Cooking

Our Most Popular Recipe of March Is…

One reader directs, "Drop everything you're doing and make this asap."
By Nina Moskowitz
Collaged image of top most popular BA recipes

Shove your snowboots under your bed and say goodbye to winter. What a relief. The downpours of rain have melted any last oodles of snow, and if you look carefully, you’ll find buds of new life. That means lively farmers markets and shiny new produce: fat stalks of asparagus, globes of purple artichoke, carrots galore! The most popular recipes of March leaned into this period of transition, with cozy chilis, brothy soups, and veg-forward sides. Read on for the top 10 in descending order. And scroll all the way for the star of the month, plus a Q&A with that recipe’s developer.

  • Sliced broccoli florets long grain brown rice sliced scallions chopped dill chopped jalapeños golden raisins chopped...
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams
    1/10

    10: Broccoli Confetti Rice

    A veg-forward main or gets-along-with-everyone side.

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  • A poundcake made with 7Up in a bundt pan on a cake stand dripped with icing.
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams
    2/10

    9: 7UP Cake With Lemony Glaze

    A glug of lemon-lime soda gives this pound cake a citrusy zip and tender crumb.

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  • Large biascut coins of roasted carrots on a sheet tray encrusted with thyme.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Spencer Richards
    3/10

    8: Easy Roasted Carrots

    Tender, caramelized, and crisp at the edges—and wildly simple to make.

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  • Three bowls of chili made with chickpeas black beans kidney beans red bell peppers and chipotle peppers and topped with...
    Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton, Prop Styling by Christine Keely
    4/10

    7: Vegan Chili

    All the smoky savoriness of chili con carne, without the meat.

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  • A serving of cacio e pepe pasta in a shallow white bowl with a fork tangled into the noodles.
    Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley
    5/10

    6: Cacio e Pepe

    Literally “cheese and pepper,” this Roman classic comes together in minutes.

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  • A bowl of plain risotto topped with black pepper next to a big pot of risotto.
    Photo by Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
    6/10

    5: BA’s Best Risotto Recipe

    With four ways to dress it up, this simple risotto recipe is worthy of a dinner party—but it’s also delicious topped with nothing at all.

    View Recipe

Drum roll please. March’s most popular recipe was…Chocolate Guinness Cake! Maybe you made it for St. Patrick’s Day, or perhaps you just love chocolate cake (same). This one is ultra tender and already has a devoted following. As one reader instructs, “Drop everything you’re doing and make this asap.” I sat down with senior Test Kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk, the recipe’s creator, to talk all things cake—and play a baking edition of FMK.

Nina Moskowitz: Another month that BA Bake Club reigned supreme. Why do you think that is?

Jesse Szewczyk: Because our audience has great taste. And who doesn’t love a good chocolate cake?

NM: Why did you develop this recipe?

JS: We thought Chocolate Guinness Cake makes sense for March because of St. Patrick’s Day. Sometimes for Bake Club, we identify beloved classics we don’t already have on site, and find ways to put our own spin on them.

NM: What’s the spin here?

JS: The cake utilizes a technique called reverse creaming to make the crumb exceptionally tender. Usually it’s done with a stand mixer, but in this recipe, you use your hands—kind of like you would making pie crust. I wanted it to be a laid-back affair.

NM: How many tests did this recipe take you?

JS: The cake came to me quickly, but the frosting proved to be a challenge. That took me at least 10 tries. My colleagues wanted the frosting to be tan, resembling a pint, so I ended up using brown butter and a splash of Guinness for good measure.

NM: Do you cook or bake with Guinness a lot?

JS: Not Guinness specifically, but I bake with alcohol a lot. It’s a note I call upon often.

NM: When was the last time you successfully split the G?

JS: Not recently, Nina. I’m 34 years old.

NM: Fuck Mary Kill these cake mixing methods: blender, reverse cream, cream.

JS: I prefer to keep my relationship to cakes open.

Nina works across Bon Appétit and Epicurious, solving mysteries like “Why do beans make us fart?” and “What is that white stuff oozing out of my chicken?” She also edits and produces recurring columns like It’s That Simple and has even developed a recipe or two. Before joining the editorial ... Read More
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