Desserts

Find over 1,000 easy, fun, and delicious dessert recipes for you and your family!

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

Banana Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

This is the best banana cake! It’s simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too 🙂

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

We always, always have old bananas on the counter. Mostly because every time I go to the grocery store, I get all fired up about eating more fruits and vegetables and buy out the produce department. And then, I’m ashamed to admit, a lot of it just sits around for the rest of the week… not getting eaten. Oops!

Thank goodness, old bananas are a LOT easier to rescue than, say, slimy old green beans. ????

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

I’ve been wanting to make a banana cake that starts with a cake mix. I love the concept of just throwing a few ingredients into the bowl and whipping up a perfectly soft and fluffy cake. I’ve never been one to shy away from a cake mix, and I’ll say it again: I love that you know what you’re getting with a mix.

You know the cake is going to be soft, fluffy, moist, and flavorful. It’s just so reliable! You know the texture is going to be good and that it’s going to bake up just right. I’ve yet to use a cake mix and be disappointed.

So it’s no surprise that this recipe ended up being a slam dunk.

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

All you need is a yellow cake mix, a 2-3 bananas, and a few other simple ingredients. It bakes up beautifully in less than 30 minutes, and it tastes AMAZING. Perfectly sweet with a serious banana flavor.

And the chocolate cream cheese frosting... omg.

I almost made just a regular cream cheese frosting. Which would have been good, I’m sure. But chocolate was for sure the right call to go with banana. Although… isn’t chocolate always the right call??

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

This is the best banana cake! It's simple to whip up, starting with a mix, and is supremely moist and flavorful. The chocolate cream cheese frosting is amazing too :)

I hope you enjoy every bit of this cake as much as we did!

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!

Death By Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!
Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!
Today, we’re revisiting one of my oldest recipes. And one of my very favorites. Because (aside from my favorite chocolate cake) I’ve yet to meet another chocolate cake that rivals this chocolate zucchini cake in terms of flavor, texture, and moistness. Plus, we’re talking about FOUR layers of chocolate goodness here:

???? chocolate cake.

???? chocolate chips inside the cake.

???? chocolate ganache.

???? more chocolate chips on top of the ganache.

This is a MAJOR chocolate experience you guys.

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!

And the best part is: you’re totally getting in your veggies! Not that you’ll even notice.

You won’t believe there are TWO WHOLE zucchinis in there! And you know what they say– you need 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. So, basically, that means you need 2 and a half cakes per day. Which seems reasonable. Amiright? ????

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!

That ganache is practically a superfood on it’s own.

I mean, just look at that! Does anyone else get all ???? ???? ???? watching ganache drip down the side of a cake? Be still my heart!

Ganache is so simple to make. I actually wrote a whole post about it here (which I plan to update soon, in fact. But it’ll do for now). It just takes two simple ingredients: chocolate and heavy cream. I usually nuke it in the microwave in 30 second increments until everything is warm and melty and stirs smooth. But it’s probably a little safer to make it over medium heat on the stove top if you don’t work with chocolate much, just to avoid burning or seizing it.

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!

Rich and moist chocolate zucchini cake with chocolate chips and a decadent chocolate ganache on top!

This cake is seriously a dream come true. You are going to be obsessed with it!!

An easy recipe for gooey rice krispie treats with M&MS and a white chocolate drizzle.

White Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats with M&Ms Recipe

An easy recipe for gooey rice krispie treats with M&MS and a white chocolate drizzle.

An easy recipe for gooey rice krispie treats with M&MS and a white chocolate drizzle.

Since the beginning of summer vacation, my kids and I have been on a major rice krispie treat kick. We buy the mega box at Sam’s club, and lasts us about a week (although, I suspect my husband is going through them faster than the kids are).

Basically, we really heart rice krispie treats.

An easy recipe for gooey rice krispie treats with M&MS and a white chocolate drizzle.

And this is the MacDaddy recipe of them all. Insane gooey-ness. M&Ms. And a white chocolate drizzle on top. This is my hands down favorite rice krispie treat of all time (and that includes, Biscoff RKT, Toasted Marshmallow RKT, and Butterfinger Butterscotch RKT— all of which are hard to beat).

There is something about this flavor and texture combo that is just so right, know what I mean?

An easy recipe for gooey rice krispie treats with M&MS and a white chocolate drizzle.

If you like rice krispie treats, you are going to flip for these! Added bonus: *NO BAKING*

Because it is waaaaaaaaaay too hot for that nonsense. Turn off the oven and dig into these instead! Woot!

Enjoy 🙂

Moist chocolate donuts that are baked instead of fried, topped with a sweet glaze and Oreo crumbles.

Cookies & Cream Baked Chocolate Donuts Recipe

Moist chocolate donuts that are baked instead of fried, topped with a sweet glaze and Oreo crumbles.

Moist chocolate donuts that are baked instead of fried, topped with a sweet glaze and Oreo crumbles.

Happy Thursday! It’s almost the weekend, which I think calls for donuts!!

I’m obsessed with donuts. Cream filled, chocolate frosted, sprinkled, glazed, baked, fried, whatever. If it’s a donut, I want it. These baked chocolate donuts with a glaze have an especially soft spot in my heart. I love the texture– they’re a little bit crispy around the edges, just like a fried donut, but soft and airy on the inside. So much perfection in one little breakfast food!

Moist chocolate donuts that are baked instead of fried, topped with a sweet glaze and Oreo crumbles.

Today, I’m taking my favorite chocolate donut recipe, and cranking it up a notch by coating the glaze in Oreo cookie crumbles and adding a drizzle of cream cheese frosting to top it all off.

These donuts are incredibly simple to make. The ingredients are simple and straightforward, stuff you have on hand. And the mixing and baking process is a breeze as well. Basically, what I’m saying is that you can have homemade chocolate donuts in about 20 minutes.

Which I think we can agree is something we allllllllll need. ????

Moist chocolate donuts that are baked instead of fried, topped with a sweet glaze and Oreo crumbles.

Moist chocolate donuts that are baked instead of fried, topped with a sweet glaze and Oreo crumbles.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe. It's just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it's not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.

A Better No Churn Ice Cream (and Frozen Yogurt) Recipe

This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe thanks to a secret ingredient. It’s just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it’s not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.

This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe. It's just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it's not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.

YOU GUYS!!

I am so so so so sososososoooooooooooooooooo crazy excited to share this recipe with you today.

Did I mention I’m pretty pumped?? I’m SO pumped.

Why? Because I FINALLY have a two-ingredient, no-churn (read no machine required!) homemade ice cream that really, truly, 1000% tastes like ice cream. Really!

This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe. It's just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it's not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.

Have you ever made 2-ingredient, no churn ice cream like this? It’s fine. I mean, I liked it well enough when I thought that was all there was. That you couldn’t make anything better with just two ingredients and no ice cream machine. Back when I thought you had to settle for an overly-sweet-sort-of-weird-texture kind of ice cream. Back when that was all there was, it was good enough. It was maybe even kind of great.

But ohhhhhhhhhh, how wrong I was, my friends.

It turns out there is so much more to no-churn ice cream life than we thought there was!!

This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe. It's just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it's not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.

Okay, so what were the problems with the old recipe? Primarily two things: 1) it was WAY too sweet. Especially if you used the Cool Whip shortcut (guilty). And 2) it had sort of a weird texture as it melted. Because it never really melted down to a liquid… it was more of a semi-solid. Which was weird.

How do we fix that?

Well, for starters, we need an ingredient that balances out the sweet from the sweetened condensed milk. And secondly, we probably don’t need to add another thick ingredient like whipped cream!

Enter the magical secret ingredient: SOUR CREAM.

The answer was there the whole time! So unassuming and subtle, just sitting there in the refrigerator waiting for us to notice. Waiting for us to realize that when sour cream mixes with sweetened condense milk and freezes…. BAM. Ice cream! And not just any ice cream– good ice cream.

Way good ice cream, you guys.

This is THE PERFECT no churn ice cream recipe. It's just two ingredients (like the other famous no churn recipe), but this one has a way better texture, and it's not overly sweet! It seriously tastes and feels JUST LIKE real ice cream.

Want to know what else is cool about this recipe?? You can actually substitute nonfat Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. YES!!!! Isn’t that amazing?

Be forewarned, it does get ever-so-slightly (and I do mean only slightly) icier than the version with sour cream. But still– I think that’s totally worth it for an easy homemade frozen yogurt that does actually have some nutritionally redeeming qualities, amiright?!

So, what do you think? Is anyone else as excited about this revolutionary recipe as I am?? Because I’m literally still flipping out over this. I want to go make eleventy bajillion flavors of no churn right now. Imagine the possibilities now that easy homemade ice cream doesn’t suck! WOOT!

Easy Ice Cream Cookie Cake Recipe

Here’s how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream birthday cake!

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

Summer is in full force around here! Swim lessons, air conditioning, hot leather seats sticking to your legs in the van, and daily ice cream runs.

Plus, in our house, summer = all.the.birthdays!!!

So I figure this easy ice cream cake is super appropriate.

