Food and Recipes Desserts 20 Southern State Fair Desserts You Can Deliciously Recreate At Home By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on May 5, 2021 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Once a year, every Southern state beckons its people, far and wide, to big open spaces where ring toss, roller coasters, and plenty of scrumptious food awaits. We're talking about the annual State Fair. While modern-day fairs are filled with well-known, deep-fried fare like funnel cakes, apple cider doughnuts, and gooey hand pies—looking at you, Texas—there was a time when many state and county fairs alike throughout the South hosted baking competitions for classic cakes and pies, such as the vintage Lane Cake, that would let folks show off their family's finest recipes. Even if you skip out on the State Fair, you can easily recreate these decadent dessert recipes at home. Choose from winning cakes, old-fashioned pies, and seasonal deep-fried sweets—these State Fair desserts deserve a spot in your home. 01 of 20 Peach Fried Pies Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Fried Pies Harken to the best days of summer with deep-fried hand pies filled with sweet, ooey, gooey peaches. 02 of 20 Homemade Funnel Cakes Micah A. Leal Recipe: Homemade Funnel Cakes Ah, the fair food that rules them all. These squiggly, crunchy bites of deep-fried dough topped with powdered sugar aren't too difficult to make at home. 03 of 20 Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Old-Fashioned Apple Pie Just another reason to get your warm, spiced apple pie fix: this classic recipe with a golden crust and plenty of take-you-back-to-your-childhood feelings. 04 of 20 Banana Cream Donuts Micah A. Leal Recipe: Banana Cream Donuts If you've never had this classic doughnut flavor, prepare to swoon over every banana pudding-stuffed bite. 05 of 20 The Lane Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: The Lane Cake Over 100 years ago, this cake won the county fair competition in Columbus, Georgia, which is more than appropriate. It's a fruit-filled, bourbon-spiked, meringue-topped cake. Enough said. 06 of 20 Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Southern Living Recipe: Caramel-Frosted Pound Cake Caramel cake is bound to have won plenty of competitions at county fairs across the South, and you'll love this modern spin that takes classic pound cake and covers it in a rich caramel frosting. 07 of 20 Apple Cider Doughnuts Micah A. Leal Recipe: Apple Cider Doughnuts Fluffy and cakey on the inside with a crispy sweet exterior, these homemade doughnuts remind us of a food stand at the fall state fair. 08 of 20 Blueberry-Lavender Hand Pies Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Blueberry-Lavender Hand Pies You're never too old to enjoy a warm, gooey hand pie—and this recipe celebrates spring fair season with fresh blueberries. 09 of 20 Banana Split Cake Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ali Ramee, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Banana Split Cake Ice-cream sundae on a hot Southern day? Now, let's turn it into a cool icebox cake with an exciting banana split finish. 10 of 20 Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing Recipe: Texas Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing We'd reckon that this decadent chocolate cake has made an appearance or two at the state fair competition. No worrying about icing three layers, either. 11 of 20 Million Dollar Pound Cake Recipe: Million Dollar Pound Cake The most dependable pound cake to have in your recipe box? None other than this old-school Bundt that requires only seven ingredients. 12 of 20 Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Katie Jacobs Recipe: Salted Caramel-Apple Hand Pies Going to a state fair in the fall just calls for some sort of goodie that involves caramel and apple together. These hand pies are like a bite of autumn. 13 of 20 Cherry Flag Pie Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cherry Flag Pie We couldn't forget to include cherry pie, could we? Dress up the festive pie to fit whatever season you like by cutting the pie crust into fun shapes and designs. 14 of 20 Hummingbird Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Hummingbird Cake The Hummingbird Cake was first submitted to Southern Living in 1978 by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina; but we'd guess that it could win a state fair cake competition title any day. 15 of 20 Mini Strawberry Chiffon Pies Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Mini Strawberry Chiffon Pies The more, the merrier with these miniature versions of an old-fashioned favorite: chiffon pie. Expect a super fluffy, strawberry-flavored filling that bursts on the taste buds. 16 of 20 Carrot Bundt Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Heather Chadduck Recipe: Carrot Bundt Cake This winner of a carrot cake recipe doesn't require stacking, crumb-layering, or trying to get a perfectly smooth top. Carrot chips and crystallized ginger give a retro finishing touch. 17 of 20 Watermelon Slushies Recipe: Watermelon Slushies While the old-school Coca-Cola slushie—with or without the addition of grenadine—is the ultimate concession stand refresher, these fresh watermelon slushies are calling our name. 18 of 20 German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: German Chocolate Cake with Coconut-Pecan Frosting Texans can't get enough of this nutty, coconuty chocolate layer cake that's just about the most decadent bite you could wish for. 19 of 20 Key Lime Cupcakes Photographer and props: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Key Lime Cupcakes In Florida, the most festive treat might be the chocolate-covered Key lime pie on a stick! However, we're loving this slightly different rendition: graham cracker-infused cupckaes with a tart Key lime buttercream frosting. 20 of 20 Strawberry-Apricot Hand Pies Iain Bagwell; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Hadas Smirnoff Recipe: Strawberry-Apricot Hand Pies Hand pies let you walk, talk, and eat—which is fitting for fair season. You might not know it yet, but strawberry and apricot make quite the scrumptious duo. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit