The 17 Very Best Breakfast Cakes To Start Your Day

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun, too! While there are classic coffee cakes and delicious pound cakes, this collection is meant to feel a bit more special than your usual fare. We have cakes made with pancakes, fruit-filled sweets and breakfast-y versions of everyone's favorite dessert! One of our favorites is inspired by a blueberry muffin (with a schmear of cream cheese!) and can be made the night before and refrigerated. Serve it in the morning with coffee or a pot of Earl Grey tea for the perfect make-ahead breakfast or brunch dish.

This hearty cake is packed with oats, flavored with cinnamon and topped with a warm glaze made with more oats, shredded coconut and nuts. We used pecans, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand. It's a great way to clean out the pantry and simple enough for kids to help with. Bake one on a Sunday and enjoy it all week long for breakfast or as a snack! It's delicious at room temperature or lightly warmed in the microwave.

One part doughnut and one part cake, this delicious bundt makes the perfect sweet breakfast. We use raspberry jam to make the syrupy filling for this cake, but you're welcome to swap it out for whatever flavor you prefer.

Since pancakes are indeed cakes, why not dress them up and layer them high with cream cheese whipped cream and fresh berries for a breakfast-for-dessert dish? Or maybe even better, a dessert-for-breakfast treat! By whisking the dry and wet ingredients separately before combining the two, the risk of overmixing is reduced, which helps create light and fluffy pancakes.

Ree's skillet cake is perfect for a crowd, because you can bake and serve it right in the same pan! She slices the strawberries fairly large so they stay intact and don't become mushy while baking, but you can chop them smaller if you'd like! She tops the cake with both a crumble and a glaze to make it extra yummy.

These decadent bars are reminiscent of a treat from your favorite coffee shop, and are good for breakfast or as an afternoon indulgence. If you're not a fan of raspberries, feel free to replace them with blueberries or blackberries. Or use a mix of all three, along with a mixed berry jam.

Ree puts pancake batter to clever use for this cake, which is deliciously topped with a glaze and whipped cream, and served with berries on the side. Rather than serving pancakes individually as each one is cooked, everyone eats at the same time from the casserole dish.

Who says you can't make a cake for one? Ree's mug cake uses rolled oats instead of flour, so it's more akin to a dressed-up oatmeal. Who wouldn't love that?!

Ina says, "Everyone who makes this cake can’t believe how easy it is! The ricotta and sour cream keep the cake moist and the blueberries and lemon zest give it lots of flavor. Even if you’re having breakfast for dinner, you still need to have dessert, right?"

Chocolate-lovers, this one's for you! We've incorporated chocolate and pecans into both the cake and the topping to ensure maximum flavor and crunch in every bite.

Cake, for breakfast? Yes! The combination of peaches and cream screams decadent and rich, but not this breakfast cake! No one will ever know, but I’ve reduced the sugar and fat. This simple and quick one-bowl recipe is not quite as sweet as cake, but not as savory as a quick bread. You can keep it lean with the skyr topping or go more indulgent with whipped cream or even ice cream.

The original pound cake appeared in America’s first cookbook and was made with one pound each of butter, sugar, eggs and flour. Now that’s a lot of cake! We've scaled down the ingredients and the work involved to make a showpiece cake that is perfect for your next family gathering (be it brunch or dinner). The key is the sour cream, which balances the sweetness and ensures your cake remains soft for days!

It's no secret that the best part of a crumb cake is, well, the crumb! Unlike other versions, this sheet pan breakfast (or dessert) is half cake and half crumb topping, for more deliciousness in every slice. The cake part is perfectly sweet, with just the right amount of tang from the sour cream, while the topping is mega buttery and spiked with cinnamon. Win-win!

Jeff's lemon and poppy seed cake, complete with a strawberry glaze, is basically a fruit salad! You can serve it as part of a brunch or breakfast spread, or enjoy it on its own. Either way, you're sure to gobble it up!

Molly’s Mom made crumb cake all the time when Molly was growing up. This recipe is her nostalgic ode to those addictive streusel-topped dense cakes that she craves. And for juicy pops of fruitiness, this one is loaded with mixed berries…because you have to have berries at brunch!

You've heard that breakfast is the most-important meal of the day. After fasting overnight, it is important to refuel and jump-start the body with wholesome foods. This breakfast cake can be prepared the night before so that in the morning (or any time of day), you can fuel your body in just minutes with a healthy dose of carbs, protein and fat!