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

Let me break down these layers for you:

????Sara Lee pound cake (it’s in the frozen section)

???? Vanilla ice cream

????Homemade eggless cookie dough recipe for one 🙂

???? Rainbow Chips (Wilton)

???? Hot fudge or chocolate syrup or chocolate ganache or whatever else you want on top!

That’s it!! How easy is that??

And really, you could use any flavor of ice cream you wanted to. I’m a vanilla girl, but I can think of plenty of other flavors that would be delicious in this cake. Cookies & Cream, chocolate peanut butter, or chocolate chip just to name a few!

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

Can you see those huge chunks of cookie dough in the ice cream? That’s my favorite part. I’m such a cookie dough snob when it comes to ice cream. I like knowing that I made the cookie dough in this dessert. And I like that I can make the dough a little softer if I want (I don’t like really hard chunks of dough in my ice cream) by simply adding a little more milk to the recipe.

Here's how to make a super simple and delicious cookie dough ice cream cake!

This cake is so easy and SO good. I love that it doesn’t take a ton of effort. Outside of making the cookie dough (which is easily done with just a small bowl and a fork– no mixer required!), there’s hardly any hands on effort required here.

So what are you waiting for? You’re just a few minutes away from the yummiest ice cream cake you’ve ever made! Happy Summer!

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | www.somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts Recipe

 Dricoll’s has been the strawberry in everyone’s shortcake for more than 100 years, which makes them the perfect inspiration for this recipe! I worked in collaboration with Driscoll’s Strawberries to develop a unique strawberry shortcake recipe and have received compensation accordingly. Opinions expressed are always my own.

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

Summertime is practically here! Can’t you just feel it?? This time of year is just so intoxicating, so full of sunlight and flower buds. It’s like walking into a big hug after a long and dreary winter, followed by a very wet spring.

In between packing what must be thousands of boxes (okay… it’s closer to, like, 12) and move prep, we’ve been trying to soak up every moment of this new found sunshine! We’re taking nature walks, catching butterflies, running in the sprinklers, and eating lots and lots of strawberries.

Like…. gazillions of strawberries.

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

I think strawberries may be the real reason I fight to get through the winter at all. And when strawberry season comes, I’m eating them with every meal and every snack in between.

Like every other strawberry lover on the planet, I’m pretty crazy about strawberry shortcake. Besides being utterly delicious and a versatile flavor combo, strawberry shortcake is also classic and timeless. It’s an iconic American dessert, and I find the sheer patriotism of it as appealing as anything else. Did you know that Americans have been feverishly eating strawberry shortcake for over 100 years? And Driscoll’s has been growing beautifully plump, ruby red strawberries for just as long!

Strawberry shortcake has taken on many forms throughout the decades. Sometimes the variations are as simple as switching up the cake part and using a spongecake (like the ones you see in the grocery stores by the strawberries) or pound cake instead of a traditional sweet biscuit. Others are more creative and incorporate the flavors into desserts like ice cream or crepes!

Strawberry Shortcake Donuts | somethingswanky.com @driscollsstrawberries #strawshortcake

I wanted to get a little creative with this recipe but also incorporate some tradition at the same time. Classic, old-school, southern-style strawberry shortcake is made with a biscuit (sort of like this blueberry shortcake I posted). Using biscuits happen to be my favorite way to eat this dessert, so I knew I didn’t want to deviate from that route.

As I started thinking about the different ways you can use biscuits in dessert-making, strawberry shortcake donuts became this blaring, neon sign in my mind as the perfect way to combine both tradition and creativity! By simply frying the biscuit dough, instead of baking, a classic strawberry shortcake goes rogue and becomes a donut. You can fry made-from-scratch biscuit dough or use refrigerated biscuit dough like I did for a delicious shortcut!

One more thing before you head to the kitchen… it’s a little obvious, but it’s worth saying anyway: be sure to buy the very best strawberries for the very best tasting donuts. Driscoll’s has been the strawberry in everyone’s shortcake for over 100 years, and there’s a reason– they’re the best!

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | www.somethingswanky.com

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe

It’s Ice Cream Week on Something Swanky and Crazy for Crust!*

Click the links above to see all of our fun ice cream recipes from this week.

***Originally posted in July 2014

 

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | somethingswanky.com

I’ve mentioned before that my husband isn’t a big fan of mix-in type ice cream places (like Coldstone). He’ll eat there if I make him go (I mean, it is ice cream, after all). But then, as we’re driving past the Baskin Robbins on our way home, he’ll heave a not-so-subtle sigh and gaze longingly at the rear-view mirror.

