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Milky Way Cake

January 5, 2019 by Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life 25 Comments

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Milky Way Cake is the ultimate dessert for people who LOVE Milky Way candy bars and cake!  All of this chocolate and caramel goodness in the Milky Way Cake is the perfect birthday cake or easy homemade cake for any day of the year!

9 x 13 pan of homemade Milky Way Cake recipe

Milky Way Cake Recipe

Milky Ways are my favorite candy bar!  My husband’s aunt gave me this recipe and I bought the candy bars right away in anxious anticipation of making the cake.  The hardest part was not eating the candy bars before making the recipe, so plan ahead and buy extra.

I made this as a chocolate cake option for my daughter’s birthday party and all of our guests loved it!  The cake itself is pretty amazing but adding more Milky Way bars on top in the icing really makes this cake memorable!

My husband’s favorite candy bar is 3 Musketeers, so we used a variation of this recipe to make a 3 Musketeers Cake!  When we don’t have as much time I like to make him this Snickers Bar Cake from a box mix.  When the candy bar flavors are there, the cake is still delicious!

Milky Way Candy Bar Cake Icing

Milky Way Cake Icing

I was intimidated about melting the candy bars to make icing, but it wasn’t a big deal.  Be sure to use medium or low heat.  When making the Milky Way Cake icing make sure to have all of the ingredients measured out and ready to pour in right away.

Pour the icing over the cake while everything is still warm.  Cover with plastic wrap and let it all cool together.  If you want tidy pieces with the icing on top wait until the cake has cooled to cut it.  If you don’t mind a warm, ooey gooey chocolate and caramel spoon cake then dig in right away!

Milky Way Cake on a plate made and iced with Milky Way candy bars

How to Make Milky Way Cake

  1. Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and preheat oven to 300ºF
  2. Melt butter & Milky Way bars over medium heat in a saucepan; stir often
  3. Mix remaining cake ingredients in a mixing bowl
  4. Add melted candy bars and mix well
  5. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes
  6. Prepare icing and spread over warm cake

Tips for Making Milk Way Cake

This chocolate and caramel cake is one of our favorites because it calls for real Milk Way candy bars!  Here are some tips for a delicious cake:

  • Have all ingredients measured and ready before beginning each portion of the recipe.
  • Don’t rush the melting of the candy bars.  Low heat and steady stirring wins the melting race.  It would be a shame to burn Milky Way bars!
  • Pour warm icing on a warm cake.
  • Cover with plastic wrap to maintain maximum moistness.
  • Cool before serving.
Collage of Milky Way Cake is the ultimate dessert for people who LOVE Milky Way candy bars and cake! 

More Easy Cake Recipes

Here are a few other of our favorite easy cakes in a 9 x 13 pan recipe:

  • Gooey Smores Cake
  • Best Rich and Moist Chocolate Cake
  • Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cake
  • Cinnamon Applesauce Cake
  • The Best Cake Recipe
  • Heath Bar Cake
  • Orange Cake with Pineapple Icing

We hope you enjoy these easy cakes as much as we do!

Printable Recipe for Milky Way Cake

Milky Way Cake on a white plate next to Milky Way candy bars and entire candy bar cake

Milky Way Cake

Milky Way Cake is the ultimate dessert for people who LOVE Milky Way candy bars and cake!  All of this chocolate and caramel goodness in the Milky Way Cake is the perfect birthday cake or easy homemade cake for any day of the year! #MilkyWay #EasyCake
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Milky Way Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 15 people
Calories: 541kcal
Author: Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life

Ingredients

Cake

  • 6 Milky Way Bars regular size
  • 1 1/2 sticks butter
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 3/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3/4 cup finely crushed nuts optional, I did not use

Icing

  • 4 Milk Way bars regular size
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk optional

Instructions

Cake

  • I used a greased 9 x 13 pan, a bundt pan will also work, it will just take longer to bake.
  • Melt together butter and Milk Way bars in a saucepan over medium heat.  Stir often to avoid burning.
  • Measure remaining ingredients and have ready in a mixing bowl.  Add melted candy bars.  Mix well.
  • Bake at 300 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes.  Prepare icing; spread over cake.

Icing

  • Melt together butter and Milk Way bars in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir often to avoid burning.
  • Add vanilla and powdered sugar; stir until smooth.  If desired, add milk to get to spreading consistency.  Spread over cake.

Notes

  • Have all ingredients measured and ready before beginning each portion of the recipe.
  • Don’t rush the melting of the candy bars.  Low heat and steady stirring wins the melting race.  It would be a shame to burn Milky Way bars!
  • Pour warm icing on a warm cake.
  • Cover with plastic wrap to maintain maximum moistness.
  • Cool before serving.

