Liam Chen

Liam Chen
Liam Chen
Bakery-Style Desserts & Copycat Bakes

Liam Chen, dessert and baking curator – cookies, bars, cakes and bakery-style copycats.

Profile:

Liam Chen's recipes are mostly sweet: soft muffins, buttery English muffins, Meyer lemon bars, coconut cream pie, chocolate chip zucchini muffins and copycat cookies with a gooey center. His largest group by far sits in Desserts, where trending bakery treats get rebuilt for a home oven with ingredients from an ordinary grocery store.

What sets his recipes apart is the attention to the small decisions behind a bake: why butter temperature changes a cookie's spread, how a shortbread base holds up under a curd filling, or when a cake is ready to be decorated with gold leaf. Quantities, pan sizes and timings are written out so you can follow along without guessing.

Outside of baking, he adds a smaller set of weeknight dinners, such as chicken piccata and teriyaki stir fry, plus crispy smashed potatoes and other sides, and a few high-protein ideas like cottage cheese flatbread. Browse his latest recipes below to find a bake for your next gathering or a cookie to try this weekend.

Latest recipes:

Zucchini Goat Cheese Tart with Puff Pastry

Zucchini Goat Cheese Tart

4.25 (8 Ratings)

Entertaining guests with a Zucchini Goat Cheese Tart is simple. A salt-cure ensures a crisp crust, detailed in the What Makes This So Good section.

Iron Skillet Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Iron Skillet Apple Pie

4.67 (6 Ratings)

Glass bakeware often leaves pie bottoms undercooked. This Iron Skillet Apple Pie solves that with high thermal mass; see why the pan works in our guide.

Pumpkin Dump Cake with Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin Dump Cake

4.33 (6 Ratings)

Looking for a simple Pumpkin Dump Cake? This recipe uses a creamy spiced base and includes the section What Makes This Work to explain the texture.

Coconut Lemon Bars with Shredded Coconut

Coconut Lemon Bars

4.67 (6 Ratings)

Ready in 55 minutes, these Coconut Lemon Bars balance toasted coconut with tart citrus. The section on making the bars ensures a firm, buttery set.

Strawberry Lemonade Bars with Fresh Strawberries

Strawberry Lemonade Bars

4.33 (6 Ratings)

Fresh strawberries, butter, and flour make these Strawberry Lemonade Bars. Includes an ingredient role table and takes 1h 10min total to prepare.

Guilt-Free No Bake Lemon Bars

No Bake Lemon Bars

4.75 (8 Ratings)

Looking for a way to make No Bake Lemon Bars? This recipe uses Greek yogurt for a firm set and includes a detailed ingredient breakdown and swaps.

Blueberry Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust

Blueberry Lemon Bars

5.00 (6 Ratings)

Home bakers wanting a zingy treat will love these Blueberry Lemon Bars. Our ingredient role table ensures a crisp base and tangy curd every single time.

Cranberry Lemon Bars: Tangy and Zesty

Cranberry Lemon Bars

4.71 (7 Ratings)

For dessert lovers, these Cranberry Lemon Bars feature a buttery shortbread crust with tart cranberry jam and zesty lemon curd.

Lemon Bars: Tart and Buttery

Lemon Bars for 16 Servings

4.33 (6 Ratings)

Soggy crusts often ruin home-baked squares. These Lemon Bars use a timed par bake to stay crisp, and the guide includes a section on solving common texture…

Homemade Easter Coconut Nest Cake

Easter Coconut Nest Cake

4.33 (6 Ratings)

Holiday cakes often turn out dry. This Easter Coconut Nest Cake uses coconut milk to stay moist and includes an ingredient role and substitute table.

Chewy Toasted Coconut Cookies: Nutty Crust

Chewy Toasted Coconut Cookies

4.40 (5 Ratings)

Nutty mahogany edges meet a soft center in these Chewy Toasted Coconut Cookies. See what each ingredient does to avoid a rubbery texture and start baking.

Ultra-Moist Cream of Coconut Cake

Cream of Coconut Cake

4.17 (6 Ratings)

Ready in 50 min, this Cream of Coconut Cake is rich and tropical. It includes an ingredient role guide to help you get a dense yet tender texture.

Homemade Coconut Cream Cake: Moist

Homemade Coconut Cream Cake

4.33 (6 Ratings)

Want a Homemade Coconut Cream Cake that stays moist? This version uses a condensed milk soak and includes a component purpose table for baking science.

Coconut Treat with Condensed Milk: Fudgy

Coconut Condensed Milk Treats

4.17 (6 Ratings)

Four Ingredient Coconut Treat with Condensed Milk is chewy and rich. It explains why this snack actually works for a better texture. Ready in 30 minutes.

Simple Coconut Pudding Recipe with Coconut Milk

Simple Coconut Pudding Recipe

4.57 (7 Ratings)

Home bakers looking for a treat will love this Simple Coconut Pudding Recipe. It features core recipe specs to ensure a shimmering, professional result.

Baked Classic Coconut Custard Pie

Classic Coconut Custard Pie

4.71 (7 Ratings)

Stovetop coconut pies are often runny. This Classic Coconut Custard Pie uses a baked technique for a firm set; see our guide for putting the pie together.