50 Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

Top these gooey-center, intense chocolate desserts with powdered sugar.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes

This rich, creamy (and surprisingly easy!) chocolate tart is the most-requested recipe at the Savory Spoon Cooking School in Door County, Wisconsin.

Bittersweet Chocolate Tart

The filling of this chocolate-crust pie is luscious, but not too rich. (Think old-fashioned chocolate pudding.) A bit of sour cream in the whipped topping balances the chocolate perfectly.

Chocolate Cream Pie

This luscious dessert includes a chocolate crumb crust and caramel-pecan filling crowned with melted chocolate.

Gooey Chocolate-Caramel Fantasy

Begging for a crown of birthday candles, this layer cake has two kitchen tricks working in its favor. Mayonnaise yields a moist crumb; sour cream keeps sugary buttercream in tangy check. (Note: This recipe makes enough frosting to fill and frost the entire cake [top and sides]. To leave the sides unfrosted as we did in our photograph, just make a half batch.

Country Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Frosting

Using an easy method from Pete's Chocolate Co. in Detroit, you can make a dazzling array of rich, creamy chocolate truffles. (Note: The yield varies depending if you use bittersweet, milk or white chocolate, so read the recipe carefully before starting. And know that you can double it if desired.)

Chocolate Truffles recipe

One of our testers described this tart's filling as "chocolate butter." We couldn't agree more. It's fantastically rich, with roast-toasty salted almonds in the crust and flaky sea salt on top to balance the sweetness.

Salted Almond Truffle Tart

Caramel in the bottom of the pan melds with the brownie, creating a dessert so rich and gooey that you need a spoon to serve it. Because cast iron holds heat, the brownie will still be warm when you go back for seconds.

Caramel Pecan Skillet Brownie

Dawn Logterman of Verona, Wisconsin, created this clever twist on the classic cream puffs served at the Wisconsin State Fair. Her recipe was a finalist in our annual recipe contest.

Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Cheese Puffs

No doubt, this is a chocolate-lover's cake, richly flavored and crusted on the outside with a coating of mini chips and a dusting of cocoa powder. The recipe comes from Nathaniel Reid Bakery in St. Louis.

Double Chocolate Pound Cake

Fans of cakey brownies, step away now. These squares are dense and rich, thanks to brown sugar, extra egg yolks— and more than half a can of stout. Your friends and family may not be able to identify the beer, but its toasted malt flavor brings depth to every bite.

Fudgy Stout Brownies

Create these rich, chocolatey cookies from refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough--just add cocoa powder, chocolate sprinkles and a candy center. Use colored sprinkles instead of chocolate if you'd like a more festive presentation.

Super-Duper Chocolate Kisses

A dollop of whipped cream foam crowns this rich, chocolatey mousse. For maximum fun, serve the mousse in mugs.

Dark Mocha Mousse

We used a cake mix in the crust for this creamy chocolate dessert from the former Chocolate Cafe and Coffee House in Missouri. The recipe makes a generous 24 bars, so it’s perfect for a potluck.

Chocolate Mocha Gooey Butter Cake

This utterly unforgettable autumn cake layers moist chocolate-pumpkin cake, luscious milk chocolate ganache and fluffy pumpkin-spice whipped cream. The recipe comes from Minnesota blogger Amanda Rettke (iambaker.net).

Chocolate Pumpkin Cake recipe

See a short video about how to make this cake

This recipe has been perfected through the years. We think you’ll agree that it is the moistest, richest, “chocolatiest” cake ever. Of the many ways to frost it, we vote for our classic Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting — though you can certainly use your family’s favorite.

Our Best-Ever Chocolate Cake

This rich bread pudding made in the slow cooker has deep chocolate flavor, thanks to a combo of chocolate chips and cocoa powder. The simple strawberry sauce has just two ingredients.

Double-Chocolate Bread Pudding with Strawberry Sauce

At M restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, the pastry chef creates these rich, chocolate truffles with a hint of two liqueurs: hazelnut and almond.

Hazelnut Truffles recipe

Whipping cream, semisweet chocolate and bittersweet chocolate create a rich, tall filling for this pie from a Minneapolis restaurant. Sweet meringue forms the crust.

Mile-High Chocolate Pie

Just three ingredients go into this quick dessert: sweetened condensed milk, caramel ice cream topping and chocolate. Vary your dippers to match the mood of your party.

Chocolate-Caramel Fondue

Do you have a chocoholic in your family? Give them something to love with this über-rich pie. For pretty chocolate curls, warm a bar of milk chocolate in your pocket or hand, then shave with a sharp vegetable peeler.

Double Chocolate-Espresso Truffle Pie

What goes best with chocolate? More chocolate. What goes best with our Triple-Chocolate Bread? Whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a glass of cold milk.

Triple-Chocolate Bread 

These easy candies look elegant but are simple to make. This holiday dessert recipe comes from the Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls in Logan, Ohio. 

Oreo Truffles

These warm, bittersweet puffs have coffee in them, but you'd never know it. Performing culinary sleight of hand, the hidden ingredient just helps chocolate taste more chocolatey, like a capful of vanilla would, but with a darker intent.

Mini Chocolate Soufflés

Fort Wayne, Indiana, cookbook author Marcia Adams loves this standout treat. "It's so easy to prepare," she says. This is Marcia's rendition of the Southern classic chess pie: a basic dessert made with eggs, sugar, butter and a little flour.

