They all claim to be the best, so I put them all to the test.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
You know how recipes are always calling themselves the best?
We wanted to put them to the test.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
After baking all 12 and picking our favorite, I was hooked.
Six years later, Ive tested more than 640 recipes across more than 70 bake offs.
The process for each bake off is no small feat.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
A higher oven temperature can mean the difference between a gooey-centered cookie vs. an evenly baked cookie.
And addingheavy cream to cinnamon rollsis the key to gooey-bottomed rolls.
I’ve learned so much along the way.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
Now when I bake, there are certain recipes I return to again and again.
Most of them are surprisingly simple yet incredibly delicious.
Here are 10 of my absolute favorite recipes Ive discovered through my bake offs!
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
Bravetarts Lofthouse Copycat Cookies
Stella Parks dupe of the popular frosted grocery store cookies is absolutely genius.
The filling is just lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk.
(I omit the zest because I dont prefer the texture.)
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
The crust is equally simplejust graham crackers, sugar, and butter.
The slices are delicate with a balanced citrus flavor that I find utterly addicting.
A generous amount of sugar, oil, and eggs makes for an incredibly moist but not greasy cake.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
Topped with a sugary cream cheese buttercream, this cake is so good that it inspiredthis cakefor Southern Living.
But I was delighted when it took second place!
Moniques recipe proves that simple can be outstanding with just eight ingredients.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
The only slightly tricky part is beating the egg whites until stiff and folding them into the batter.
This is the most moist, flavorful yellow cake Ive ever made!
Dutch-process cocoa powder ensures the cookies are deeply dark and chocolatey.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
Its easy to mix entirely by hand!
The oil-based cake is the most perfect moist and plush version of red velvet cake that Ive tried.
Cooks Illustrated Lemon Bars
These lemon bars are so simplejust five basic ingredients (plus vanilla and salt).
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
The shortbread-y crust is the perfect foil for the intensely lemony, just sweet enough lemon curd.
Sarah Kieffer Cinnamon Rolls
This is perhaps the crown jewel of my bake off finds.
If Im trying to impress someone, I can always turn to these rolls.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
I havent found a more pillowy or plush dough than Sarahs.
Enriched with eggs, honey, and lots of butter, the dough is quite sticky.
The Pancake Princess / Erika Kwee
