Creamy pavlova, lemon pie, and 38 more sweet recipes sans the cocoa-bean confection.
Napoleons
This classic French pastry, whose name means thousand leaves (for its delicate multiple layers), is known as the napoleon. The name is probably a reference not to the diminutive Corsican emperor, but to the multilayered confections of Naples.
Rose’s Famous Caramel Cake
This buttery cake slathered with rich caramel icing has earned local fame on Chicago’s South Side—it’s one of our favorites to make for special occasions.
Baked Alaska
Baked Alaska first made its way into print in Fannie Farmer’s 1896_ Boston Cooking-School Cook Book,_ but the idea of baking ice cream inside cake and meringue had been around for much of the century. The way was paved in the early 1800s by that genius of thermodynamics Benjamin Thompson, with his work on the resistance of egg whites to heat.
Literally named “crunch in the mouth,” croquembouche is an edible monument of caramelized pastry.
Huckleberry Crisps
This dessert can be made with either fresh or frozen huckleberries or blueberries.
Pavlova
Few desserts are as pretty and as easy to make as this meringue-and-fruit confection, named after Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.
Shortbread Cookies (Punitions)
Traditional French shortbread cookies taste best using a good salted butter with a high butterfat content, such as Kerrygold.
Pok Pok
Chef Pichet Ong, of Spot Dessert Bar in New York City, gave us this recipe for pok pok, an ice cream sandwich based on those he ate as a child in Bangkok. See the recipe for Pok Pok »
Strawberry Cake
Strawberry cake, topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting, is a favorite soul food dessert; this delicious version comes from Bertha’s Kitchen.
A back-of-the-box recipe for lemon icebox pie gets a gourmet upgrade with real whipped cream, lemon simple syrup, vanilla shortbread, and homemade candied lemon peel scattered over the top—it’s a lovely dessert for a special occasion.
Vanilla-Scented Quince and Pear Pie
This sweet, tart fruit pie is a beautiful showcase for the flavors of fall and winter. It’s great on a holiday table, and is at its best when served alongside a plate of cheese: the rich quince flavor balances beautifully with a wedge of funky, crumbly blue beside it on the plate.
Caramel Pretzel Bars
Buttery shortbread meets gooey caramel meets salty pretzels in cookie bar form. We love that the caramel calls for sugar, honey, and maple syrup; it creates a multifaceted sweetness that pairs beautifully with the pretzel’s salt.
Named for its light, fluffy texture and ethereal, pale crumb, angel food cake is the perfect base for a whipped cream and syrupy fruit topping.
Classic Bananas Foster
This boozy, buttery concoction of caramelized bananas flambéed in rum sauce is a dining-out classic invented at legendary New Orleans restaurant, Brennan’s.
Glazed Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
Dough studded with dried cranberries and a drizzle of sweet, cinnamon-spiced glaze take oatmeal cookies from ordinary to perfect.
Steep it for Killer Custard and Ice Cream
Often used in southeast Asian curries and Indian rice dishes, pandan leaf lends a subtly exotic savory note to this coconut ice cream.
8 Great Pie Tips
A few essential techniques will help you achieve rich, flaky crusts and perfect fillings. Briefly cooking fruit fillings will concentrate their flavors and prevent soggy crusts, while using butter with a high fat percentage ensures flakiness. **Get more tips for perfect pies »**
Lime Bars
A light dusting of confectioners’ sugar tempers the intense lime pucker of these creamy bars.
Thomas Keller’s Coconut Cake
Thick Italian meringue is sandwiched between moist layers of cake, which is topped off with sweetened shredded coconut in this recipe from chef Thomas Keller.