Equipment

Sauce Pan
Silicone Spatula
9×13 Baking Dish

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Nutrition

Calories: 541kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 577IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Follow me@PlowingThroughLife and mention #PlowingThroughLife!

Filed Under: Desserts, Easy Recipes, Farmhouse Favorites, Food & Recipes, Holiday Food Tagged With: cake

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Linda

    January 10, 2019 at 1:44 am

    My husband loves Milky Ways. I will try this soon!

    Reply
  2. marissa brewer

    January 23, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    Could you tell me what kind of flour i am supposed to use? self rising or all purpose new baker here lol

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      January 23, 2019 at 6:33 pm

      Great question! I just use all purpose.

  3. sylvia :)

    February 26, 2019 at 5:34 pm

    can i use mars bars instead? its really hard to find the milky way bars in israel 🙁

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      February 26, 2019 at 7:20 pm

      Great question! We’ve tried this with a few different candy bars and as along as it melts well it should work. Even if it doesn’t melt well it still tastes great, just doesn’t look as pretty. To make a 3 Musketeers cake we added butter to make the chocolate smoother when it melts. Good luck!

    • sylvia :)

      February 27, 2019 at 2:43 am

      yay! thank u! 🙂

    • Keith

      June 15, 2019 at 1:45 pm

      Most European countries market US-named “Milky Ways” as Mars bars. You should be fine.

    • LeRoy Hughes

      June 11, 2021 at 9:06 pm

      Yes! The US version of the Milky Way (which us used in this recipe) IS the Mars bar you know: Globally, the US 3 Musketeers bar is sold as the Milky Way. The US Milky Way is sold globally as the Mars bar.

  4. carol

    March 18, 2019 at 9:16 pm

    I’ve never baked a cake at such a low temp. 300, is this correct?

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      March 19, 2019 at 12:12 am

      That’s how we make it and we love how it tastes. Let me know if you change up the recipe how it goes. Thanks!

  5. Keith

    June 15, 2019 at 1:43 pm

    Do you completely cool the cake before frosting? Or is this one of those cakes you pour the icing on while cake is warm? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      June 15, 2019 at 2:07 pm

      5 stars
      Great question! Pour warm icing over the warm cake. It is so delicious!

  6. Sandy Pence

    July 8, 2019 at 9:14 pm

    What is the measurement for ‘regular size’ bars?

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      July 9, 2019 at 11:57 am

      Hey there – 1.84 ounces is a standard bar, so not the king size or fun size 🙂

  7. sylvia :)

    December 5, 2019 at 1:59 am

    hi! whats better, serving the cake on the same day that i made it or the day after? thank u 🙂

    Reply
    • Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life

      December 5, 2019 at 2:32 am

      Hmmm…that’s a good question. I don’t recall a difference in the taste different days. I do love a warm cake with a glass of milk, but this cake is very moist, so as long as you keep it covered it tastes great for a few days. Hope you enjoy!

  8. Priscilla

    January 20, 2020 at 9:41 pm

    How much longer do i bake the cake in a bundt oan?

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      January 21, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      Hi! I haven’t tested this in a bundt pan, but I would like to sometime. Please let me know bake time if you give it a try. Hope you love the recipe!

  9. sylvia :)

    March 30, 2020 at 7:30 pm

    just wanted to update that i made this cake once with milky ways and once with mars bars and they both came our great! no changes needed! 🙂

    Reply
    • Jennifer

      April 1, 2020 at 7:43 pm

      This is great to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know. Makes me want a Milky Way or Mars cake right now!

  10. Melody

    July 26, 2020 at 3:12 pm

    Hi Jennifer
    Want to make your Milky Way cake, which type of butter do you use in the cake and also the frosting is it salted or unsalted butter?

    Reply
    • Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life

      July 26, 2020 at 10:17 pm

      Hey there! We typically use unsalted butter. Hope you enjoy the cake as much as we do!

  11. Carol

    August 18, 2020 at 2:26 am

    Could you use Snickers bars instead of Milky Way?

    Reply
    • Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life

      August 18, 2020 at 12:58 pm

      Hey there! Great question! We did make a similar version with 3 Muskeeteers Bars, but I’m not sure that Snickers would melt well since the nuts are in it. We do have a Snickers Poke Cake here that is super delicious if you want to give it a try: https://plowingthroughlife.com/easy-snickers-bar-cake/

  12. Trudy

    May 25, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    I am currently making this cake. It has been in the oven at 300 for 45 minutes and it soupy. I’m guessing that it should read 350 degrees.

    Reply

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