Looking for small cake recipes? Here is the ultimate guide to baking 6 Inch Cake Recipes for two made from scratch for beginners.

Baking a small cake for two is one of the hardest things to do.
Most cake recipes require an 8 inch pan or larger. Some are even two or three layers.
I love cake but my waistline certainly doesn’t. And I feel really guilty over food waste if I can’t find people to eat the leftovers.
There aren’t many small cake recipes for a 6 inch cake pan, which is why I wrote this ultimate dessert for two guide about 6 Inch Cake Recipes.
I rounded up all of my small cake recipes so you don’t have to go digging through my archives, ranging from my small chocolate cake and small vanilla cake to my small yellow cake and small red velvet cake.
Now my 6 inch cake recipes may not be literally two servings, but they’re catered for two people because they make a small amount.
That means you can eat your cake now then eat a little more later without having to throw away stale cake. Cake for dessert, cake for breakfast.
Bookmark this guide for birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations, holidays, and any time you’re in the mood for cake!

Buying A 6 Inch Round Cake Pan
In order to make a 6 inch cake, you need to buy a 6 inch round cake pan. Easy enough, right?
A 6 x 2 inch round cake pan has a volume of 3 cups and can hold about 2 cups of batter to give it room to rise. You can buy one online from Amazon (affiliate link) or from your local craft store in the cake decorating aisle.
Although my recipes are mostly for one layer cakes, I highly recommend buying two pans. That way you’re ready for a double layer cake.
Plus if your current pan is in use, you have another one ready to go.
Bonus – Did you know you can make chicken pot pie for two and shepherd’s pie for two in a 6 inch pan?
Now you can make both dinner and dessert!
What if I don’t have a 6 inch pan?
If you don’t have a 6 inch pan, some readers have successfully made the cakes in 8 inch pans. The cake will be a lot thinner, so you may want to reduce the baking time by 5 minutes and check for doneness.
If the toothpick has wet batter on it, then you can continue with the normal baking time.
Sometimes you can multiply the ingredients by 1.5 and get a thicker 8 inch cake.
Don’t have that either? Check out my Small Batch Cupcake Recipes for more small cake options.

How To Make a 6 Inch Cake
Most cake for two recipes follow the same steps: Cream together the butter and sugar, add the egg and any flavorings, then gradually add your dry ingredients.
My small carrot cake recipe is made a little bit differently as it uses vegetable oil instead of butter, so you beat the oil, sugar, buttermilk, and egg together.
Then you transfer the batter to a greased 6 inch round cake pan lined with some parchment paper. This ensures your cake won’t stick when you invert it after cooling.
How long should you bake a 6 inch cake?
Depending on the batter, you bake a 6 inch cake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes. Some recipes require 30-35 minutes. Always follow what the recipe tells you.
To tell if your cake is done, insert a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready. A few crumbs are ok, but you definitely don’t want wet batter.

How many servings will a 6 inch cake feed?
Serving sizes are subjective, especially if you only want a small bite of cake. Generally 6 inch cakes can be sliced into 4-6 slices, making it about 4-6 servings per 6 inch cake.
However, if you slice the cake small enough, you can push for 8 slices, equaling 8 servings. That way you can serve my Small Funfetti Cake for someone’s birthday and have enough slices for everyone (plus a few extras).
Hosting a small Thanksgiving or Christmas for two? Serve my Small Pumpkin Cake or Small Gingerbread Cake for dessert. There will be enough food at dinner that a small 6 inch cake will be plenty of dessert.
Feeling a bit fruity? Check out my Small Strawberry Cake, Small Lemon Cake, and Small Coconut Cake.
Want cake for breakfast? I got you covered with my Small Coffee Cake recipe.
Ultimately serving size is up to you depending on how small you cut your 6 inch cake.

