We’re excited to share our all-time favorite easy dessert recipes, featuring an irresistible collection of cakes, pies, cobblers, and more. Thanks to the dedication of our dessert recipe testers, each recipe has been meticulously tested and perfected.
In February 2024, we called for recipe testers to help us perfect some of our most beloved dessert recipes. We were blown away by the response, receiving over 6,000 applications from eager readers! After careful consideration, we selected three talented individuals—Stephanie, Fredrica, and Luxe—to join our team of testers.
Thanks to their hard work and dedication, we’ve thoroughly tested, tasted, and updated 15 of our most popular dessert recipes. These recipes have been refined to ensure you have the best possible experience when you make them at home. We can’t wait to share the delicious results with you!
Easy Carrot Cake
Our carrot cake recipe has been on Inspired Taste for many years and currently has over 1500 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews. Still, this is one of our most popular dessert recipes, so we wanted our testers to try the recipe. We also asked Luxe, our tester for this recipe, to see what happens when you reduce the oil and sugar called for in the original recipe (something we’ve been asked many times).
Recipe Tester Notes
“The cake was as moist and light as promised, and the whipped cream cheese frosting was light and creamy, just as described…I definitely appreciated the large amount of carrots — some carrot cakes are only vaguely carrot-y, which just negates the whole point. I loved the texture and lightness of the whipped frosting, which paired perfectly with the lightness of the cake.”
We asked Luxe to test one of our most frequently asked questions about this recipe. Can you reduce the oil and sugar?
“I made this recipe with the reduced oil and sugar; I reduced the oil to 1 cup and sugar to 3/4 cup white and 3/4 cup brown sugar. The cake rose the same as the original recipe, to about 1.5 inches at the highest point. The bottom of the cake was noticeably less oily than the original recipe, but the cake was just as moist, and the crumb was just as light as the original. The reductions did not negatively affect the cake or the way it baked in any way; it turned out nearly identical in consistency to the original recipe (and how it’s described in the recipe), other than the fact that it was less oily and ever-so-slightly less sweet.”
Banana Cream Pie
Our banana cream pie recipe is newer, but it has quickly become one of my favorites! Fresh bananas, creamy homemade vanilla custard, and a perfect vanilla wafer crust make this one of the most delicious desserts. The original recipe calls for store-bought Nilla wafers, which work really well, but some of our readers asked about homemade vanilla cookies as a substitute. Luxe tested the original recipe AND the pie with our homemade vanilla cookies. She ultimately preferred the store-bought cookies, so we are going back to the drawing board for the homemade cookies (stay tuned).
Recipe Tester Notes
“I especially loved the Nilla wafer crust — Nilla wafers are super nostalgic for me (I used to eat them at my grandparents’ house when I was little), but apart from that factor, their distinct vanilla flavor added an extra element to the pie and brought out the vanilla in the custard. The crust was crunchy and buttery, balancing the lightness of the filling. I liked that the pie used fresh bananas rather than some added banana flavor (like a banana pudding mix or something), so it didn’t taste artificial. The crust was easy to put together and came out of the tart pan very well (which I was a little nervous about).”
Cinnamon Swirled Coffee Cake
Our cinnamon swirled coffee cake is delicious almost any time of day. It’s great with a cup of coffee and doubles as a dessert after dinner. We wanted Stephanie to test the recipe and make sure it was as clear as needed so you could have the most success making it at home.
Recipe Tester Notes
“It came out beautifully. The top was crispy, and the drizzle was a nice visual touch! The cinnamon layer also came through well throughout the cake. The taste was great! It’s a bit almond heavy, but that’s just preference. The streusel on top was delicious!”
Easy Banana Bread
Our easy banana bread recipe has been on Inspired Taste for a long time, but we still wanted to confirm that it’s the best. Fredrica was tasked with testing our banana bread with two standard pan sizes (a 1 pound pan that’s 8 ½” by 4 ½” and a 1.5 pound pan that’s 9″ by 5″).
