We’ve compiled this list of the best 30 classic desserts – in our humble opinion. Let us know if you’d like to add your favorite dessert to our dessert list.
If you’re new to baking we highly recommend this book to get you up to speed fast: Happiness Is Baking: Cakes, Pies, Tarts, Muffins, Brownies, Cookies: Favorite Desserts from the Queen of Cake
Another great source of ideas is over at Saveur with their 20 best dessert recipes choices.
Banana Cream Pie Is One Of Our Favorite Classics Desserts
They say pies are the new cake.
I am not sure if I believe them but I am 100% convinced that this is as good an excuse as any to reach for the pie dish and break out a pie.
This banana cream pie from Allrecipes is one of my family’s favorites. I love the way that the banana brings out such a super custard-like texture to the filling when you’re eating it.
What’s your family’s favorite pie? How often do you make it?
No Bake Brownies
Everybody loves brownies, right? They are one of the very American classic desserts
In fact, they may be as all-American as Apple Pie and Coca-Cola but what do you do when you want to make brownies and you don’t have access to an oven?
Well, then you turn to this very clever recipe from the SarapChannel which lets you create brownies, exceedingly tasty, brownies without the need for baking at all.
Will you be trying these awesome brownies with your family? Do you know of any other clever no bake recipes?
Custard Biscuit Pudding
We’re not quite certain that we agree that you’re guaranteed to have the ingredients just laying around at home but we do agree that it’s a very easy recipe to make and that the outcome is very tasty, indeed.
We had a lot of fun making this in our house and my kids said that they’d be very happy to eat this again in the near future!
What are your favorite puddings?
Key Lime Pie
Key Lime Pie, of course, gets its name from the Florida Keys. It’s a classic dessert.
This recipe for Key Lime Pie from The CooknShare is a slight break from the tradition as it’s not a non-bake approach.
They say that they feel because the recipe calls for eggs; it really ought to be baked to be as safe as possible for your family.
I don’t think that’s a bad thing and when we made this at home; it turned out brilliantly.
Do you agree with decision to bake this pie? If not, why not?
Easy Oreo Cake
This may be one of the easiest recipes that we’ve ever shared on Kitchen Authority.
It’s essentially an Oreo based cream cheese cake which requires no baking and not a huge amount of other work either.
Your kids will absolutely love this as it’s got a great texture and the sweetness is well-developed throughout.
You probably don’t want to make it everyday though as it’s not the healthiest snack.
Do you know of any cakes that are even easier to make? We’d love to learn about them.
Homemade Crème Brûlée
Crème Brûlée is one of my favorite desserts of all-time.
It’s also something that I’ve found can be quite a challenge to make until I discovered the Tasty Channel’s take on preparing Crème Brûlée at home.
It’s a solid recipe with turns out an excellent Crème Brûlée. My family were really impressed with the results, we’ll definitely be making this again soon:
Are there any classic dessert recipes that you struggle with?
Southern Style Buttermilk Pie
Food Wishes says that the Southern Style Buttermilk Pie is one of America’s most under-rated and underappreciated pies!
Well, that’s not true in my house – my family absolutely loves this pie!
It’s got a really smooth texture and it looks great when you turn it onto a dish to serve. It’s also not too hard to prepare and can easily be made in an evening after work.
What do you think are under-rated American recipes?
French Crepes
I love crepes, I think they’re one of the most flexible and fun dessert offerings out there. Once you’ve got the perfect crepe mastered; you can fill it or top it with almost anything.
My husband’s a traditionalist and he opts for just lemon juice with a hint of sugar. My kids like theirs with a little chocolate sauce. I like to dust mine in cinnamon and sugar. And they’re all great!
What do you like on your crepes? Let us know in the comments below.
Easy Lemon Mousse
I love a stodgy dessert but sometimes, it’s nice to focus on something a little less heavy and a lot more refreshing at the end of a meal.
That’s where this recipe for Lemon Mousse from SueRan comes in. It takes absolutely no time at all to prepare and serve and when it hits the table; it’s the perfect palate cleanser.
Your guests will absolutely love it!
What are your favorite palate cleansing options at the end of a meal?
Circus Rainbow Marshmallow Meringues
These made our list of top desserts for one simple reason; they look absolutely amazing!
They are perfect for school fairs or children’s birthdays.
The good news is that they taste every bit as good as they look and they’re not very difficult to make either.
