32 Spiced Fall Desserts To Get You In the Spirit

By

Kaitlyn Yarborough

Updated on September 4, 2024

Southern Living Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie — Photo:
Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Nothing gets us into the autumn spirit like the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and pumpkin spice in the air, particularly when it's wafting out of our ovens. When the coziest season hits, there is no better way to celebrate than with a fantastic fall baking list that includes spice cakes, pumpkin pies, and all the apple treats we can find.

Whether you start with apple, pumpkin, spiced pecan, or cinnamon, you're guaranteed to get the good autumn feels going. Get the very best of fall flavor with these spiced fall desserts featuring our favorite cakes, cobblers, cookies, pies, and sweet breads of the season.

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Pumpkin Poke Cake

Southern Living Pumpkin Poke Cake in the dish to serve with pieces cut out — Jessica Furniss

Made with just six ingredients (and your choice of toppings), this super-easy dessert is make-ahead and great for a crowd.

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Southern Living Pumpkin Whoopie Pies on a black platter — Photography: Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Pumpkin pie spice flavors these adorable hand-held treats filled with cream cheese frosting.

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Apple Turnovers

Southern Living Apple Turnovers ready to serve on plates — Jessica Furniss

Make the breakfast (or dessert) of everyone's dreams with these flaky pastries filled with cinnamon-spiced apples.

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Sweet Potato Bundt Cake

a recipe photo of the Sweet Potato Bundt Cake served on a dish — Ali Redmond

Sweet potatoes keep this cake nice and moist while adding a rich orange hue and subtle, earthy flavor.

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Apple Butter Cobbler With Drop Biscuits

Apple Butter Cobbler with Drop Biscuits — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

The secret to this gooey fall cobbler is spiced apple butter made in your slow cooker. Make an extra large batch to use in a slew of fun autumn treats. The best part about using biscuits is you can worry less about the presentation and more about enjoying your apple dessert.

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Ginger Cemetery Cookies

ginger cemetery cookies - Southern Living — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

These cookies might seem a little plain, but looks are deceiving. Each crisp bite is full of fall flavor thanks to molasses, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.

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Apples Foster With Easy Granola

Southern Living Apples Foster with Easy Granola in a bowl to serve with ice cream — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

You've heard of Bananas Foster—give it a fall twist with apples and warming cinnamon and cardamom,

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Southern Living Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls on plates to serve — Caitlin Bensel, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves—and canned pumpkin—spice up your usual cinnamon rolls.

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Spiced Pecan Pie Bars

Spiced Pecan Pie Bars — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Anything that makes pecan pie portable is right up our alley, especially this recipe that gets an extra kick of fall flavor from cinnamon and ginger. Enjoy the flavors of pecan pie with only 10 minutes of hands-on time. Complete this autumn dish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce.

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Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes — Photographer: Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Erin Merhar; Prop Stylist: Prissy Lee

These cute miniature cheesecakes are like autumn in a bite, featuring a spiced pumpkin filling and sweet maple whipped cream topping. Make these delicious treats up to two days before your party and store them in an airtight container. Save the whipped topping for the day of your event and watch as your guests fall in love with these creamy cheesecakes with a salty, crunchy crust.

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Apple Dumplings

Southern Living Apple Dumplings on a plate to serve topped with whipped cream — Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

Perhaps one of the homiest fall desserts ever, these fruit-filled dumplings are simply spiced with cinnamon to let the apples shine.

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Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Cinnamon Coffee Cake — Antonis Achilleos

You can't beat this classic Bundt with a warm cinnamon ripple and sweet streusel topping. The tangy sour cream cake batter surrounds a ribbon of sugary crunch. With only 30 minutes of hands-on time, this cake recipe is one you'll want to remember.

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Pumpkin Dump Cake

Pumpkin Dump Cake — Micah A. Leal

Thanks to the ease and quick prep time, everyone loves a dump cake. Just mix, dump, and bake—and you're set with a crowd-pleasing pumpkin dessert just waiting for a scoop of ice cream. Ten minutes of hands-on time, and you have a classic fall treat.

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Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread — Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Cindy Barr; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer

Crunchy, caramelized cinnamon sugar crust is all you need for a perfect fall bread. This pull-apart version is excellent for breakfast or as a dessert. Plus, it's always a bonus when you don't need to be exact about your layout or presentation because, in the end, it's the taste that counts.

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Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Cookies — Micah A. Leal

Everyone's favorite fall coffee order in easy drop cookie form. What could go wrong? It's a fall version of the classic snickerdoodle, with a buttery and sugary crunch.

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Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie

Southern Living Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie ready to serve with cups of coffee on the side — Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

Tender, spiced apples are topped with a layer of sliced cinnamon rolls, that's wrapped in a flaky pie crust. It's the ultimate fall dessert.