Recipe Tester Notes
“I doubled the recipe and used 6 bananas in total. The bananas were super ripe (almost black), and my bread turned out super moist. This was a really big hit with my family and friends…the bread was super moist, and the walnuts were also great and added a good texture. I don’t have anything I disliked about the recipe.”
“The 1.5lb pan and the 1lb pan were both good. The 1.5lb pan needed to bake a little bit longer.”
Chocolate Cupcakes
Our easy chocolate cupcakes are a personal favorite. The batter is naturally vegan, which I love because it makes this cupcake recipe friendly to many bakers! We wanted to see what Luxe thought of the recipe. Was it rich and chocolatey enough? We also wanted her to answer a common question: Can you use the cupcake recipe to make a regular-size cake? Spoiler alert: you can!
Recipe Tester Notes
“The cupcake batter came together very easily and tasted fantastic! Loved the coffee! It made the chocolate richer and added a subtle complexity — truly such a difference. The cupcakes are incredibly moist, with a perfect crumb, and aren’t too sweet, so they pair perfectly with the sweet buttercream. I’m not a huge buttercream person (I usually find it a bit too sweet), but it works very well in this recipe.”
“I used the recipe to make a full cake, as requested. I used two 9-inch springform pans, greased and with parchment paper (using the technique described in the carrot cake recipe). I baked them at 350F for 38 minutes (would probably denote as “35-40 minutes” in the recipe), until the cake sprang back when depressed and a toothpick came out clean. The cake rose well (slightly over an inch) and is just as moist and flavorful as the cupcakes.”
Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Our easy carrot cake cupcakes are inspired by the carrot cake shown above. We increased the spice level of the batter for this recipe and have asked Fredrica to let us know if it comes through. Based on her feedback, an option for increasing the spices even more in this recipe would be a good idea. This tip is now included in the recipe!
Recipe Tester Notes
“The cupcakes without icing were as expected, and the frosting also came out perfectly creamy. I like the texture of the cupcakes and the frosting. The raisins and pecans in the cupcakes were a perfect texture, too. Based on the ingredients, I expected a bit more of a spice flavor.”
Perfect Tiramisu
Our tiramisu recipe has been on Inspired Taste for years, but it has been a while since we’ve made it ourselves so I was so excited for Fredrica to test it. We wanted to make sure it was as clear as possible so you can make the best tiramisu at home!
Recipe Tester Notes
“I never made tiramisu before, so this was generally an easy recipe to follow for the first time. I had a lot of positive feedback from my friends about this dessert, and this is a recipe I will definitely make again…The texture is super soft and melts in your mouth. I also really enjoyed the flavor of the coffee mixture.”
Our Best Cinnamon Rolls
Our cinnamon roll recipe was a passion project for me a few years ago. I wanted big, fluffy rolls with a cream cheese frosting. Thanks to a bit of help from a food processor, they are simple to make and have the most luxurious buttery texture. Stephanie made sure the recipe was clearly explained and tested overnight cinnamon rolls for us.
Recipe Tester Notes
“It was great! Classic cinnamon rolls, I wouldn’t change anything about the taste. I loved the cinnamon filling and couldn’t get enough of it. I loved the addition of cardamom and nutmeg. For improvements, consider letting them proof a bit more for the second proof and using vanilla bean paste instead of extract (I think it would give the glaze a little something special). I loved the tip of refrigerating the rolls before slicing; the rolls were beautiful!”
“I was curious how long you could push the proofing time to, so I did 24 hours. They baked up mostly fine, just a little collapsing after the oven on one of them. I noticed the filling leaked out to the bottom of the pan with the overnight proof. I recommend proofing for up to 12 hours.”
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Our fresh strawberry pie is a summer dessert staple! Our recipe turns its back on the Jello-like pie filling and makes a simple glaze that’s just thick enough to hold fresh strawberries together in the pie. Luxe was tasked with testing the clarity of this recipe and flavor.
