally’s Baking Addiction
This 6 inch citrus cake cures the cold weather blues with bright flavor, a light and springy cake crumb, and creamy whipped frosting.
6 Inch Sunshine Citrus Cake - Sally’s Baking Addiction
Get the recipe here!

Dessert for Two makes the perfect size dessert for a small celebration! You will love this perfect mini tres leches cake! It’s got the most amazing three milk sauce and is dusted with cinnamon.

Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Tres leches cake recipe for two. A mini tres leches cake is a light and fluffy sponge cake with a three milk sauce poured on top. Freshly whipped cream for the frosting is so perfect. Tres leches cake recipe You’re looking at my birthday cake of choice: the lovely, tender sponge cake soaked in 3…R…
Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Get the recipe here!

Cake By Courtney has this amazing white chocolate peppermint cake that is one of my favorite small cake recipes for the holidays! 

White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
White chocolate peppermint cake layers with white chocolate peppermint frosting and drip, sprinkled and filled with peppermint candies.
White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Get the recipe here!

Turning Cupcakes into Cake

If you have a cupcake recipe that makes about 3-4 cups of batter, give or take a little bit, then you can turn that into a 6-inch layer cake! 

So that’s any cupcake recipe that will make about 12-14 cupcakes. The cupcake batter will divide pretty evenly into three 6 inch pans. You can also use the cupcake batter for a two-layered 6-inch cake. If you use three cake pans each cake will more of a thin layer than if you baked them in two pans. 

When it comes to the bake time, a good guide is 17-21 minutes of baking time at 350ºF. This will depend on if you are baking 3 cake layers at once or just 2, as well as the individual batter and how think or thin it is. Just keep an eye on the cake layers at around the 16 minute mark in order to get the perfect bake! 

Turning 8-Inch Layer Cakes into Mini Cakes

Remember how I mentioned that cupcake batter typically yields 3-4 cups? And that 6-inch cakes need that much batter?

Well, a standard 8-inch cake recipe will yield 6-8 cups batter. Now, that’s easy math! Just make a half batch of any 8-inch layered cake recipe and you can make that into a 6-inch cake instead! 

How to Grease Cake Pans

The best way to grease you cake pans to ensure you don’t have any sticking is to spray each pan well with nonstick cooking spray, place a circular piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the cake pan and then spray the parchment paper. 

This will make sure you don’t have any sticking — which is important especially in 6-inch cake pans since they are smaller. 

Storing and Freezing Cakes

Storing and freezing cakes is not only possible, but super useful! It’s the perfect way to make cakes and frosting ahead of time.

In my How to Store and Freeze Cakes guide, I’ll cover everything from freezing cake layers, to buttercream and even freezing fully decorated cakes!

Did you make ones of these recipes? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a star rating and review on the recipe post by scrolling below the recipe card. 

Stay up-to-date by following us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest.