Milky Way Cake is a huge hit at our house, it is made with melted Milky Way candy bars and topped with a chocolate marshmallow ganache! Perfect for leftover Halloween candy, holidays, or any sweet occasion!
This Milky Way Cake recipe is totally different from anything I’ve ever tried before and it ended up being incredible! It’s no doubt a show-stopping treat that’s perfect and fit for almost any occasion. Do you need an occasion for dessert? Either way, when you serve up this rich chocolate bundt cake you’ll no doubt have smiles all around as everyone enjoys that little slice of heaven.
What is milky way cake?
Milky way cake is a bundt cake recipe made using the best candy bar ever- Milky Ways. Then topped off with a chocolate ganache frosting this cake recipe is to-die-for. It’s so gosh darn tasty and good you won’t stop after just one piece. To make the cake batter, you actually use 8 melted Milky Way candy bars! The chocolate/caramel flavor comes out very strongly in the cake and is so yummy. The frosting is an amazing chocolate and marshmallow ganache that goes perfectly with the cake – just make sure to have a large glass of milk nearby because it is pretty rich! The best part of all is you can use leftover holiday candies to help pull it all together!
MILKY WAY CAKE INGREDIENTS
-Milky Way Candies: We need to use 8 regular sized candy bars (the 1.8-2 ounce sized ones).
-Butter: We need 1 cup of butter, divided. It helps to use softened butter as the butter will be used for melting the candies and creaming the sugars together.
-Sugar: We need 2 cups of sugar so that every bite is irresistibly sweet.
-Eggs: With 4 eggs we have a good binder and leavening for the crumb.
-Baking Soda: Just 1.2 a teaspoon of baking soda will help us to leaven the cake properly so that it rises as it bakes.
-Salt: As a natural flavor enhancer. 1/4 teaspoon of salt will really help to make this cake taste great.
-Buttermilk: With 1 1/4 cup of buttermilk we can bring the batter together and add both richness and acid needed for a perfect texture. You can DIY your own buttermilk with regular milk and lemon juice (a tablespoon of lemon juice per 1 cup of milk. Let rest 5 min before using).
-Flour: The base of this cake batter is 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour.
-Vanilla: We want to use 1 teaspoon of vanilla to enhance the flavors. Better quality vanilla will make better flavored results, but use what you have on hand.
FROSTING
-Sugar: Because we can’t get our cake sweet enough without more sugar, we want to use 2 cups for good measure.
-Evaporated milk: We need 1 cup’s worth of evaporated milk to help melt the mixture together into the perfect consistency.
-Chocolate chips: Adding in 2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips will give us a rich taste that pairs well with all the other sweetness we have going on.
-Marshmallow creme: We want 1 cup of marshmallow creme so that the frosting is sweet, thick, and wonderful!
How to make milky way cake
In a saucepan, melt together the candy bars and 1/2 cup of butter over low heat while stirring frequently.
Once the mixture has melted remove it from the heat and set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and 1/2 cup of softened butter until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs and mix well.
Add in the salt, the baking soda, and the buttermilk and mix again.
Add in the flour and mix until well combined.
Add in the melted candy bar mixture you cooled earlier as well as the vanilla.
Pour the cake mixture into a greased bundt pan and bake for 65 minutes at 350 degrees F. Make sure that the center is finished when a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool the cake completely in the pan before transferring it to a serving plate.
Make the frosting by combining the sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cook to the soft boil stage (230-240 degrees F) and then remove the pan from the heat.
Add in the chocolate chips and stir until melted.
Blend in the marshmallow creme and spread the mixture over the cake.
Top with additional chopped pieces of Milky Way Candy Bars if desired.
Enjoy!
MILKY WAY CAKE
Ingredients
- 8 Milky Way candy bars
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
FROSTING
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup marshmallow creme
Instructions
- Melt candy bars and 1/2 cup butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Once completely melted, remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the sugar and 1/2 cup of softened butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mix well.
- Add the salt and baking soda to the buttermilk and then add to the butter/sugar mixture. Add the flour and mix until well combined. Add the melted candy bars and vanilla and then pour into a well greased bundt pan and bake for 65 minutes at 350.
- Make sure that the center is done and then cool the cake completely before inverting onto a serving plate.
- To make the frosting, combine the sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook to soft-ball stage (234-240 degrees) and then remove from heat. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Blend in marshmallow creme. Spread over the cake.
- Top with additional chopped Milky Way candy bars if desired. Enjoy!
What is soft ball stage?
When sugar is cooked into a syrup it happens in stages the first being “soft” and the last being “hard” the difference that hard making the brittle candies whereas soft is more taffy-like. Our frosting will start off in the soft ball stage which is about 235 degrees F. It can be tested by dropping a very small amount of boiling sugar into a cup of cold water. If it forms a ball as it drops, it’s ready. If it remains a stream or breaks then it is not ready and must be cooked longer.
What’s the difference between marshmallow fluff and marshmallow creme?
If you enjoyed this cake take a look at a few of our other favorite candy based dessert recipes:
- HOMEMADE PEPPERMINT PATTIES
- EASY OREO ICE CREAM CAKE
- SNICKERS CAKE
- REESE’S PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES
- LOW SUGAR, LOW CARB HOMEMADE ALMOND JOY BARS
- SNICKERS APPLE SALAD
- REESE’S CHOCOLATE DUMP CAKE
- SNICKERS BROWNIE BITES
- 3-INGREDIENT REESE’S FUDGE
- SNICKERS® PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN
- HOMEMADE ALMOND JOY BARS
- REESE’S COOKIE BARS
- SNICKERS PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
- REESE’S PRETZEL BARS
- HOMEMADE SNICKERS BARS
You’re going to love this Milky Way Bundt Cake Recipe. It’s so easy to make and even more easy to enjoy as you slip another slice on your plate for later. Every bite is rich and wonderful.
Christine says
There is something seriously wrong with the recipe for the frosting. When cooked to the soft ball stage (using a candy thermometer) and adding the chocolate chips and marshmallow cream, you are basically making fudge. The “fudge” frosting was nearly impossible to spread and pretty much destroyed my son’s birthday cake. Onto plan B. Waste of time and ingredients:(
Nellie says
I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you Christine! What altitude do you live at? If you live at a higher altitude, the soft ball stage temperature will be lower – it sounds like the mixture just cooked a little bit too long!
Maggie says
I think I’m a couple years behind on this, but hoping someone is still paying attention!
I am going to attempt this cake tomorrow morning, but don’t have a thermometer. I have read what the soft ball stage is, but can anyone tell me about how long you cooked the frosting mix to get it to the soft ball stage? For example, you do no bake cookies for 60 seconds at a boil and they turn out great. Can a time frame be used for this cake icing?
Thanks!
Jeanne Setser says
Cake is wonderful. I am having trouble with the cake falling. Any suggestions
Nellie says
There are a few things that can cause a cake to fall – one of the most common reasons is overbeating the cake batter. When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, just mix barely enough to combine everything well. Another cause of a falling cake can be too much fluctuation in oven temperatures – meaning that if you are impatient like me and open your oven door too many times to check on the cake, it can cause it to fall. Also check to make sure your baking soda is fresh and hasn’t expired. The older it is, the less effective it will be! Glad you enjoyed the cake!
Patricia Leger says
Full size Milky Way bars very difficult to find (even in a big store…HEB…in a big city…Houston) ; everyone carries bags of the little “Fun” size candy bars. Would help very much if you put the actual required candy in ounces. I just had to guess!
Jessica says
Really? I usually find them in the check out lane or on the candy aisle.
Stacy says
Three fun size bars is approx 2 oz. The recipes calls for 8 1.8-2 oz bars. This would mean 24 fun size bars are needed.
Sarah says
Made for my father’s 90th birthday, what a special cake.
Barb says
I had a hard time with the frosting. How long does it take to get to the softball stage? Mine is just runny and a mess.
Nellie says
Sounds like you need to cook a little longer! The amount of time varies from stove to stove – when I use a gas stove, it tends to go a lot faster than using a regular one.
Amanda says
Love it! Just like my Mamaw used to make 40+ years ago. Thank you! <3
Alison says
Aw, I love this! So glad you enjoyed it Amanda!