Recipe Tester Notes
“I loved the combination of the macerated strawberry glaze with the fresh strawberries, as it added layers of flavor and wasn’t too cloyingly sweet. The recipe came together super easily, and the pie itself had a super fresh strawberry flavor, which I loved. The butter crust was once again outstanding and paired well with the strawberries. With the crust, strawberries, and whipped cream, it tasted reminiscent of strawberry shortcake, which is one of my favorite desserts.”
Peach Cobbler
Our homemade peach cobbler is another easy summer dessert recipe! We suggest you use fresh or frozen peaches, so we asked Fredrica to confirm this for us again. Great news! You can!!
Apple Pie
Our apple pie is one of my favorite dessert recipes on Inspired Taste. It is such a stunner! Stephanie tested this pie and was looking for directions to be clear and home baker friendly. I also wanted to check that her end results live up to my statement that it’s the best apple pie I’ve made!
Recipe Tester Notes
“The apple pie was great! It’s a very classic and tasty apple pie. It was a bit cinnamon heavy, but I liked it! It’s very picture-perfect, especially when doing a full double crust. Browning was very nice.”
Pumpkin Pie
Our homemade pumpkin pie has a golden, flaky crust filled with the easiest, most delicious pumpkin pie filling. We love this pie and felt super confident about it going through testing, but we wanted Luxe to focus on using homemade puree! Unfortunately, as she was testing during the Spring, she could not find fresh pumpkins! She went to the next best thing and used kabocha squash, which, surprising to us all, was a resounding success!
Recipe Tester Notes
“I made this test with the homemade puree (I couldn’t find fresh pumpkin anywhere, but did somehow find a kabocha squash, so I used that instead). The puree came together perfectly easily and was ASTOUNDING in the pie. I’ve made many pumpkin pies but have never made one with fresh puree. I didn’t think it would make a huge difference, but it is definitely noticeable. The pie tasted far fresher and more complex, and the squash tasted quite similar to a pumpkin.”
Homemade Blueberry Pie
Our blueberry pie recipe combines a golden, flaky pie crust filled with the most delicious blueberry filling. We add a lattice top to the pie and asked Stephanie to make sure our instructions for it were super clear. She also tested frozen blueberries in this pie recipe. From Stephanie’s feedback, it was clear that we needed to tweak the recipe slightly and provide better instructions for using frozen berries. This is all updated in the recipe today!
Recipe Tester Notes
“Taste was great, but the filling was a little soupy with the frozen berries. Even though the filling was liquid, the bottom was still a bit crispy. Lemon zest was a great addition. Frozen blueberries didn’t yield a very “blueberry” forward flavor, mostly tasted of a general berry pie.”
Perfect Apple Cobbler
Our apple cobbler recipe is a newer dessert recipe from Inspired Taste. Stephanie tested the original recipe and a vegan and gluten-free variation—all with success!
Recipe Tester Notes
“So delicious!! The top could be sweeter for some people, but it was perfect for me, especially with ice cream. My favorite part was the topping; it was like a sweet shortbread cookie, which was unique. I liked it a lot!”
Homemade Cherry Pie
Our cherry pie recipe is another classic dessert we shared many years ago. We were happy to receive Fredrica’s feedback on this recipe since she helped us clarify our notes for those using tart cherries vs. sweet.
Recipe Tester Notes
“I enjoyed that the filling was not super sweet (it could be 10% sweeter), but it didn’t taste like the artificial filling I often taste in pies. The pie crust (I used the easy butter flaky pie crust recipe) was very delicious and was the highlight of the dish.”
Stay in Touch
Our search for dessert recipe testers was a successful and fulfilling project, and we hope to do it again one day. If you are a good fit for testing recipes for Inspired Taste, stay in touch by following along on Instagram and YouTube or joining our free newsletter. We will always post new opportunities for recipe testing there first!
