Dessert Recipes

A light sponge cake rolled around sugared fresh strawberries and billowy whipped cream. Looks like it came from a French patisserie, but you made it in your own kitchen.

Paskha: the traditional Russian Easter cheesecake, an unbaked pyramid of sweetened farmer's cheese studded with candied fruit, raisins, and almonds, served with a madeira-rum lemon sauce. Orthodox Easter in every bite.

Lemon macaroon pie with coconut, fresh lemon juice, and almond extract in a from-scratch butter crust. Topped with vanilla whipped cream and lemon slices.

Frozen raspberry souffle with strained berry puree, framboise liqueur, and billowy whipped cream. Assembled tall in a collared dish so it rises above the rim like a baked souffle.

Flourless chocolate cake with a full pound of butter, 20 ounces of dark chocolate, 10 eggs, and Grand Marnier. Baked low and slow for 3 hours into pure fudge.

Lemon chiffon pie with a lemon-zest shortbread crust, cloud-light gelatin-set citrus filling, and a topping of fresh whipped cream. Bright, fluffy, refreshing.

Eggnog bread pudding baked in a water bath with cinnamon-raisin bread, brandy, nutmeg, and half-and-half, served with a cranberry-maple bourbon sauce. A festive holiday dessert.

Blueberry crumb cake squares from a jelly roll pan with a rich butter batter, a full quart of blueberries, and a cinnamon-nutmeg brown sugar crumb topping. Makes 24 generous squares.

Lemon sugar cookies with fresh lemon juice, rolled thin and cut into shapes for Christmas or any occasion. A buttery cutout cookie with bright citrus flavor.

Coconut cream pie doubles down with cream of coconut in the custard and toasted flaked coconut folded throughout, topped with a billowy meringue for that classic diner-style finish.

Passover apple cake made with matzo meal and potato starch instead of flour. A fluffy, flourless sponge layered with grated cinnamon apples and lemon.

Italian ricotta cheesecake lightened with whipped cream and beaten egg whites, scented with lemon and vanilla, baked over a buttered graham crumb dusting. Airy and light.

Cream cheese pinwheel cookies filled with cinnamon, sugar, and chopped pecans. A tender, flaky dough rolled jelly-roll style and sliced into swirled rounds.

Espresso cheesecake with a toasted hazelnut-cocoa crust, baked in a water bath for a silky, crack-free finish. Reduced espresso and Kahlua deliver bold coffee flavor in every bite.

Lemon mousse cake with a tender shortbread crust and a cloud-light citrus mousse stabilized with gelatin. A three-layer chilled dessert that slices clean and tastes like spring.

Polish butter cookies with hard-cooked egg yolks pressed through a sieve for an ultra-tender crumb. Almond and vanilla scented, cut into tiny hearts and stars.