So, if you’re ready to get creative in the kitchen and unleash all the colors of the rainbow; this is your chance!
Will you try these with your family?
Mini Apple Pies
You really can’t go wrong with something as American as apple pie, right? It’s a classic dessert.
Well, we don’t think so at Kitchen Authority. But we do love this neat little twist to the recipe from Laura in the Kitchen which ensures that everyone in the family gets an apple pie all to themselves without bursting their waistline!
Yes, mini apple pies – my husband couldn’t get enough of these!
Do you like mini-pies or do you prefer the bigger version cut into slices?
Eton Mess
This is very much a British recipe, so we turned to the most British of chefs to provide her take on the classic Eton Mess.
Nigella Lawson has never owned a restaurant but, despite that, is one of the UK’s most famous chefs and you’ll be able to see why from this delightful fruity summery recipe that walks a fine line between delicious and decadent.
What’s your favorite summer fruits recipe? What fruit do you think brings out the most flavor at the table?
Cinnamon Sticky Buns
I could cross the world on one leg as long as I knew that there would be cinnamon sticky buns waiting at the end of the journey. These are among the most delightful snacks in history and they’re very simple to make at home.
I really like Anna Olson’s recipe as I think it really brings out the sweet/savory contrast in the cinnamon but honestly? I never met a cinnamon sticky bun that I didn’t like.
I also love the smell of these as they’re cooking! What’s your favorite cooking odor?
French Silk Pie
I absolutely love this pie. It looks brilliant when it’s finished and it’s perfect for serving at parties and get togethers of any stripe. It’s spectacularly tasty and the contrast of the filling and the topping is really good in your mouth too.
Best of all, it doesn’t take much in the way of effort to prep for this or to make it either.
So, if you’re looking for a new treat for the family table – give this a whirl:
Looks great doesn’t it? It tastes even better!
Profiteroles
Profiteroles are one of those jolly clever desserts that everybody loves to eat but nobody is quite sure how to make. In fact, it’s not that hard to make a profiterole but it is hard to make a great profiterole.
Which is why we’ve gone with the people’s favorite – Chef Gordon Ramsay – to provide our dessert of the day, today. Check it out:
Are you ready to tackle the challenge of the perfect profiterole? We’d love to know how it turns out!
Raspberry Mille Feuille
You don’t break the mille fuille out every day; it’s far too clever and self-indulgent for that. No, this is a recipe that you bring out when you’re trying to impress someone or for a very special occasion.
It’s a truly elegant little number which will draw sighs as soon as people set eyes upon it but the real brilliance is exactly where it should be; in the eating. It’s completely amazing!
Have you cooked mille feuille before? How did it go?
Coconut Cream Pie
Beth Le Manache is one of our favorite celebrity chefs at Kitchen Authority and when we heard about her coconut cream pie recipe there was no way we weren’t going to try it! We’re very glad that we did.
This is a super dessert which never oversteps the mark into cloying coconutiness (we know that’s not a word) but rather stays sweet, creamy and fresh throughout! Highly recommended:
We love coconut pie! Do you?
Chocolate Swiss Roll
This is a classic little number beloved by dessert aficionados the world over (they even had them in stores in Thailand when I was there last!) and really, it’s the first port of call for the true chocolate cake lover.
Why muck about making something fancy, when you can go simple, tasty and elegant, instead?
This chocolate swiss roll from Home Cooking Adventure was spectacular!
What’s your favorite flavor of swiss roll? We do love strawberry swiss roll as well as chocolate!
Caramel Custard Cake
OK, we’re going to put some spice in your dessert today, though not literally, with the Hot Thai Kitchen.
They’ve got a really interesting take on caramel custard cake that we really loved and think that you’re going to enjoy as much as we did.
They use a light fluffy orange chiffon cake as the base and then coat it in a thick creamy layer of caramel custard. It’s an outstanding dessert!
Do you know of any other great Thai desserts that you could share with us?
Moist Vanilla Cake
This moist vanilla cake is perfect.
It’s a really simple recipe that you’re going to have no challenges coming to grips with but it does what’s required of it perfectly.
It produces a well-balanced, most and light, vanilla cake which you can either eat the way it is or use as the base for a more ambitious creation.
We can assure you that it tastes as good as it looks!
Pecan Pie Is One Of the Classic Desserts
If there’s a pie that can compete with apple pie on “American-ness” then it’s pecan pie. It’s a classic dessert.