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Apple Muffins

Apple Muffins — Stephen Devries; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

If you're looking for a basic but delicious apple muffin (and lots of tips on how to make them), be sure to bookmark this recipe.

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Molasses Crinkles

Molasses Crinkles Recipe — Hector Manuel Sanchez

These old-school spice cookies will see you from autumn through the holiday season. Molasses lends the perfect amount of dark sweetness and pairs well with ginger. Provide at least two hours to chill the dough before rolling balls in sugar and then place them on cookie sheets.

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Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

Slow-Cooker Apple Butter — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

We thought we might as well showcase the key ingredient to almost all of our apple butter-infused dessert recipes: this slow-cooker apple butter made only with apples, sugar, and three spices you'll already have on hand. Serve it over hot split biscuits or fluffy pancakes. Or, make a large batch at the beginning of the season and save it for all your favorite fall desserts.

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Apple Butter Pound Cake With Caramel Frosting

Apple Butter Pound Cake with Caramel Frosting — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Expect one of the best bites of the season when you reach the apple butter-pecan ripple in the center of this Bundt cake. This cake, topped with rich caramel frosting and crispy apple chips for extra flair, has everything you want in a fall dessert. Make an extra jar of caramel frosting for the scoop of ice cream to pair with this treat.

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Fresh Apple Cake

Southern Living - Fresh Apple Cake — Hannah Zimmerman

This recipe has been a reader favorite since it was introduced in 2001. With a cinnamon-spiked batter studded with apples and nuts, it's easy to see why. The cream cheese frosting adds the perfect layer of tang to these fall flavors.

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Persimmon Cake

Persimmon Cake — Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Emily Hall; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

Persimmons have a mild, slightly sweet flavor with a pudding-like flesh. The pulp helps create a moist cake, while cinnamon gives it spice.

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Apple Fritters

Southern Living Apple Fritters on a platter to serve with extra cinnamon sugar. — Morgan Hunt Glaze, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster

A tray of these irresistible fall treats won't stick around long. Use Granny Smith apples for their tartness, which complements the cinnamon-sugar coating. Serve them warm with your favorite hot drink.

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Fried Apple Pies

Fried Apple Pies on a wire rack — Victor Protasio; Food Stylist: Karen Ranking; Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless

One bite of these fruit-filled pockets reveals warm apples spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon. Toss warm pies in cinnamon-sugar before serving.

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Classic Monkey Bread

Southern Living Classic Monkey Bread on a plate to serve — Stacy K. Allen; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Serve this warm, pull-apart bread as dessert or breakfast. Start with refrigerated cinnamon rolls, and add pumpkin pie spice and pecans for a deliciously fall-inspired treat.

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Pumpkin-Pecan Coffee Cake

Pumpkin-Pecan Coffee Cake — Photographer Victor Protasio, Food Stylist Ruth Blackburn, Prop Stylist Christine Keely

Put on the coffee pot. This fall-flavored coffee cake is similar to pumpkin bread. Topped with spiced streusel, it's a comforting way to start or end the day.

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Apple Pie Cake

Apple Pie Cake - Southern Living — Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners

The flavors you love in apple pie transform a comforting fall cake that's easy to make using a white cake mix. Beating the cake batter with a mixer helps keep the sliced apples and pecan streusel from sinking to the bottom of the batter.

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Pumpkin Pound Cake

pumpkin pound cake - Southern Living — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen; Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey

Celebrate fall with a beautiful pumpkin Bundt cake. Drizzle maple-butter glaze over the top of the cooled cake for just-right sweetness, or use one of the recipe's variations, such as brown sugar icing or caramel frosting.

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Apple-Cinnamon Budino

Southern Living Apple-Cinnamon Budino in glasses to serve topped with whipped cream and apple slices — Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

Fall dinner menus deserve this simple yet elegant dessert. Budino is an Italian custard, and this one is topped with spiced butterscotch made with reduced apple cider.

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Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake

Pumpkin Spice-Heath Cake — Alison Miksch

End a casual fall gathering with a sweet send-off. Boxed spice cake mix is the secret to a quick and delicious autumn dessert. Garnish the cream cheese frosting with chopped Heath bars for a pretty—and tasty—presentation.

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Pumpkin Bars

southern living pumpkin bars — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

For potlucks, game days, or autumn dinners, spiced pumpkin bars deliver. Top the pumpkin cake layer with cream cheese frosting and candied pumpkin seeds. Grab one before they're gone.

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Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Salted Butter-Pecan Shortbread Cookies — Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Spend a few minutes making the shortbread dough, and you'll have a seasonal sweet at a moment's notice. Chill logs of dough up to two days in advance, then slice and bake.

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