How much buttercream do I need for a 6 inch cake?
You can’t serve 6 inch cake recipes without frosting! That’s why I also have small batch frosting recipes and ganache so you’re not stuck with leftovers.
You’ll need roughly 1 cup buttercream for your small cake recipes. Some popular frosting recipes are my Small Batch Chocolate Frosting, Small Batch Vanilla Buttercream, Peanut Butter Buttercream, Strawberry Buttercream, and Lemon Buttercream.
Is buttercream too sweet for you? Go for a bit of tang with Small Batch Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting, and Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting.
Finally, for specialty cakes I have German Chocolate Frosting and Coconut Frosting.
Equipment You Will Need
6 Inch Cake Recipes
Looking for small cake recipes? Here is the ultimate guide to baking 6 Inch Cake Recipes for two made from scratch for beginners.
Small Chocolate Cake
Small Chocolate Cake is a moist and delicious one layer chocolate cake you can make from scratch without a cake mix.
Small 6 Inch German Chocolate Cake
Homemade Small 6 Inch German Chocolate Cake For Two is a moist and delicious one layer chocolate cake you can make from scratch without a cake mix.
Small Vanilla Cake Recipe
This Small Vanilla Cake recipe with a cherry filling is a 2 layer 6 inch cake perfect for any occasion.
Small 6 Inch Yellow Cake For Two
Recreate your favorite yellow cake mix from scratch with Small 6 Inch Yellow Cake For Two.
Small 6 Inch Red Velvet Cake For Two
Homemade Small 6 Inch RedVelvet Cake For Two is a moist and delicious one layer red cocoa cake fromscratch without a cake mix. Top it with cream cheese frosting.
Small 6 Inch Funfetti Cake
Small 6 Inch Funfetti Cake for two with buttercream frosting and sprinkles helps make life a little sweeter. Recipe made from scratch without cake mix.
Small 6 Inch Strawberry Cake
Small 6 Inch Strawberry Cake is made from scratch using fresh strawberries. No cake mix and no strawberry jello!
Small Lemon Cake Recipe
This Small Lemon Cake recipe is a 6 inch lemon cake for two from scratch then decorated with homemade lemon buttercream frosting.
Lemon Raspberry Cake
Welcome sunny days into your kitchen with this Lemon Raspberry Cake! It’s a 6 inch lemon cake with a raspberry filling and raspberry frosting and is the perfect small layer cake for any occasion.
Small Coconut Cake Recipe
This 6 inch Small Coconut Cake recipe with coconut milk is a coconut cake for two from scratch decorated with homemade coconut frosting.
Small Coffee Cake Recipe
This Small Coffee Cake recipe without sour cream is light and fluffy with fresh blueberries and a buttery streusel crumble topping.
Small Carrot Cake Recipe
This 6 inch Small Carrot Cake recipe with pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and raisins is a super moist carrot cake for two from scratch decorated with homemade cream cheese frosting.
6 Inch Gingerbread Cake
This small 6 Inch Gingerbread Cake recipe made from scratch without cake mix is a moist and fluffy cake that tastes like Christmas in every bite.
Denise says
I have made the chocolate cake recipe twice. It has a nice chocolate taste and is moist. Also frosted cake with the cream cheese frosting, and it’s very good. My family of three lines cake so your recipes are perfect. Thank you.
Carla says
Thank you for sharing, Denise! Glad you and your family are enjoying the chocolate cake.
Kacie Morgan says
I love the idea of a smaller, 6″ cake. I live alone and if I make a regular-sized cake, some of it will often go to waste.
Carla says
Yes I hate that! And sometimes I simply don’t see anybody to take it off my hands before it dries out. Let me know if you try anything!
Margaret says
My family loved the 6″ chocolate cake that I made following the recipe. I am a big fan of chocolate+orange combination so tried replacing the hot water with some orange juice and added some orange zest. The result was fabulous! Frosted with raspberry buttercream that I had ready in my fridge-awesome! Am making this again.. And again! Thank you!
Carla says
Oh using OJ instead of water is genius. Loving the sound of chocolate, orange, and raspberry together. Thanks for sharing your version!
Tawnie K Kroll says
Dessert for 2 is perfect! I always feel so bad making a beautiful cake and seeing it go to waste!
Carla says
Ditto. Throwing away cake is the worst. Let me know if you make any of the recipes!
Barbara C Dorfman says
I have six inch square pans. Do they use the same amount of ingredients and bake time?
Carla says
A 6 inch round pan holds 3 cups volume. I don’t have a 6 inch square pan to measure for you. The easiest way to measure is to fill it to the top with water then measuring how much water it holds. If it’s also 3 cups, then it’ll be roughly the same. If not, you’ll have to adjust for the difference.
Wendy Swedean says
To make a two-layer 6-inch cake, can you just double the recipe? Or isn’t it that simple?
Carla says
Yes, you can double the recipe.
Julie says
I made the chocolate cake last night and it was fantastic! So rich and chocolatey and the perfect size for my family of 5 to each have a small piece. It scratched the sweet tooth itch without overindulging. Because I never seem to have time or the motivations to make frosting, I instead spread a thin layer of peanut butter on top and drizzled a little chocolate sauce. So pretty and decadent! I’ll try it again with strawberry preserves on top next time.
Carla says
Hey as long as you enjoyed the “frosting”, that always work! Glad everyone enjoyed the cake.
Eleanor Steward says
recipe for 6 inch coconut cake please
Carla says
I’ll add it to my list!
Eleanor Steward says
Thank You. Hard finding single layer 6 inch cake recipes. Also looking for 6 or 7 inch pie recipes.
Carla says
I’ve gotten multiple requests for 6 inch pies, so I need to buy a pan and work on some recipes. Thanks for the feedback!
Deborah says
Hi Carla
Hope you are well.
I was overjoyed to find your website and see your 6 inch cake recipes. However, the ingredients are all given in US cup sizes. Is it possible for these to be shown in metric or please could you advise of the amounts for the 6 inch cakes you have in either grams or ounces. (preferably grams).
I would be sincerely grateful to you if this was possible. Please drop me an email in due course.
Kindest regards.
Deborah
Carla says
I don’t have the metric measurements at this time. However, you can use this handy conversion chart https://www.allrecipes.com/article/cup-to-gram-conversions/
Carol Siembida says
Please I’d love a 6 inch prune cake recipe. It’s delish!
Carla says
I’ll add it to my list!