I determined that our difference in opinion over ice cream shops is really the difference between liking hard or soft ice cream. He prefers hard scooped, I’d rather have something more along the lines of ice cream soup. I dunno… he’s probably in the majority there. But I can’t help it– I love soft, mushy ice cream full of big candy chunks and hot fudge.

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | somethingswanky.com

However, he has totally turned me on to Baskin Robbins’ Chocolate Chip and Mint Chocolate Chip ice creams.

Because….. ohemgee.

I am so in love with the way their “chocolate chips” aren’t really chocolate chips at all. Instead, it’s full of a thin pieces of brittle chocolate that ribbon throughout the ice cream. And it takes chocolate chip ice cream to an amazing new level.

Just like the Stracciatella I mentioned last week, Baskin Robbins-style chocolate chip ice cream is achieved in the same way– by pouring chocolate (or in this case, Homemade Magic Shell) into the ice cream during the last 5 minutes of churning.

Baskin Robbins Mint Chocolate Chip Copycat Recipe | somethingswanky.com

This Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream is SO easy and so yummy. Mint is one of my husband’s favorite ice cream flavors, but you could easily make this regular old chocolate chip ice cream by simply omitting the peppermint extract!

I use this Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream Maker to make churned ice cream, and far I’ve loved it. It’s pretty inexpensive (only $49!), easy to use, and makes delicious ice cream in about 20-30 minutes. I would highly recommend it if you’re looking for a simple, day-to-day use ice cream machine.

Enjoy!

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cake Recipe

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting, peanut butter cups, and a rich peanut butter chocolate ganache make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Happy Thursday!

I’ve been saving a good one for my peanut butter and chocolate trifecta finale. Things may have started out a little more conservatively with this Super Skinny Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie, but we are definitely finishing on a wild note! Because there is nothing mild or tame about this two-layer chocolate fudge peanut butter cup beauty!

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

This may look like a simple 2-layer cake at first glance. But what you’re really seeing here are actually nine layers of peanut butter chocolate-y goodness. Count them with me:

???????? my all-time favorite chocolate cake.

???????? homemade peanut butter frosting.

???????? Reese’s peanut butter cups.

???????? more chocolate cake.

???????? more peanut butter frosting.

???????? peanut butter chocolate ganache.

???????? more peanut butter frosting.

???????? more peanut butter chocolate ganache.

???????? MORE Reese’s cups!

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

See those Reese’s cups in the middle?

That’s my favorite part. You know I’m all about the texture, and those little bits of Reese’s give the middle of this cake a perfect little something extra to bite into.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

Fudgy chocolate cake layered with rich peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups make this an excellent cake to share with a crowd.

What are you waiting for?! It’s practically the weekend– dig in!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pretzel Bites Recipe

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

I’ve been on a real chocolate and peanut butter kick lately, with three back-to-back Chocolate PB recipes coming your way! Be excited ????.

I like chocolate and peanut butter in all sorts of ways. From the super indulgent recipes like Tagalong Pound Cake, No Bake Peanut Butter Cup Bars, and Peanut Butter Brownie Trifles to healthier recipes like this Super Skinny PB Cup Smoothie or my favorite Peanut Butter Granola.

My favorite way to eat PB will always be in the form of a cookie. Preferably my  Grandma’s Monster Cookies or my mom’s Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies!

Or in any of these 75+ Ways to Eat a Reese’s. Obviously.

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Today’s recipe combines three of my great loves: PB + chocolate, pretzels, and no bake.

Side note: the way to my heart is to make something EASY. And these no-bake bars have do that in spades! 

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

We’re basically mashing these Peanut Butter Cup No Bake Bars (have you made them yet??) with two cups of pretzel crumbs.

Speaking of mashing…

You could put your pretzels in a food processor for a rough chop if you want when you’re making this recipe. But I just dumped mine in a gallon-sized zipper bag and beat them with a rolling pin. It worked out just fine (and one less thing I have to clean).

You can see in the photo above that you don’t need to aim for super fine crumbs. The PB mixture will hold the pretzels together perfectly even if there are some bigger chunks. In fact, you may find that you like having big chunks of pretzel bites in there!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

You only need 5 simple ingredients for this recipe, and you probably have them all on hand already!

  • creamy peanut butter
  • pretzels (2 cups of CRUSHED pretzels)
  • chocolate chips
  • powdered sugar
  • butter

See? Easy peasy.

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

I added some honey roasted peanuts to the top of mine for some additional crunch (and I like the look of it), but that’s totally up to you.

I also think M&MS would be pretty on point if you’re considering additional toppings ????????.

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Easy no-bake chocolate peanut butter pretzel bars made with only 5 simple ingredients!

Enjoy!