Dessert recipe collection

Banana cake sweetened with fruit sweetener instead of refined sugar, with sour cream, chopped nuts, and optional coconut. A naturally sweetened banana cake that bakes in 25 minutes.

Two-layer banana cake with pecans and buttermilk, filled and frosted with chocolate whipped cream and fresh banana slices. A showstopper that pairs ripe banana with rich chocolate mousse.

Soft banana cookies with brown butter penuche frosting: mashed ripe bananas in a cake-like dough, topped with a boiled brown sugar icing that hardens into a shiny, fudgy shell.

Lighter chocolate banana fudge cake made with whole wheat flour, mashed bananas, and egg whites instead of butter and yolks. Topped with a glossy cocoa glaze and chopped walnuts. Rich without the heaviness.

Banana ginger cake with 2 teaspoons of ground ginger baked in a 9-inch square pan, topped with spiced whipped cream. A lighter snack cake using margarine and skim milk.

Banana layer cake stacks two tender 8-inch rounds and slathers them in a real banana frosting brightened with lemon juice. Twice the banana, twice the reason to skip the boxed mix.

Soft banana oatmeal cookies packed with walnuts, warm spices, and a tangy mashed-banana frosting. Old-fashioned cookies with a fruity lemon-bright finish.

Lower-fat banana cake with pureed prunes replacing most of the butter, nonfat vanilla yogurt, and egg whites. A moist sheet cake that cuts the fat without losing flavor.

Banana split squares with Oreo crust, layered vanilla and strawberry ice cream, bananas, and homemade fudge sauce. No-bake make-ahead frozen dessert for a crowd.

Banana walnut snack cake starts with a cake mix and adds mashed banana, buttermilk, and chopped walnuts. A quick semi-homemade cake that tastes like banana bread.

Banana cream cake with a three-layer sponge cake filled with vanilla pudding and sliced bananas, frosted with sweetened whipped cream, and topped with toasted coconut.

Baked bananas and pancakes with quartered bananas, beer-batter pancakes, Calvados or Grand Marnier, orange juice, and molasses. A British-style pudding-dessert that's part crepe, part bananas Foster.

Classic Bananas Flambees bakes caramelized bananas in butter and sugar, then ignites warm rum poured over top for a dramatic finish. Just 4 ingredients and one rule: everything must be warm.

Easy one-bowl apple brunch cake with cinnamon, brown sugar, and loads of diced apples stirred right into the batter. A dense, moist cake that comes together with minimal effort and no mixer needed.

Basic butter cookies with just 5 ingredients: flour, cornstarch, powdered sugar, butter, and walnuts. Melt-in-your-mouth shortbread-style cookies baked low and slow.

A flexible basic vanilla cake template using cake flour, sugar, baking powder, eggs, and your choice of mix-ins. The starting point for chocolate chip, fruit, or layer cakes.