Some people love to eat pecan pie when it’s part of the Thanksgiving holiday season celebrations. Others, me included, say, heck, eat it at anytime because it’s so tasty!
This is a great recipe with a super texture and once you’ve put a touch of vanilla ice cream on the top; it’s perfection in pie form.
When do you like to eat your pecan pie?
Bread And Butter Pudding
Some recipes are so simple that you wonder how you didn’t just get taught them at school
Bread and butter pudding is like that. It’s a very, very easy thing to make and it’s exceptionally tasty (I heartily recommend that you add both raisins and cinnamon sugar as offered optionally here).
It’s the perfect family dessert after a long hard day of honest work. It’s one of my husbands favorite classic desserts.
What’s your favorite dessert after a hard day’s work? Does it taste better because of the work you’ve done?
Raised Doughnuts
There are a lot of great doughnut recipes out there.
To be honest, I think you could probably dedicate an entire website to doughnut recipes and never run out of material but I do think this recipe by CupcakeJemma takes a whole lot of beating.
These raised doughnuts are very simple to prepare and who doesn’t love doughnuts? So, you never need to worry about who will be eating them.
Aren’t they the tastiest looking treats? What’s your favorite doughnut flavor?
Boston Cream Pie
It may not be quite as famous as Boston’s tea party was but it’s certainly better received when you have British guests come to stay!
The Boston Cream Pie is an American classic and it’s one of the most pleasingly simple recipes given that the outcome is quite a complex looking creation.
My youngest absolutely adores Boston Cream Pie and this is their favorite recipe for it:
Are you ready for some chocolatey goodness? I know I am, I think we’ll be having this after dinner tonight!
Red Velvet Cake
The Red Velvet Cake is an absolute winner when it comes to inviting your girlfriends over for a cake and coffee and chat.
It’s got that touch of decadence that is essential when you’re going to be discussing all the latest gossip and it looks amazing.
It’s nice to be complimented on the beauty of your food, isn’t it?
And to top it all off – it tastes divine. Check this Home Cooking Adventure out:
What’s your favorite dessert for sharing with friends?
Bananas Foster
OK, if alcohol is a no-go for you you’re going to want to skip this recipe.
For everyone else – Bananas Foster is an exceptionally hearty recipe with a real thrill when you serve it (particularly if you flambé the dish in front of others – though if it’s your first time, you might want to try this without an audience).
This is the recipe for the essential version of the dessert:
Do you think that the fire adds a sense of thrill to this?
Pumpkin Pie Is a Thanksgiving Classic Dessert
You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to enjoy this classic slice of pie!
You can make a pumpkin pie the whole year round, as long as you freeze your pumpkin while it’s in season or you have a cunning source from overseas during the off season.
And why shouldn’t you? This is a pretty healthy dessert and it’s an absolute national darling too! A classic dessert!
So, wait until Thanksgiving or make one now? What’s your call on the matter?
Vanilla Cupcakes
The humble cupcake is often neglected in favor of fancier more dressed up versions of itself but the original vanilla cupcake when done right, takes some beating in my opinion.
It’s one of those recipes that’s so simple that you can really tell when the cook knows what they’re doing.
The smell of vanilla wafting through the house is hard to beat too:
Will you go with plain vanilla or will you dress your cupcakes up a little?
Kentucky Jam Cake
It’s a coin toss as to whether Kentucky Jam Cake is, indeed, from Kentucky or as to whether it originates in nearby Tennessee.
Fortunately, such debates have no impact on the spectacular taste of this little gem and as an all-American dessert it deserves more regular airing on the dinner table than it currently sees. This is a one of the classic desserts that’s not as well known but it deserves all the attention it gets.
What’s your favorite American dessert? Do you think it’s even better than the Kentucky Jam Cake?
American Blueberry Muffins Are Classic Desserts Kids Love
Blueberry muffins are the perfect accompaniment to a coffee. They make for a super breakfast too.
They’re also the ideal dessert on a cool afternoon.
The fresh fruit provides most of the sugar that you need for the muffins and that means that while not exactly “diet food” they’re certainly healthier than most desserts.
Then they get that extra handy boost of “goodness” because blueberries are a super food too:
We know, it’s a bit of a cheat to label a cake as “healthy” but sometimes, it does no harm. What do you think?
Want even more inspiration for preparing some classic desserts for your family? Check out the Top 10 Baking Blogs!
