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!
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 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!
How to Make Milky Way Cake
- Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan and preheat oven to 300ºF
- Melt butter & Milky Way bars over medium heat in a saucepan; stir often
- Mix remaining cake ingredients in a mixing bowl
- Add melted candy bars and mix well
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes
- 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.
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
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
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My husband loves Milky Ways. I will try this soon!
Could you tell me what kind of flour i am supposed to use? self rising or all purpose new baker here lol
Great question! I just use all purpose.
can i use mars bars instead? its really hard to find the milky way bars in israel 🙁
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!
yay! thank u! 🙂
Most European countries market US-named “Milky Ways” as Mars bars. You should be fine.
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.
I’ve never baked a cake at such a low temp. 300, is this correct?
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!
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!
Great question! Pour warm icing over the warm cake. It is so delicious!
What is the measurement for ‘regular size’ bars?
Hey there – 1.84 ounces is a standard bar, so not the king size or fun size 🙂
hi! whats better, serving the cake on the same day that i made it or the day after? thank u 🙂
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!
How much longer do i bake the cake in a bundt oan?
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!
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! 🙂
This is great to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know. Makes me want a Milky Way or Mars cake right now!
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?
Hey there! We typically use unsalted butter. Hope you enjoy the cake as much as we do!
Could you use Snickers bars instead of Milky Way?
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/
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.