Food and Recipes Desserts These 8x8 Dessert Recipes Make Baking Easier Than Ever From brownies to cake and pudding, these 30 dessert recipes are nice, neat, and delicious. By Marissa Wu Marissa Wu Marissa Wu is a writer with a love for home, food, travel, and art stories. She holds a journalism degree from Boston University. When not editing and producing articles or updating the homepage, she's trying new recipes, jolting along in her manual transmission car, Fitz; hammering out a manuscript on her 1930s Royal Aristocrat typewriter, Georgie; and making film photographs with her Rolleiflex, Cecil. She's currently an Associate SEO Editor for PureWow. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on February 22, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Leave it to Southerners to do dessert right. We're known to show our love through cake layers, pretty pies, and homemade cookies. But sometimes we find ourselves in a pinch without enough time to whip up an intricate creation, or we just want something simple and sweet without the fuss. Enter our 8x8 dessert recipes, which are made for busy days and simple gatherings. From cakes to brownies, all these treats fit perfectly into an 8-inch square pan with easy clean-up. You'll want to pull the Wacky Cake out of the recipe tin for a one-bowl wonder (really, one pan) and save the Strawberry-Rosé Snack Cake for a get-together with your girlfriends. Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches will bring out everyone's inner kid, and Lemon Tiramisu adds a bright, fresh spin to your springtime dessert table. With all these 8x8 dessert recipes, baking has never been easier. 01 of 30 Wacky Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Once you learn (if you don't already know) the secret to this cake, you'll understand that it earns its name. This cake comes together in one 8x8 pan—literally. You mix the ingredients right in before pushing the cake into the oven. 02 of 30 Strawberry-Rosé Snack Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke If you want to rosé all day, here's your ticket. This cheerfully pink cake is guaranteed to be a hit with your girlfriends. 03 of 30 Carrot-Walnut Snack Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Loaded with carrots, nuts, and spices, this cake is the snack that tides you over from after school or work to dinner. As far as we're concerned, carrot cake counts as a vegetable—making this a healthy afternoon snack 04 of 30 Banana Bread Brownies Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Torie Cox Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee Two family favorites, banana bread and brownies, combine for the ultimate crowd-pleaser. If you find yourself with not quite enough bananas for a whole loaf of bread, try this recipe instead. It only requires one, and chocolate does the rest. 05 of 30 Blackberry Cobbler Southern Living This cobbler, which will fit into an 8x8 or 9x9 pan, is delicious served warm or cold. A large scoop of ice cream is obligatory. 06 of 30 Hummingbird Snack Cake with Brown Butter Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke One of the South's favorite cakes gets the snack treatment. If it's really that simple (and it is a one-bowl wonder), then there's really no reason not to make it. 07 of 30 Best-Ever Brownies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Trust us, these are the brownies you want to have on hand for every party and holiday gathering. For a little extra touch, cut into diamonds rather than the standard square. 08 of 30 Raspberry Snack Cake with Salted Milk Chocolate Frosting Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke This summery cake will put those farm-fresh raspberries to excellent use. Swath it all in the decadent frosting and watch everyone line up for seconds. 09 of 30 So Good Brownies Jennifer Davick Well, everything you need to know about this treat is in the name. Lining the 8-inch pan with aluminum foil will make for an easy lift when the brownies come out of the oven. 10 of 30 Easy Blackberry Cobbler John O'Hagan This six-ingredient dessert couldn't be easier. If you want to feed a group, bake it in an 8x8 baking dish. If you want to gussy up the presentation, bake it in individual ramekins. 11 of 30 Key Lime Icebox Cake Hector Sanchez; Styling: Heather Chadduck Take this easy dessert with you to an afternoon on the beach or lake. Since it needs to stand for an hour, it'll be ready for all to enjoy by the time you reach your destination. 12 of 30 Triple Coconut Poke Snack Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Consider this cake a triple-threat: coconut milk, sweetened condensed coconut milk, and coconut chips. It's a tropical treat so good, you'll be eating it from breakfast to dessert. 