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.
Penny says
Unless I’m completely overlooking it, which is possible, I’m not seeing what to do with the melted candy bar/butter mixture. Please advise. I want to make this soon.
Nellie says
Add the melted candy bars and vanilla right after adding the flour. Enjoy!
Ty says
There are many size Milkly Way candy bars….what size is used? Thanks!
Nellie says
I used the standard sized ones – I believe they are 1.84 ounces.
Doreen says
Looks delicious! Could the cake and frosting be made as cupcakes?
Nellie says
I have never tried it, but I’m sure it would work just fine as long as you reduce the baking time accordingly. Let me know if it works!
Danielle D says
Hi. I was wondering if you could give me the nutritional facts for this cake?
Lynn says
Can this cAke be frozen for a week?
Jessica says
I’ve not tried it, but I can’t see why not. I would wait and add the frosting to the cake just prior to serving though. (The day of is fine- I just wouldn’t freeze it with the frosting on top- it might dry it out.)
Lynn says
Thank you, that is what I was thinking ….
Danielle D says
Hello, hoping for a quick reply as I am making this cake tonight for my sweethearts Birthday. I do not have a bundt cake pan. Can I use regular round cake pans? If so what adjustments would you recommend?
Nellie says
I have not tried the cake in regular cake pans but I think it would work well. I would use 2 round (8 or 9 inch) pans and bake at the same temp but cut the baking time down by quite a bit. I would check the middles of the cakes after about 20-25 minutes and continue to check every few minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Good luck!
Jessica says
HI Danielle! Sorry- I had an insanely busy weekend! I hope you were able to make the cake with the adjustments you needed!
Darlene Smith says
What kind of cake mix would u use. german choclate. CHoclate. Maybe french vanilla. THen add candy mixture.
Nellie says
I’m sure that any kind of cake mix would taste amazing! Let us know if you decide to experiment!
Peggy says
I would like to add pecans to this cake. Would I need to add more liquid?
Jessica says
I’d just add them! Great idea, by the way!
Adam says
Don’t have a bundt cake pan. What do you think the temp/time would be for cupcakes?
Nellie says
The temp should be the same, and I would guess about 18-20 minutes. This recipe would be delicious in the form of cupcakes!
Adam says
FYI this made 48 “normal” size cupcakes. Bake time was about 14-17 mins. Filling them 2/3 ish full.
Kelly says
My great-aunt recently passed away and we celebrated her life today. She was a wonderful baker and made a delicious Milky Way cake. I was happy to find your recipe! I made this and it was enjoyed by everyone! Thank you!!
Carrie says
That seems like a ton of sugar for the frosting along with the marshmallow creme and chocolate chips. Is that right?
Nellie says
It is a lot of sugar, but yes, that is correct!
James says
I tried this recipe and found the cake to be great. The frosting was not. It became fudge not frosting. I then looked up other ganache recipes. Try something simpler.
Nellie says
I’m sorry you didn’t like the frosting, but there are definitely lots of other ganache recipes that would also taste wonderful with this cake! I like this particular one because of the marshmallow in it, but it does make the ganache a little thicker than some other recipes.
Betsy says
Do you think a 13 X 9 pan would be ok to bake this recipe in?
Nellie says
Absolutely. Just decrease the baking time – I would check it after about 30 minutes and then every few minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Shirley says
What do you add for high altitude?
Nellie says
I have not made this particular recipe at a high altitude, but I used to live at a higher altitude and found that most recipes worked out pretty well without adjustments! Perhaps add an extra 1-2 Tbsp of flour and you may have to bake for a few extra minutes also.
Belinda says
Hi I want to make a milky way cake for my birthday can I use a bundt cake pan to make it in
Nellie says
Absolutely! I love making this cake in a bundt pan – that’s actually what I used when writing the directions so just follow them exactly and it should turn out perfectly!
Greg says
Cake totally overflowed the bunt pan and I was using my largest capacity.
Nellie says
Oh man! I’m not sure what size mine is but the cake fills it up just perfectly! Maybe try to find one that is just a little bigger? Or save out a cup or two of the batter and bake it in a mini pan – then you get two cakes out of it!
Jane Bissinger says
I made this cake, the cake came out perfectly. However when I did the icing, it was a total total disaster.
Nellie says
Oh no! I’m so sorry it didn’t turn out for you – the icing is my favorite part! Can you tell me what happened? Was it too thick? Too thin?
SARAH says
I had this cake today at a luncheon. It was ridiculously delicious! Everyone asked for the recipe. Scrumptious! Will bring to my next potluck. Thanks!!
Nellie says
Sarah – I’m so glad you (and everyone else!) enjoyed the cake as much as I do!
Sarah says
Just left a comment about how yummy this cake was. Forgot to say how unbelievably amazing the frosting was! Yes it does taste like fudge which is like getting two scrumptious desserts in one!
Nellie says
Yes! The frosting is my favorite part too. I usually have to eat a spoonful (or two!) every time I make this cake. I’ve used this frosting on other cakes too because it is so good!