Our Best Chocolate Dessert Recipes

Swedish “Sticky” Chocolate Cake (Cookish)

Sweden's popular "sticky cake," or kladdkaka, is for the diehard chocolate lover.

By Rose HattabaughOctober 13, 2020

Stovetop Chocolate Cake

This no-oven chocolate cake comes together in a pan—steamed, rather than baked, resulting in a moist, tender cake every time. OR This no-oven-needed chocolate cake is "steamed" for about 20 minutes in a Dutch oven—a method which results in an unimagin

By Yvonne RupertiJanuary 22, 2024

Chocolate, Prune and Rum Cake

This is a version of Claire Ptak’s chocolate, prune and whiskey cake for the home baker that you’ll fall in love with on the first try.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Cream Cake

Rich chocolate cake, layered with a light, hazelnutty whipped ganache: our special-occasion dessert adapted from Dominique Ansel.

By Wes MartinOctober 12, 2020

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

This decadent chocolate cake gets its tender, luscious crumb from the unexpected addition of fruity, peppery olive oil.

By Rose HattabaughApril 4, 2022

Chocolate Biscotti with Pistachios, Almonds and Dried Cherries

Not-too-sugary, crunchy chocolate biscotti—adapted from a recipe in “Maida Heatter’s Best Dessert Book Ever”—studded with pistachios, almonds and dried cherries.

Chocolate Meringue Cookies

Can a chocolate cookie be fudgy, airy, and crispy at the same time? We were delighted to find that the answer is yes!

Dark Chocolate Terrine with Coffee and Cardamom

Undeniably rich, yet surprisingly light, our chilled chocolate terrine features a touch of cardamom evoking the fragrance and flavor of Turkish coffee. OR “Rich, yet feather light. Make-ahead easy, yet impossibly elegant.”

By Rose HattabaughNovember 8, 2022

Creamy Chocolate Pudding with Sesame Whipped Cream

Tahini is the secret ingredient in this extra chocolatey, creamy pudding, which comes together in 25 minutes on the stovetop.

Caprese Chocolate and Almond Torte

This gluten-free, flourless chocolate cake from Capri, Italy gets rich, almost brownie-like texture, thanks to ground almonds and a generous amount of egg.

Chocolate-Hazelnut (Gianduja) Crostata

Get all the richness of chocolate pie with a far-easier crostata (sort of like an open-faced pie).

Chocolate-Tahini Loaf with Cinnamon and Cayenne

This chocolate-tahini quick bread combines all of chocolate’s best pairings—warming spice, fierce cayenne, and nutty tahini.

By Rose HattabaughApril 26, 2021

Bête Noire

Cookbook author Lora Brody’s creation bête noire is no typical chocolate cake: silky, custardy, with a base of sugar syrup.

By Wes MartinOctober 16, 2019

Brazilian Chocolate Fudge Candies (Brigadeiros)

Typically, these confections are made with sweetened condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter. Our version includes cinnamon and instant espresso for heightened flavor. Classic brigadeiros are coated with only chocolate sprinkles. But to add nuttiness,

By Courtney HillApril 2, 2018

Chocolate Pudding with Brown Sugar and Miso

Umami-packed white miso adds layers of depth and complexity to this pantry busting chocolate pudding. OR For a lick-the-spatula chocolate pudding, you want salt and umami. So trust us on the white miso.

Claire Ptak’s Vegan Chocolate-Frosted Devil’s Food Cupcakes

Claire Ptak created the Holy Grail of vegan cupcakes—moist, rich, devil’s food crumb finished with a light, silky-smooth chocolate “buttercream.”

Dried Cherry–Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Fudge-y dark chocolate and fruity cherries make these cookies the perfect vehicle for ice cream sandwiches. Use this one for the holidays: Intensely fudgey and perfectly balanced, with a hint of vinegar and bits of chewy, tangy fruit.

By Rose HattabaughDecember 18, 2019

Italian Flourless Chocolate Torta

A deeply chocolatey flourless cake, devised from a century-and-a-half-old secret recipe from Vignola, Italy.

By Rose HattabaughJune 11, 2021

Oaxacan Hot Chocolate

This is our adaptation of traditional Oaxacan hot chocolate, which uses freshly roasted cacao beans to provide chocolate flavor and finely ground nuts rather than dairy to add richness. Since cacao beans are hard to find in the U.S., we opted for unsw

By Julia RackowOctober 8, 2018

Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies

Rye flour—an addition we learned from Claire Ptak—makes for a far more complex, robustly flavored chocolate chip cookie.

Salted Butter Caramel-Chocolate Mousse

With butter-and-cream richness, bittersweet notes from the chocolate and caramel, and sea salt to cut through the sugar, this simple six-ingredient dessert from “My Paris Kitchen” by David Lebovitz is far greater than the sum of its parts. You can whi

Tahini Swirl Brownies

The duo of dark chocolate and cocoa powder gave these brownies depth, and the vanilla enhanced the flavor of both of them. The combination of tahini and sugar replicates the sweet sesame flavor of halvah candy but was easier to work with—and to find.

Yelapa-Style Chocolate Pie

This decadent, cocoa-rich pie comes from the beaches of Yelapa, where pies are eaten in hand, by the slice.

By Rose HattabaughFebruary 10, 2022

Cherry and Chocolate Crumble Semifreddo

Easier than ice cream cake, but just as delicious.

By Courtney HillOctober 4, 2023

Emergency Chocolate Cake

This ultra-easy chocolate cake, made without eggs, milk and butter, is also known as crazy cake because it doesn’t require ingredients standard to most cakes. It’s said to originate during the Great Depression when ingredients were scarce—hence anothe

By Rose HattabaughOctober 14, 2025