13 of 30 Gingerbread Cake With Stout Buttercream William Dickey Headed to a holiday party? Our gingerbread cake is an easy crowd-pleaser. You'll need about two bottles of beer for the boozy buttercream on top. 14 of 30 Layered Eggnog Blondies Meghan Overdeep For the eggnog fans who prefer not to imbibe an entire glass, these little cheesecake squares will satisfy any craving. They make for a divinely festive treat around the holidays. 15 of 30 Lemon Tiramisu Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Give the well-loved Italian dessert a springtime twist with lemon zest, extract, and pudding. It only requires eight ingredients and 15 minutes, making it an easy, last-minute Easter brunch addition. 16 of 30 Praline Cake Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Emily Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas This dessert drips with a decadent praline glaze that complements the tender vanilla cake beneath. This cake suits any and every occasion, so it's one that we like to keep on hand. 17 of 30 Gingerbread Brownies With Eggnog Frosting The Home Edit It started with a box of fudge brownie mix and the rest, we say, is history. This dessert mashup is one that you'll be grateful to add to your recipe box. 18 of 30 Strawberry-Banana Pudding Icebox Cake Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff Give the traditional banana pudding the summer rendition we all need: fresh strawberries. Assemble with graham crackers in an 8x8-inch pan for an easy, neat, pretty presentation. 19 of 30 Triple-Decker Saltine Toffee Bars Triple-Decker Saltine Toffee Bars Saltine crackers add a crispy addition to old-school toffee treats. Salty and sweet, these layered dessert bars will satisfy any after-supper craving. 20 of 30 Coconut Brown Sugar Fudge Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Easy but impressive, this flavored fudge will be a stand-out wherever you serve it. We used a tried and true formula with a tropical twist for winning fudgy flavor. 21 of 30 Marbled Brown Sugar Fudge Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely This fudge is full of deep flavor and rich texture. Bittersweet chocolate chips swirled on top guarantee that these sweets will looks as dynamic as they taste. 22 of 30 Bourbon-Pecan Brown Sugar Fudge Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely We made fudge a little bit more Southern with a few well-loved additions. Bourbon and pecans are the easy twist that will make this your favorite fudge recipe yet. 23 of 30 Caramel Brownies Stacy Allen, Prop Stylist: Caleb Clarke, Food Stylist: Jen Riley Make brownies even more indulgent with a generous drizzle of caramel. Luscious bites of caramel are heavenly inside fudgy chocolate brownie batter. 24 of 30 Pumpkin Spice Battenberg Greg DuPree Your handy dandy 8x8 will help you give you Battenberg cake a fall makeover. Use parchment paper to section off just the right amount of space for your cake. 25 of 30 Peppermint Brownies Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle If the name "Peppermint Brownies" doesn't have you already saving this recipe for later, know that these fudgy, minty brownies have a surprise. A bit of mocha flavor really takes these treats to new heights. 26 of 30 Bourbon-Sweet Potato Bread Pudding Photo: Antonis Achilleos Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Prop Styling: Matthew Gleason Bourbon and sweet potatoes are a combination that we'll always root for, and this recipe doesn't disappoint. Toast the cubed Challah for your best bread pudding yet. 27 of 30 Foolproof Brown Sugar Fudge Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely You can't go wrong with this scrumptious fudge recipe. Put it in your recipe box for safe keeping because you're going to want to remember this one. 28 of 30 Valentine's Day Cake Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar An 8-inch square pan and another 8-inch round pan are the tricks to making a gorgeous heart-shaped cake. Break out the 8x8 for Valentine's Day or to show your love (not to mention, your baking prowess) any day of the year. 29 of 30 Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding Photo: Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox Banana pudding that will hold up against the test of time comes together in your trusty 8x8. Try this recipe and discover how much better homemade banana pudding is than the packaged stuff. 30 of 30 Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Fudgy brownies meet cool, rich vanilla ice cream for a treat that brings out the kid in everyone. The 8x8-inch pan will come in handy for assembly. Was this page helpful? 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