10,000 desert recipes

Decadent fudge pie with amaretti cookie crust and rich chocolate filling spiked with amaretto. Dense, brownie-like texture with a boozy almond edge.

Lighter cheesecake made with Neufchatel and blended cottage cheese for a tangy, creamy filling with less fat than classic versions. Graham cracker dusted pan, no crust fuss.

Louisiana banana cake with mashed bananas in a buttermilk batter, topped with sliced fresh bananas and a broiled coconut-brown sugar topping. A Southern sheet cake served warm.

Chocolate toffee icebox cake layers crisp chocolate wafers with vanilla pudding cream and crunchy Heath bar bits. A no-bake make-ahead dessert that slices into striking dark and creamy ribbons.

Luscious caramel banana pie layers oven-caramelized sweetened condensed milk over fresh banana slices in a graham crust, finished with whipped cream and crumbled toffee. Banoffee-style without the stovetop work.

Lemon cheesecake with vanilla sugar, fresh lemon zest, and a graham cracker crust. Light and airy from folded egg whites, finished with a sour cream topping.

Buttermilk chocolate cake made with real unsweetened chocolate and topped with a from-scratch dark chocolate frosting. A rich, tender two-layer cake with deep cocoa flavor.

Blue ribbon cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, rich orange-scented cream cheese filling, and a final flourish of fresh orange zest. A short-bake cheesecake with the texture of mousse.

Vermont apple pie with layered tart apples, gingersnap-crumb streusel, crunchy walnuts, and a final pour of pure maple syrup. A New England-style heritage pie with deep fall flavors.

Raisin crumb pie layers plump raisins under a cakey batter and a buttery crumb topping in a flaky crust. A heritage Pennsylvania Dutch-style dessert that makes two pies at once.

This is one of the hottest recipes in New York right now. It was on the menu at Le Caprice and also at the buzzing new gastropub The Breslin. Now that strawberry season is almost over you can substitute raspberries with equally outstanding results.

A showstopper Boston cream pie with four layers of airy genoise, white chocolate pastry cream between each layer, a glossy dark chocolate ganache coating, and fresh raspberries on top. Patisserie-level dessert.

Pineapple upside-down cake with a butterscotch brown sugar base, pineapple rings, and maraschino cherries baked in a round pan. Served warm with whipped cream.

Saucy chocolate cake that creates its own hot fudge sauce as it bakes. Cocoa batter topped with brown sugar and boiling water transforms into cake over a pool of warm chocolate pudding.

Whole Bartlett pears cored and filled with currant jelly, wrapped in golden puff pastry and baked, served pooled in Calvados caramel sauce. A bakery-window dessert that looks impossible but isn't.

Tortilla chip wreath: a salty-sweet holiday candy wreath of vanilla-coated tortilla chips arranged in a circle and decorated with gumdrops. A no-bake Christmas dessert kids can help with.