Dessert

The 23 Most Popular Dessert Recipes of 2022

Epicurious readers couldn’t get enough of these custards, pies, and layer cakes.
Slices of Marjolaine Cake on plates.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne

It was a big year for desserts around these parts. We found our new favorite 9-minute chocolate pudding and renewed our love of the carefree comforts of no-bake cheesecake. And even more exciting, 2022 was the year that Epicurious created an interactive cake recipe finder, designed to help you find the cake of your dreams.

Here we’re bringing together the most popular desserts of the year—the sweets that Epi readers cooked and loved and frantically texted to family members. There’s a totally customizable panna cotta, a classic chocolate mousse begging to be topped with a spoonful of barely sweetened whipped cream, and a cake for pretty much every occasion you could dream of.

  • Panna cotta with blueberries lemon zest and jelly.
    Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova
    1/23

    Panna Cotta

    Cool, creamy vanilla panna cotta is the simplest kind of dessert; it only needs a few minutes on the stove, and it sets all on its own in the refrigerator.

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  • Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova
    2/23

    Sticky Rice With Mango

    The classic combination of coconut milk, sticky rice, and sweet ripe mango has been a popular Thai dessert for centuries.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    5/23

    Marjolaine

    Made with nutty meringue, rich chocolate ganache, and vanilla and hazelnut buttercreams, the marjolaine is the perfect cake for special occasions.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    6/23

    Molten Double Chocolate Mug Cake

    Jessie Sheehan's easy 3-minute chocolate mug cake is rich, tender, and moist, with a soft center reminiscent of a molten lava cake.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
    7/23

    Gooey Butter Cake

    The signature dessert of St. Louis is just what its name suggests—a wonderfully gooey butter cake that doesn’t quite set when baked.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by John Bjostad
    8/23

    Double Chocolate Layer Cake

    Sometimes nothing but chocolate will do.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    9/23

    Cold Oven Pound Cake

    Cold-oven pound cake bakes slowly as the temperature of the oven rises, allowing more time for the leavening agents to lift the cake. Learn more about the technique here, then don’t preheat your oven.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Ottaviano and Stevie Stewart
    10/23

    Original New York Cheesecake

    This classic recipe turns out a remarkably rich, tangy, smooth, and creamy cheesecake. (Looking for more flavor variations? Check out our full collection of cheesecake ideas.)

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  • Photo by Peter Cassidy
    11/23

    Danish Dream Cake (Drømmekage)

    This cake has been a favorite since 1965, when a girl won a baking competition with her grandmother’s secret family recipe.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Nathaniel James, Food Styling by Simon Andrews
    12/23

    Chocolate Mousse

    This rich and silky chocolate mousse recipe is really just two easy recipes—chocolate custard and whipped cream—combined to make one elegant dessert.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi
    13/23

    Classic Pecan Pie

    This easy recipe for homemade pecan pie is loaded with nuts and gets a little verve courtesy of orange zest.

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  • Photo by Justin Walker
    14/23

    Ovenly's Brooklyn Blackout Cake

    With smooth chocolate pudding buttercream sandwiched between layers of moist devil’s food cake, the Brooklyn blackout cake is a dessert fit for chocolate lovers.

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  • Photo by Kristin Teig
    15/23

    Japanese Cheesecake

    This featherlight Japanese cheesecake is often called cotton cheesecake, and you can see how it gets its name from its incredibly delicate, wispy texture.

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  • Photo by Linda Xiao
    16/23

    One-Bowl Ricotta Olive Oil Pound Cake

    This easy one-bowl cake recipe from Melissa Clark makes a gorgeous golden-topped cake with a moist crumb that’s deeply imbued with orange zest and olive oil.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert
    17/23

    Vanilla No-Bake Cheesecake With a Chocolate Cookie Crust

    This easy vanilla no-bake cheesecake is creamy, tangy, and requires just 15 minutes of active time. The best part? It’s practically a one-bowl project.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    18/23

    Boston Cream Pie

    An American institution draped in bittersweet chocolate, the Boston cream pie is a cake with a curious name.

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  • Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
    21/23

    Chocolate Pots de Crème

    Making these chocolate pots de crème isn’t quite as easy as pouring cream into jars, but it’s not far off. If you love chocolate pudding, you’ll adore this dessert.

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  • Photo by Anna Voloshyna
    22/23

    Karpatka Cake

    Karpatka cake is like a cloud of rich milky frosting trapped between two layers of pâte à choux.

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  • Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone
    23/23

    Our Favorite Key Lime Pie

    This easy key lime pie recipe is a fusion of our best versions. The secret is a touch of lemon juice to balance the lime and a pinch of cinnamon in the crust.

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