40 leaven recipes

Aunt E.C.'s pound cake is a true four-ingredient pound cake: butter, sugar, eggs, flour. No leavener, no liquid, no flavorings, just pure creaming-method magic baked in a tube pan to a tall, golden, tender cake.

Old-fashioned chocolate layer cake leavened with both yeast and baking powder, plus stiffly whipped egg whites folded in for an unusually tall, tender, almost spongy crumb. Made with unsweetened chocolate and cake flour.

Irish buttermilk bannock studded with raisins, leavened with baking soda and baking powder. A no-yeast soda bread with a tender crumb and traditional cross-scored top.

Maryland beaten biscuits, the old Chesapeake tradition: a stiff flour-and-lard dough beaten with a mallet until it blisters, then baked into hard, crisp, cracker-like biscuits. No leavening, just elbow grease.

Old-fashioned pound cake with a full pound of real butter, eight eggs, and no leavening. Baked low and slow for a dense, velvety crumb with deep buttery flavor.

French genoise sponge cake soaked with Amaretto and filled with whipped chocolate ganache. A light, egg-leavened cake with lemon zest and an overnight chocolate cream.

Irish yogurt bread with currants and caraway seeds, leavened with baking soda and powder, bound by plain yogurt and eggs. A traditional Irish quick bread, no kneading or proofing required.

Cloud-light chocolate angel food cake that's fat-free and cholesterol-free, leavened entirely by whipped egg whites and flavored with cocoa. An airy, guilt-light dessert with deep chocolate flavor.

Vinegar cake is an old-fashioned chocolate layer cake leavened with baking soda and vinegar instead of baking powder. Sour milk and unsweetened chocolate create a moist, tangy, deeply chocolatey crumb.

Five-ingredient pound cake with seven eggs, butter-flavored shortening, and no leavener. Baked low and slow in a tube pan for an ultra-dense, velvety crumb with a golden crust.

Egg-free and dairy-free orange muffins made with tofu, fresh orange zest, and juice. Light, citrusy, and vegan-friendly with a tender crumb from the cream of tartar and baking soda leavening.

Emily's white cake is a tender, snow-white shortening-based layer cake from the early 1900s, leavened with stiff egg whites for fluff. The dairy-free vintage classic for birthdays and baptisms.

Loaf leavened with yeast. Requires a bread machine. Here's one of my favorite breads to make. The trick here is to use stone ground cornmeal, not the powdered/bleached variety. It gives the bread a great flavor, and a really nice coarse texture. The combination of ingredients give it a very different flavor than standard banana/nut or pan-baked corn bread.

Perfect for Autumn, rich pecans, pumpkin and nutmeg, a match made in heaven.

Seventh heaven of taste, aroma and sight. Thanks, I could try it.. thumb up!

A few healthy twists make these peanut butter chocolate chip cookies still taste heavenly delicious, but much better for you.