Food and Recipes Desserts 18 Vanilla Desserts That Are Anything But Boring By Sierra Guardiola Sierra Guardiola Sierra is a writer and editor with many interests. She comes from a newspaper background and has over four years experience writing for magazines. She enjoys learning about new topics and providing readers with helpful tips and ideas. She has covered everything from how to make the best apple pie to transforming your outdoor space with a few key decorations. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on November 2, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke When has vanilla ever let you down? Tasty and reliable, this classic flavor has had our back in a pinch and pleased a crowd at even the fanciest of soirées. It may not be the flashiest of dessert options, but it has the possibility to turn into a dessert fit for any occasion. Whether you're a pro in the kitchen or rely on the boxed mix, these vanilla desserts are recipes any baker can tackle. Vanilla stands center stage in many of these recipes, while others combine a few of our other favorite flavors to create desserts you'll want to make again and again. Try our Strawberry Vanilla Cake for a refreshing treat when the weather gets warmer. These vanilla dessert recipes are year-round winners that go with everything. It's certain that they'll never disappoint. 01 of 18 Buttermilk-Lime Mini Cakes with Vanilla-Mascarpone Buttercream Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk-Lime Mini Cakes with Vanilla-Mascarpone Buttercream Vanilla-mascarpone buttercream tops these sheet cake masterpieces. The tangy lime syrup adds a burst of fresh flavor. 02 of 18 Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce This elegant custard has the texture of flan and the taste of crème brûlée. 03 of 18 Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Lemon-Vanilla Pound Cake with Lavender Glaze Use baking soda and sour cream to give this dense pound cake an extra lift. 04 of 18 Peach Shortcake Trifle Pam Lolley; Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Peach Shortcake Trifle Layers of peaches alternate with layers of vanilla cake to make the ultimate peach dessert. 05 of 18 Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Snowy Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Buttercream Top these light vanilla layers with cream cheese buttercream for a rich finish. 06 of 18 Strawberry Vanilla Cake Sarah Epperson Recipe: Strawberry Vanilla Cake Fresh strawberries add spring sweetness to this layered cake. 07 of 18 Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Wafer Crust Southern Living Recipe: Banana Cream Pie with Vanilla Wafer Crust Crush vanilla wafers to make the crunchy crust on this sweet banana cream pie. 08 of 18 Sock It To Me Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey, Food stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey Recipe: Sock It To Me Cake Popularized in the '60s, this bundt has a hidden brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecan surprise on the inside and a vanilla glaze on the outside. 09 of 18 Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze Cedric Angeles; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Carrot-Pineapple Mini Bundt Cakes with Buttermilk-Vanilla Glaze These personalized bundt cakes are cute as can be with their pretty vanilla glaze and bright flavor. 10 of 18 Sprinkle Sandwich Cookies Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sprinkle Sandwich Cookies Add vanilla buttercream to half of these sprinkle cookies to make adorable sandwich desserts. 11 of 18 Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Vanilla bean cheesecake is elevated with a glassy, brûléed top. 12 of 18 Butter Toffee-Pecan Layer Cake Greg DuPree Recipe: Butter Toffee-Pecan Layer Cake Creamy toffee frosting coats this delicious vanilla layer cake. 13 of 18 Red Velvet Cheesecake-Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Red Velvet Cheesecake-Vanilla Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Moist vanilla cake is sandwiched between two layers of red velvet cheesecake in this gorgeous holiday cake. 14 of 18 Cushaw Pie with Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Cushaw Pie with Vanilla Bean Custard Sauce Top this winter squash filling with our vanilla bean custard and candied pecans. 15 of 18 Snowball Cake Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Snowball Cake Use a biscuit cutter to cut sheet cake into small bites. Transform them into "snowballs" for your next winter gathering. 16 of 18 Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Recipe: Buttermilk-Glazed Mini Fig Cakes with Vanilla Hard Sauce Top these mini cakes with vanilla hard sauce while they're still warm. 17 of 18 Chocolate Velvet Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe: Chocolate Velvet Cake With Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Vanilla buttercream balances out the rich chocolate of the cake. 18 of 18 Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce Alison Miksch Recipe: Bananas Foster Coffee Cake with Vanilla-Rum Sauce Vanilla-rum sauce adds extra sweetness to this fun coffee cake rendition. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit