10,000 desert recipes

Little plum cakes packed with currants and raisins, lemon zest, and nutmeg in a rich butter batter. A traditional English drop cake baked at high heat for golden, fruit-studded bites.

No-bake jellied cheesecake with cottage cheese, crushed pineapple, whipped cream, and crystallized ginger on a graham cracker crust. A light, airy refrigerator dessert.

Espresso nut cookies with a slice-and-bake shortcut. Buttery dough loaded with real espresso and chopped pecans or walnuts, chilled and sliced thin for crisp, coffee-scented edges.

Pecan macaroons with oat bran, amaretto, and almond extract folded into stiff meringue and baked until golden. Naturally gluten-free cookies with crispy edges and a chewy center.

An elegant German zucchini cake with coconut, candied cherries, rum, and lemon, lightened with whipped egg whites and finished in a glossy chocolate glaze. Baked in a traditional Rehruecken mold for a stunning presentation.

Orange liqueur cake with chopped dates, pecans, and buttermilk batter, soaked in a Grand Marnier orange syrup. The fruitcake alternative for people who claim to hate fruitcake.

Lemon butter layer cake baked in a tube pan, sliced into four layers filled with lemon cream and topped with caramelized nut crunch. A three-component vintage dessert with big citrus flavor.

Low-fat cherry-almond biscotti with dried cherries, chopped almonds, and almond extract. No butter or oil needed in this crispy, twice-baked Italian cookie for dipping.

Four-ingredient peanut butter shortbread with butter, sugar, peanut butter, and flour pressed into a pan and baked low and slow. Sandy, crumbly, and nutty with no mixer or rolling required.

Orange custard cookies are mini tartlets with buttery shortbread shells filled with an almond-orange flower water custard, baked in muffin tins. Two dozen elegant bite-sized desserts with a Mediterranean fragrance.

A tender blueberry cake with a honeyed graham cracker crumb that sets it apart from ordinary berry cakes. Baked in a springform pan and topped with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Light peach Bavarian cream dessert made with pureed peaches, peach yogurt, whipped egg whites, and real cream set with gelatin for an airy, no-bake treat.

Shrewsbury cakes, a traditional English rolled cookie with ginger, citrus rind, and caraway seeds. Crisp, lightly spiced, and chilled overnight before baking.

Old-fashioned lemon-nut coffee cake with a buttery crumb topping, walnuts, and lemon zest in a buttermilk batter. A quick one-pan breakfast cake best served warm.

Velvet cake is a flourless-style chocolate showpiece pooled over white chocolate and raspberry sauces. Dense, fudgy, and made with just six ingredients in the cake itself, it slices like a torte and tastes like ganache.

Silky Middle Eastern milk pudding with slivered almonds, cardamom, and saffron. Elegant chilled dessert (firnee) garnished with bright green pistachios.