From pound cake to ice cream and cherry pie, dessert is one of the staples of American dinner tables everywhere. There are many reasons to break out sweet, chocolatey, unique, and delightful desserts no matter how old you are, and by the time you’ve reached your twilight years, you don’t need a reason at all to pamper yourself to the fullest!
As much as we all love dessert, everyone has their favorites (and least favorites), age-old go-to’s, and secret family recipes passed down through generations. Plus, many places throughout the US are known for their iconic flavors, like the Boston Cream Pie in Massachusetts and fresh peaches in Georgia. This got us wondering — do people in different regions of the country have a favorite type of dessert? Coventry Direct looked at Google Trends data to uncover which dessert is the most popular in every US state. Below are our results!
Methodology
Using a list of 40 popular desserts, we explored Google search trends over the last 12 months for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. We determined clear winners for the most popular dessert in each state, the most popular dessert overall, and how many states searched for that dessert the most.
The Most Popular Dessert in Every US State
Every state has its own state tree, flower, or other distinguishing feature (like a state bird or type of fruit, nut, and so on). There’s a lot to be said for what makes each state unique, including the preferred and most enjoyed type of dessert. Taking a closer look at Google Trends data, we were surprised to see what people think! For example, the Texas sheet cake is popular in a number of states yet doesn’t, well, take the cake in Texas. And in Michigan, home to America’s tart cherries and cherry pies, the most popular dessert is actually carrot cake.
So what are some other trends and favorites that emerge as we go state-by-state, from sea to shining sea? Along the east coast, the tart Key lime pie is the most popular dessert in Florida, the only state to give this juicy custard pie the blue ribbon. Unsurprisingly, peach cobbler appears as the most popular dessert in Georgia.
Moving up the map, Virginia might be for lovers, but clearly, it’s also a place where people enjoy funnel cakes. In nearby Maryland, the funnel cake is also the most popular dessert. Moving north, we see classic sweets such as ice cream in Pennsylvania, donuts in Rhode Island, and the always elegant black and white cookies take first place in New York.
Heading into the midwest, people’s tastes begin to overlap. The Texas sheet cake is the most popular dessert in Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, and Kansas. In Illinois, people go for the cold and frosty bowl of ice cream, while in Nebraska, it’s the decadent and chocolatey brownie. In Kentucky, a state known for its horse racing and world-class bourbon, fudge takes gold for people’s favorite dessert according to Google Trends.
Finally, the top desserts along the west coast include things like ice cream in California, carrot cake in Washington, and carrot cake also in Oregon. Unique and truly delicious, the most popular dessert in Alaska is, unsurprisingly, baked Alaska, which is a combination of layered ice cream and cake topped with browned meringue.
The Most Popular Dessert Overall
It was a close race, but ice cream is the most popular dessert in the US, searched the most on Google in five states total. In a tie for second place — jello and Texas sheet cake both claim four states to their names.
Other notable popular sweets include brownies (in 3 states), carrot cake (3), funnel cake (3), and pecan pie (3). While it’s no surprise that a less mainstream dessert like icebox cake should fall outside of the top ten, we were surprised to see chocolate chip cookies so far down on the list. To be fair, chocolate chip cookies also double as a snack and are often served alongside ice cream for dessert as part of a sweet and crunchy dynamic duo.
Final Thoughts
So what’s your favorite treat when it comes time for dessert? Does your dessert of choice line up with the state you’re living in? From the traditional to the more unique sweets, it’s clear that people across the US love desserts of all kinds. And while you never really outgrow an appreciation for delightful desserts, you or someone you love may have outgrown the usefulness of a life insurance policy. Contact us at Coventry Direct to see if you qualify to sell your policy today!