Celebrate Fourth of July With One of These Iconic Desserts From Every State by Amy Nash

Mary Ada Marshall making Smith Island Cakes in her home. She has a mail order business and has sent her cakes to Iraq, Washington State and many locations. She lobbied to make Smith Island Cake the official cake of Maryland | Location: Tylerton, Maryland, USA. (Getty)

Jul.1.2026

Dessert intersects with travel frequently.

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Similar to sampling alcoholic beverages, trying famous desserts is a hallmark for many travelers—especially those who consider themselves foodies.

Even those who don’t usually have a sweet tooth might be wooed by specialties like sorbet when the temperatures rise or regional must-tastes like Jordan’s knafeh, made from savory cheese and sweet syrups.

But what about back at home? When was the last time you tried a dessert that made your palate go wa-wa-wooey?

If you’re feeling a little stuck, here’s my suggestion: follow HouseofNashEats on Instagram or check out her blog’s 4^th of July page. Foody influencer Amy Nash has been counting down the days to America250 by celebrating each state’s most unique dessert as a lead-up to the big day.

With the Fourth of July almost here, it’s the perfect time to bust out your KitchenAid and surprise yourself with a dessert you haven’t heard of before.

Inside the Fourth of July recipes from Amy Nash

Homemade Gooey Butter Cake with Powdered Sugar (Getty)

I think you should follow Amy Nash to get inspired for your upcoming Fourth of July desserts—but the page linked above also lays out the basics of putting together a great barbecue. She’s got grilling tips, advice on lighting a charcoal grill, and recipes you might not have heard of before, like strawberry corn salad.

Now, back to desserts.

Amy Nash lays out how to make classics, like the Boston Cream Pie (chosen for Massachusetts) and cannoli (chosen for New Jersey). But there are tons of lesser-known dishes from lesser-visited states that are perfect to surprise your Fourth of July guests with.

Nash lays out how to make gooey butter cake, for example, a staple from Saint Louis, Missouri—my hometown. It’s a seriously delicious cake that outsiders don’t know about. Aside from gooey butter cake, Maryland’s Smith Island Cake has caught my attention, along with Rhode Island’s Fluffernutter cookies.

If you like to learn by watching, head to Nash’s Instagram page. If you prefer to look at a blog recipe, head to her blog. You can search for her Fourth of July desserts on her blog by typing the name of the dessert into the search bar.