This great recipe from Philadelphia’s Moonstruck restaurant showcases the bite-size coconut cream balls rolled in cinnamon, sugar, and cocoa. Get the recipe for Chocolate Coconut Balls »

Kamut, a strain of wheat that is one of a growing number of alternative grains, makes these cookies extra tender and crumbly. Baker Chad Robertson of Tartine notes to be sure to score the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven; they will be too fragile to cut once cooled. Get the recipe for Shortbread Cookies »

Pecan Squares

Fudgy brownies make an ideal base for a decadent ice cream sundae.

Instant espresso powder and chocolate-covered espresso beans gives SAVEUR staffer Krystal Stone’s iced brownies a concentrated flavor and a zingy, caffeinated boost. See the recipe for Krystal’s Espresso Brownies

A version of this recipe accompanied an interview with the actress Katharine Hepburn in the August 1975 issue of The Ladies’ Home Journal. This brownie recipe, which calls for the smallest amount of flour, produces incredibly chewy bars with a full but mellow chocolate flavor. Get the recipe for Katharine Hepburn’s Brownies »

Two layers of golden sponge cake sandwiching thick custard, all topped with a glossy layer of chocolate. Boston Cream Pie

Photo: Paul Sirisalee • Food Styling: Eugene Jho

The recipe for this butter cake draped in caramel fudge icing is based on a cake originally made by Louise Hodges, a home cook from Carmack, Mississippi.

The key to making this cake’s rich icing is to stir it vigorously once it has cooled to the proper temperature.

This striking Southern dessert, with its three rose-water infused layers and Italian meringue frosting studded with pecans, raisins, dried figs, and candied orange peel, seems born for elegant tea parties.

A hint of rosewater adds sweet, floral aroma to this moist, dense semolina cake, packed with four types of coconut. Refrigerating overnight gives the semolina time to soak up the sweet coconut liquid, resulting in a softer, more tender crumb. Get the recipe for Goan Coconut Cake (Baath) »

Though cream cheese frosting is typically used nowadays on red velvet cake, classic whipped cream frosting makes for a more balanced sweetness.

Adapted from Robbin Gourley’s Cakewalk (Doubleday, 1994), this time-tested recipe for moist chocolate layer cake has a velvety crumb and rich chocolate icing—the perfect birthday treat for your favorite chocolate-lover. Get the recipe for Very Moist Chocolate Layer Cake »

Classic Smith Island Cake