Chocolate Chess Pie

A rich, soft center makes these chocolatey cakes irresistible. The Inn at Kristofer's in Sister Bay, Wisconsin, serves them with custard and raspberry sauces. We've simplified the recipe with whipped cream and a fruit topping.

Softhearted Chocolate Cakes

From The Cookie Jar in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, these soft, no-restraint chocolate chip cookies pack in cocoa powder, chocolate chips and a very chocolatey chocolate frosting.

Cookie Jar Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

You can get creative with the finishing touches on these cupcakes, which are topped with seedless red raspberry or blackberry preserves, then chocolate ganache, decorative icing and small decorative candies.

Black Tie Cupcakes

Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, Michigan, took a basic chocolate cake and infused a little coffee and bittersweet chocolate to give it a sophisticated flavor.

Hot Cocoa Cake

Sheer three-layered audacity put this creation from a Saint Paul bakery in our hall of fame: buttermilk-cocoa cake, candylike chocolate frosting and creamy caramel sauce. Originally published: December 2005.

Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake

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Few foods say "celebration" like cake, especially chocolate. We challenged our Test Kitchen to come up with a fresh, delicious twist on this all-time favorite. The result is a decadently rich dessert. The recipe includes variations such as Hot Chocolate Cake, Spice is Nice Chocolate Cake and Mocha Chocolate Cake.

Three-Tiered Chocolate Cake

We stirred chocolate-flavor malt powder into both the brownie base and the lush, fluffy topper. For an extra-indulgent dessert, substitute your favorite homemade brownie recipe. Just be sure it bakes in a 13x9x2-inch pan.

Malted Mousse Brownies

Layer ice cream with a mixture of cookie crumbs, chocolate pieces and pecans to make this striped frozen dessert.

Triple-Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Orange marmalade and liqueur give this sinfully rich filling a citrus twist inside an almond-flavored crust.

Chocolate-Orange Tart

Semisweet chocolate pieces make a gooey layer inside this moist, buttery-good pound cake, served at the annual Chocolate Festival in Galesburg, Illinois.

Chocolate Ribbon Pound Cake

The key to a perfect homemade brownie is not overcooking it. Rather than a toothpick test, trust your eyes and nose to tell you when the brownie is set. The center will stay ever-so-slightly moist.

Fudge Brownies

Creamy ganache tops a smooth, dark chocolate base. Decorate with swirls of melted chocolate or with chocolate curls, if you like.

Chocolate Flourless Torte

If mousse vacationed in a Sicilian villa, this is how it would taste when it came back. Olive oil lends sultry silkiness and fruity complexity. The apricot and pine nut topping is a sun-soaked (but optional) delight.

Mediterranean Chocolate Mousse 

These brownies pack a coffee punch from coffee liqueuer (or strong brewed coffee) added to the batter as well as stirred into powdered sugar for drizzling on top. The final touch: a garnish of chopped chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Triple Coffee Brownies

Because this recipe makes so many cookies, you might want to freeze some dough for future use. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week. Or freeze in a freezer container for up to 6 months; thaw in refrigerator before use.

Chocolatey Shortbread Bites

Assemble this quick-and-easy dessert while your main dish cooks. Just before serving, toast the sweet sandwich until the chocolate filling is warm and gooey.

Chocolate Panini recipe

Drizzle this chocolate cupcake with Powdered Sugar Glaze and then rolled in chocolate shavings if you want it to look like ours. Or top the glaze with nuts, hard candies, chopped chocolate or colored sugar.

Ebony and Ivory Cupcakes

Say hello to your new sinfully rich dinner-party standby. (Bonus: It's gluten-free.)

Tiny Chocolate Torte with Salted Ganache

This moist and rich creation includes unsalted butter, eggs, cocoa powder, two kinds of sugar and buttermilk. Serve with whipped cream and berries, if you like, or your favorite flavor of ice cream. Or frost with desired cake frosting.

Heavenly Devil's Food Cake recipe

Wrapping the crepes into fruit-filled bundles means that you can assemble them ahead, store them in the fridge, and then zap them in the microwave before serving. (Plus, it's fun to cut in and see the ruby filling spill out.) But for a speedy and pretty variation, just fold the crepes into quarters and top with the cherries and ice cream.

Cherry Pie Crepes a La Mode

The Midwest Living Test Kitchen created this moist, rich, chocolatey cake with a "wow" frosting. We used buttermilk instead of milk for a pleasant tang, and we called for Dutch processed cocoa powder instead of regular cocoa powder for a richer, darker flavor. The frosting is based on extra creamy and buttery mascarpone cheese.

Dark Cocoa Buttermilk Cake with Mascarpone Frosting recipe

This delicious mousse is a snap to mix together. You can layer it over fresh fruit and top with your choice of miniature chocolate pieces, chocolate sprinkles or chocolate-covered espresso beans.

See Mocha Chocolate Mousse recipe

Coconut, pecans and caramel make a sweet sauce for an easy, one-layer twist on German chocolate cake.

Shortcut German Chocolate Cake

Fresh fruit tops crispy-chewy meringue and whipped cream in this luscious dessert traditionally served at summer celebrations in New Zealand and Australia.

Chocolate Pavlova

Seedless raspberry preserves and chopped toasted hazelnuts add a little crunch and sweet-sour pop to fudge brownies.

Raspberry-Hazelnut Swirl Brownies

Get more great Midwest Living ideas for dessert recipes by clicking or tapping any of the links below.