30 of Our Most Outrageously Decadent Dessert Recipes

There's a special stratosphere of desserts that requires us to bust out our husky pants—the ones we keep on hand when we don't want to deal with the judgmental pink teeth marks that come about when we put a little too much strain on our regular pants. These 30 recipes—from the richest chocolate cakes to caramel ice cream to gooey brown butter blondies—are so outrageous, so decadent, and so worth keeping your big pants within reach.
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott1/30Caramel Ice Cream
A dark caramel has the necessary bitter edge to balance the sweet richness of the custard. Let it cook until it’s mahogany in color.
Photo by Stephen Lewis2/30BA's Best Hot Fudge
Chocolate can burn, which would ruin an otherwise impeccable sauce. Make sure to stir all the way down to the bottom of the pan after adding the chocolate and cocoa.
Alex Lau3/30Horchata Semifreddo
Normally served cold as a sweet cinnamon-and-rice drink, horchata translates seamlessly to this creamy dessert.
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Prop styling by Emma Ringness, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi4/30BA's Best Cheesecake
Room temperature ingredients ensure a smooth and creamy texture; take the cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs out of the refrigerator about 2 hours ahead of time.
Jesse David Green5/30Double and By Double I Mean Triple Chocolate Cookies
One of those dreamy cookies that elicits a silent reverence in every chocolate lover who tastes it.
Jesse David Green6/30Toasted Marshmallow Butterscotch Pie
Showstoppers like this don’t come easy. Here’s the strategy: Blind bake the crust on Day 1; fill and bake on Day 2; and assemble on Day 3.

8/30Devil's Food Cake with Hazelnut Crunch
We gave Devil's food what it always needed: a crunchy, nutty topping.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Mieko Takahashi, Prop Styling by Alex Massillon9/30Giant Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
The batter for this large-format dreamboat of a cookie (crunchy on the edges, chewy in the middle) is made in one bowl with no special equipment, and can be baked in either a cast-iron or large skillet.
Alex Lau10/30BA's Best Molten Chocolate Cake
A deep chocolate cake with a liquid chocolate center. Many recipes get this effect by purposely undercooking the cake, so that the middle is raw batter. Effective, but not the most delicious. Our version has a spoonful of ganache in the center, which melts as the cake bakes through.
Marcus Nilsson11/30Bourbon–Sea Salt Caramels
Sweetened condensed milk makes for an extra-luscious confection.
Christopher Testani12/30No-Bake Chocolate Cream Pie with Toasted Meringue
The swirly meringue topping on this pie is stable enough to make a day ahead and keep chilled—even if you’ve brûléed it.
Christopher Testani13/30Double Ginger Sticky Toffee Pudding
The gooey toffee sauce is both absorbed by the cake and served on the side. For a glossy, polished presentation, brush the still-warm cake with a clean pastry brush after it comes out of the pan, which will remove some of the excess syrup.
William Hereford14/30Dale Talde's Mickey D's–Style Fried Apple Pies
With some store-bought roti paratha and a pot of hot oil, Talde re-creates McDonald's classic deep-fried apple pie.
15/30Coffee-Chocolate Layer Cake with Mocha-Mascarpone Frosting
Instant espresso powder in both the batter and the frosting make this chocolate cake unlike any other you've had.
Ted Cavanaugh16/30Banana Split Ice Cream Cake
Before you even start making this showstopper of a summer dessert, clear some space in your freezer. You’ll need a spot big enough to park a springform pan that’s filled to the brim.

Alex Lau18/30Chocolate Éclairs
The éclairs will begin to get soggy as soon as they are filled, so be sure to wait until just before you're ready to make the chocolate fondant to add the pastry cream.
Jarren Vink19/30Gooey Brown Butter Blondies with Pecans
The ribbon of brown butter plays a raw cookie dough role in the center of these pecan blondies.
Danny Kim20/30Pecan Monkey Bread
Infinitely better if made with an all-butter puff pastry; we like Dufour.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott21/30Chocolate-Caramel Pecan Tart
You can also bake this candy bar of a tart in an 8x8" pan, but whatever you do, toast those nuts.
Tuukka Koski22/30Darkest Chocolate Cake with Red Wine Glaze
The great thing about this cake? It's not fussy. You can just pour the glaze over and it sets. Done.
Jeremy Liebman23/30Banana Meringue Pudding
To check if your meringue is stiff, lift the beaters out of the bowl and upend them: The peaks should stick straight up.
24/30Kouign-Amann
Though the dough can be temperamental, layer after delicate layer will convince you: Making this pastry is worth the effort.
Marcus Nilsson25/30Toasted Coconut Sundaes with Candied Peanuts
You’ll never serve ice cream without candied peanuts again.
Alison Roman, Janet McCracken26/30Salted Caramel "Ding Dong" Cake
It may look like a giant lunch-box treat, but an ultra-smooth ganache and a final flourish of crunchy sea salt make this one elegant cake.
Matt Duckor27/30Chocolate-Caramel Cake with Sea Salt
Mayonnaise in the batter isn’t as weird as it sounds—it’s just eggs and oil, after all. It’s also why this cake is so moist.
28/30Gâteau Breton aux Pommes
In this indulgent cake, apples are caramelized before being baked in buttery batter. Why stop there? Salted caramel sauce lets guests indulge even further.
Alex Lau29/30BA’s Best Beignets
The high protein content in bread flour gives these classic-style beignets their slightly chewy texture.
Alex Lau30/30Four-Layer Chocolate Birthday Cake with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Nutella Buttercream
This recipe calls for dark chocolate in the ganache to balance out the sweetness of the Nutella. For a more kid-friendly cake, use milk chocolate. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

