11 Dessert Recipes to Celebrate National Dessert Day

A person holding a slice of frosted three layer blueberry lemon cake on a white plate.

Portuguese Orange Olive Oil Cake
Coconut Panna Cotta
David Leite’s Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake
Apple Tart
Chocolate Soufflé
Pear Almond Tart
Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust
Coconut Carrot Cake
White Chocolate Cupcakes
Masala Chai Crème Brûlée
Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

A partially cut Portuguese orange olive oil cake.

Nuno Correia

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Portuguese Orange Olive Oil Cake

This Portuguese orange olive oil cake has an unforgettably tender crumb and a citrus smack thanks to fruity olive oil, winter navel oranges, and orange zest.

Recipe

A coconut panna cotta topped with peanut brittle crunch on a white plate.

Armando Rafael Moutela

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Coconut Panna Cotta

Chopped homemade peanut brittle sits atop a creamy coconut milk panna cotta.

Recipe

A white plate with a slice of blueberry-lemon layer cake

Cenk Sönmezsoy

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David Leite’s Blueberry Lemon Layer Cake

This blueberry lemon layer cake, made with triple layers of yellow cake with fresh blueberries, speckled with scads of lemon zest, and enveloped in the perfect lemon cream cheese frosting, is impressive in every way. This cake is a terriffic summer dessert, but it also makes one heck of a birthday and celebration cake also.

Recipe

A round tart filled with cooked sliced apples in a concentric pattern.

Peter Cassidy

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Apple Tart

This super easy apple tart recipe is as simple as it is stunning. It's allows the natural flavor of the apple to shine without any competing flavors.

Recipe

A partially-eaten chocolate souffle in a round white ceramic dish.

America’s Test Kitchen

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Chocolate Soufflé

This chocolate soufflé, made with eggs, sugar, chocolate, and orange-flavored liqueur, is light and airy and far easier than you may imagine. We show you exactly how to make it.

Recipe

A rectangular tart with wedges of pear baked into it in a rectangular tart pan.

Peter Cassidy

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Pear Almond Tart

This pear and almond tart, made with pears, ground almonds, and a sweet pastry dough, is a classic French dessert. Easy yet elegant. A terrific fall dessert recipe.

Recipe

A slice of chocolate cream pie, topped with chocolate curls on a white plate with a fork beside it.

Lauren Allen

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Chocolate Cream Pie with Oreo Crust

This chocolate cream pie with Oreo crust is a classic American dessert. Layers of rich chocolate pudding and sweet whipped cream are nestled in the Oreo crust. It's a quick, easy, back-pocket dessert.

Recipe

A whole coconut carrot cake, covered in toasted coconut on a glass cake stand, covered with a glass dome.

Ken Carlson

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Coconut Carrot Cake

This coconut carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is unlike any carrot cake you've had. Lighter, more delicate, some may even say more sophisticated, than any other carrot cake you've ever had.

Recipe

A single white chocolate cupcake, topped with white frosting on a paper napkin.

Alexandra Rowley

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White Chocolate Cupcakes

White chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate cream cheese frosting are a heavenly and stunning spectacle of cake perfection. Not too sweet. Not too rich. Just simple cupcake loveliness through and through.

Recipe

Three ramekins filled with masala chai creme brûlée, one with it's top cracked open to reveal the creamy inside

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Masala Chai Crème Brûlée

This masala chai crème brûlèe infuses your favorite tea spices into its creamy base and covers it with a shatteringly crunchy caramelized sugar topping.

Recipe