I pretty much like all cakes, but my favorite is German Chocolate cake with the coconut pecan icing. (@deb922) Been my fave since I was a kid and used to make the box mix version all the time when I was teenager at home. Second favorite is coconut cake.
I prefer making cakes in 9x13 pans instead of layer cakes. They’re easier to store, especially if you have pan with snap on top. (which I do.) I like cupcakes too, and I have been know to stop by the cupcake shop to bring home a half dozen just because. (A half dozen means one for everyone in the household.) My favorite is vanilla cake with chocolate frosting–the one kind they don’t make –it’s special order only. Bummer.
I like angel food cake, even plain. And chiffon cake (esp lemon). Pineapple/pear/peach upside down cakes. And I found a recipe for something from my childhood recently– a tunnel of fudge cake. (We think alike @abasket!) It doesn’t use a boxed mix. It’s s from scratch version. I may make it for the grands this summer.
Sour cream coffee cake w/ a ribbon of cinnamon streusel filling made in bundt pan is another favorite. (But for breakfast)
Although, I’m not picky about cakes, I am about icing. Cannot stand canned frosting from the supermarket. I make homemade American buttercream instead of buying canned frosting. I’ve made Swiss and Italian buttercreams but those are too much work and mess for anything except very special occasion cakes.
I also bake muffins, brownies, blondies, various kinds of cookies regularly. I did even when I lived alone. Kept 3 or 4 cookies/bars/muffins for myself and shared the rest with friends and neighbors. Now I bake for the family or for the nightshift nursing staff at D1’s hospital who are soooooo very appreciative of whatever I send—even Rice Krispie treats (made with browned butter for more mature tastes).
I make homemade cinnamon buns (yeast version) w/fluffy cream cheese frosting every few months for my oldest grandchild because she adores them.
As for Costco cakes— alas! The nearest Costco is 45 minutes away. Not happening, especially since there’s a really good BakeShop (for cupcakes!) less than 10 minutes away.
And still closer than the Costco is a German bread & pastries bakery and 2 blocks past that is pie shop that sells fruit pies, cream pies, pot pies, quiches, plus cookies, scones and cinnamon buns.