Food and Recipes Entertaining Ideas & Tips These Impressive Desserts Will Make Guests Think You Took Up Classes to Become a Pastry Chef By Southern Living Editors Updated on August 23, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Hector Sanchez Even though our Test Kitchen professionals are capable of any culinary feat you can imagine, Southern Living has long developed recipes with ease, quickness, and affordability in mind. We're no stranger to a five-ingredient supper or even a dump cake, and most of our dishes can be easily picked up by novice cooks looking to learn something new without a headache. But all athletes have to flex their muscles from time to time, and our Test Kitchen experts do, too. From the towering white cakes that have graced December covers past to upside-down confections and the fluffiest soufflés, we're sharing some of the most impressive dessert recipes we have with you. Whether you want to wow a fall crowd with an impressive Pumpkin Spice Cake or Apple Stack Cake or you're in need of a beautiful dessert to leave the supper club speechless as they sip their coffee, this is the list of recipes you need. Hone your decorating skills with beautiful desserts like our Buche de Noel or Apple Rose Tart, or perfect your baking chops with our Crème Brûlée Cheesecake or Little Layer Chocolate Cake. Whichever you choose, these impressive dessert recipes will give your meal a showstopping finish that your guests won't soon forget. 01 of 30 Lemon Bar Cheesecake Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Lemon Bar Cheesecake This indulgent recipe marries two delicious desserts: lemon bars and cheesecake. Using a dark springform pan ensures a golden brown crust without having to bake before adding the filling. 02 of 30 Red Velvet Soufflés with Whipped Sour Cream Jennifer Davick Recipe: Red Velvet Soufflés with Whipped Sour Cream These snazzy red velvet soufflés are not only eye catching, but drool-worthy desserts that will dazzle any dessert table. 03 of 30 Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake There's no prettier finale to a summer celebration than this peach Bundt cake. At the link above, get Hey Y'all host Ivy Odom's tips for making this beauty when you watch the video on the recipe page. 04 of 30 Blackberry Jam Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Blackberry Jam Cake Chef Damaris Phillips made this stunning cake recipe inspired by her Aunt Julie's Kentucky jam cake. "Eating a slice of Aunt Julie's jam cake reminds me of sliding into a warm bed," she writes. "Imagine the comfort of worn quilts, the excitement of clean sheets, and the sigh of relaxing into a soft mattress, and you'll have an idea of how a bite of this cake makes you feel." 05 of 30 Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce With these pretty little custards, you can get creative with your vessels. If you're lucky, you'll have leftover Bourbon-Caramel Sauce to drizzle on ice cream the next night. 06 of 30 Little Layer Chocolate Cake Recipe: Little Layer Chocolate Cake Southern Living Test Kitchen pro and Hey Y'all host Ivy Odom asked for this cake on her birthdays growing up, with an additional layer added for each year. 07 of 30 Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Cake This mile-high dessert sure looks stunning, but it has an amazing secret for hosts of those with food allergies: It's dairy-and gluten-free! Who would've thought? 08 of 30 Caramel Apple Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Caramel Apple Cake Talk about photo-worthy! Full of fall flavor, this Caramel Apple Cake tastes as good as it looks. 09 of 30 Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Red Velvet Ice-Cream Cake This festive showstopper will be better than fireworks as the finale to your summer get-together. Since it needs so much chill time, it's a great make-ahead option. 10 of 30 Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Creme brûlée is a go-to for impressing guests, so amp it up with a dessert mashup that combines that crisp, beautiful topping with classic cheesecake flavor. 11 of 30 Pumpkin Soufflé Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Pumpkin Soufflé These fluffy delights are the perfect finisher for a fall dinner party. A dusting of powdered sugar on top makes for elegant presentation. 12 of 30 German Chocolate Cake Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: German Chocolate Cake A rich German chocolate cake is one confection every Southern baker should try at least once. Make extra Coconut-Pecan Frosting for thick layers that will dazzle. 13 of 30 Florida Orange Grove Pie Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly Recipe: Florida Orange Grove Pie Southern cooks know that some of the best recipes come from the pages of Junior League cookbooks, like this citrus pie, which includes a crust made of baked meringue. 14 of 30 Buche de Noel Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Ana Kelly Prop Stylist: Kay Clarke Recipe: Buche de Noel If you've never made a yule log cake during the holidays, this is the one baking project you have to try this season. 15 of 30 The Coconut Chiffon Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: The Coconut Chiffon Cake The Coconut Chiffon Cake is the queen of the Southern dessert sideboard, and yes, it is a labor of love to get her to her throne. 16 of 30 Brennan's Bananas Foster Photo: Hector Sanchez; Styling: Karin Olsen Recipe: Brennan's Bananas Foster Even with simple ingredients, a flambeed dessert like this amed New Orleans one will always impress. 17 of 30 Lemon-Cheese Layer Cake Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Ruth Blackburn; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Recipe: Lemon-Cheese Layer Cake Test Kitchen pro and Hey Y'all host Ivy Odom makes this vintage confection every Easter with her family. Even though it's a towering beauty, the separate parts of this cake can be prepared in advance. 18 of 30 Rum Babas with Fresh Blackberries Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist Audrey Davis Recipe: Rum Babas with Fresh Blackberries North Carolina chef Bill Smith recreated a recipe he typically makes during the holidays with fresh summer blackberries. "They seem extra festive but are also a bit more trouble than the simpler recipes that I prefer," he says. 19 of 30 Erika Kwee's Spiced Carrot Cake with Candied Pecans and Caramel Sauce Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Erika Kwee's Spiced Carrot Cake with Candied Pecans and Caramel Sauce Houston-based food blogger Erika Kwee was one of our 2021 Cooks of the Year, and this incredible layered loaf cake shows exactly why. All of the reviews for it are five stars, including one that reads: "There are no words to describe how good this cake is." 20 of 30 Plum Torte Will Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Plum Torte Even though this pretty plum dessert looks impressive, it comes together with pantry staples you have on hand already. It's a beautiful complement to an afternoon coffee or tea. 21 of 30 Apple Stack Cake Photo: Victor Protasi; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Apple Stack Cake Author Ronni Lundy's layered masterpiece is a true fall stunner of a dessert. Since the cake must "ripen," it takes days of love and preparation to get it on the table complete. 22 of 30 Battenberg Cake Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Kathleen Varner Recipe: Battenberg Cake If there's one cake that truly shows off some baking and decorating skills, it's the British Battenberg cake. This one combines sweet, tart raspberry jam with chocolate and vanilla cake. 23 of 30 Coconut Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Granita Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Giulietta Pinna; Food Styling: Ali Ramee Recipe: Coconut Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Granita This beautiful, personally portioned dessert was inspired by the flavors of vintage-favorite ambrosia. This recipe comes together entirely on the stovetop and in the freezer, no pre-heat required. 24 of 30 Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake "My Lemon-and-Chocolate Doberge Cake recipe takes me a full day and requires every bowl in my kitchen—and I make desserts for a living," writes chef David Guas, but we promise, the end result is totally worth it. 25 of 30 Butterscotch-Bourbon Lava Cakes Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Lydia Pursell Recipe: Butterscotch-Bourbon Lava Cakes These single-serve cakes are a luscious way to end a special meal. A dollop of bourbon-spiked whipped cream on top makes them the ultimate dinner party treat. 26 of 30 Buttermilk-Chocolate Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas: Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Buttermilk Chocolate Cake Buttermilk lends to the incredible texture of this chocolate cake, and layers of Swiss Meringue Buttercream make it positively dreamy, but the real wow-factor comes in with the flower cake toppers. 27 of 30 Apple Rose Tart Photographer: Jennifer Causey Food Stylist: Melissa Gray Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Recipe: Apple Rose Tart Even though the apple topping on this tart looks intricate, it actually starts with a refrigerated pie crust. For extra-special presentation, finish it with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream. 28 of 30 White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream Courtney West/Southern Living Recipe: White Cake with Cranberry Filling and Orange Buttercream This is one of our most popular Christmas cake recipes of all time. Though the white cake recipe is simple, a vibrant cranberry filling and orange buttercream liven it up for the season. 29 of 30 Molten Red Velvet Cakes HECTOR MANUEL SANCHEZ Recipe: Molten Red Velvet Cakes "This cake has become my go-to for special occasions. So easy and yet so impressive," wrote one reviewer who gave this indulgent mini cake recipe five stars. 30 of 30 Pumpkin Spice Cake Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cake We're not lying, y'all: This Pumpkin Spice Cake is magic. Silky flan and a moist pumpkin spice layer magically flip while in the pan. Was this page helpful? 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