All-American Desserts

1 of 20

Peanut Butter Pound Cake S'mores

In this takeoff on the campfire classic, Grace Parisi replaces crunchy graham crackers with buttery store-bought pound cake, sandwiched with marshmallow fluff and peanut butter and served alongside a cup of warm melted chocolate for dipping.

More Dessert Recipes

2 of 20

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream

Go to Recipe

Southern red velvet cake is usually a tall layer cake, slathered with cream cheese icing and studded with pecans. In this deconstructed version, the cake is low (like a torte), the pecans are coated in caramel to make pecan praline and the cream cheese icing is transformed into cream cheese-flavored ice cream.

3 of 20

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble

Go to Recipe

David Guas remembers this comforting dessert from the buffet spreads at family funerals.

Southern Recipes

4 of 20

Texas State Fair Pecan Pie

Go to Recipe

This extraordinarily rich and sweet dessert was the winner at the 1996 State Fair of Texas State pie competition, which Dean Fearing helped judge. "Out of 140 pies, this one was it," he says. "Her name was Bobby Lee; she never told me her last name."

Pies and Tarts

5 of 20

German Chocolate Cake

Amy Neunsinger

Go to Recipe

Actress Ali Larter's super-indulgent dessert features layers of light chocolate cake and a sweet coconut-pecan frosting.

6 of 20

S'mores Brownies

Go to Recipe

These fudgy, gluten-free brownies are baked in a graham cracker crust, then topped with marshmallows and broiled.

Amazing Brownies

7 of 20

Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake

PHOTO © ALEXANDRA GRABLEWSKI

Go to Recipe

Lauren Chattman makes this pound cake especially rich by swirling in the chocolate-hazelnut spread Nutella. She recommends serving the cake with coffee ice cream.

8 of 20

Indian Pudding

Go to Recipe

With its delightful contrasts of warm spicy pudding and cold vanilla ice cream, this version of an American classic is the ultimate comfort dessert. Homey as it is, though, it looks elegant when served in stemmed bowls. While Indian pudding is frequently stodgy, our version is soft and light and altogether tempting.

9 of 20

Best-Ever Banana Splits

PHOTO © TINA RUPP

Go to Recipe

What makes these banana splits from Sweet Rose Creamery in Santa Monica, California, so good is the insanely fudgy chocolate sauce coupled with the light, crunchy almond topping.

More Ice Cream Sundaes

10 of 20

Granny Smith Apple Crisp

Go to Recipe

Granny Smith apples are the key to this crisp, because their tartness is delicious with the sweet, crunchy oat-flecked crumb topping.

Fruit Cobblers and Crisps

11 of 20

Minty Lime Baked Alaska

Go to Recipe

Instead of making a butter cake, Grace Parisi created this recipe with nonfat angel food cake. She tops the cake with lime sorbet mixed with chopped mint and rum.

12 of 20

Lemon Ice Box Pie

Go to Recipe

This silken frozen pie is adapted from Clancy's, one of David Guas's favorite New Orleans neighborhood restaurants.

7 Ways to Upgrade Pie

13 of 20

Applesauce-Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Go to Recipe

Kristin Donnelly is devoted to her mother's one-bowl Bundt cake because of its clove and cinnamon spices and its simplicity. As an exchange student in France, she even paid top dollar for chocolate chips and applesauce at an American market to make it for her host family. Today she adds a kick of black pepper to the batter and serves each slice with a cool-sour dollop of crème fraîche.

Classic All-American Recipes

14 of 20

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Kamran Siddiqi

Go to Recipe

This delicious whipped-cream-topped peanut butter pie offers the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors.

Cooking and Baking with Peanut Butter

15 of 20

Apple Dumplings

Food & Wine

Go to Recipe

Apples baked in flaky pastry with cinnamon sugar are irresistible, especially when served with vanilla ice cream. To save preparation time, we use frozen puff-pastry sheets.

16 of 20

Georgia Peach Pie

Quentin Bacon

Go to Recipe

When you slice into this delicious pie, don't be surprised by the gap between the filling and the top crust. This happens when a pie is baked at high heat because the crust sets before the fruit in the filling has cooked down.

17 of 20

Banana-Nutella S'Mores

Go to Recipe

Campfire Cooking

18 of 20

Pumpkin Pie

Go to Recipe

This luscious pumpkin pie is light (almost soufflé-ish) with a flaky crust and great spice.

Pie Lessons from Brooklyn's Baking Stars

19 of 20

Apple Pie Sundaes with Cheddar Crust Shards

Go to Recipe

Using a slightly tart apple, like a Granny Smith or Pink Lady, is key to this frozen-yogurt sundae; sautéing brings out the fruit's sweetness. The crispy, salty cheddar crisps that accompany the sundaes are as good with cocktails as they are with desserts.

Frozen Desserts

20 of 20

Strawberry Shortcake with Star Anise Sauce

Go to Recipe

Pastry Chef Sherry Yard loved strawberry shortcake as a kid, even though her mother made it with "plain old pound cake," she says. Since then, Yard has improved the recipe with a (formerly) secret trio of ingredients—high-quality white chocolate in the batter, crème fraîche and heavy cream in the icing—which make this all-American dessert especially rich and moist.

Replay gallery

Your Profile

All-American Desserts

1 of 20

Peanut Butter Pound Cake S'mores

1 of 20

2 of 20

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Ice Cream

2 of 20

3 of 20

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble

3 of 20

4 of 20

Texas State Fair Pecan Pie

4 of 20

5 of 20

German Chocolate Cake

5 of 20

6 of 20

S'mores Brownies

6 of 20

7 of 20

Nutella-Swirl Pound Cake

7 of 20

8 of 20

Indian Pudding

8 of 20

9 of 20

Best-Ever Banana Splits

9 of 20

10 of 20

Granny Smith Apple Crisp

10 of 20

11 of 20

Minty Lime Baked Alaska

11 of 20

12 of 20

Lemon Ice Box Pie

12 of 20

13 of 20

Applesauce-Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

13 of 20

14 of 20

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

14 of 20

15 of 20

Apple Dumplings

15 of 20

16 of 20

Georgia Peach Pie

16 of 20

17 of 20

Banana-Nutella S'Mores

17 of 20

18 of 20

Pumpkin Pie

18 of 20

19 of 20

Apple Pie Sundaes with Cheddar Crust Shards

19 of 20

20 of 20

Strawberry Shortcake with Star Anise Sauce

20 of 20

Share the Gallery

Up Next

Share the Gallery