Dessert Recipes

This is the second recipe I'll post tonight--promised it to AH earlier tonight. My mother found this recipe 35 or so years ago in a magazine and it has become a family favorite. For years she only made it at Thanksgiving until I took over the baking reigns in the family; now she makes it more often especially when my brother, Lewis, is going to be in.

Rich chocolate bundt cake packed with chocolate chips, pecans, and sour cream, soaked in butterscotch cream and topped with whipped cream and crushed Heath bar. Triple-threat decadence.

Double fudge Kahlua brownies with unsweetened chocolate, butter, a kick of black pepper, and a generous splash of coffee liqueur. Adult brownies with a fudgy crumb and grown-up depth.

Lemon queen cake is a four-layer white cake with lemon curd filling, lemon-butter frosting, and lemon-tossed coconut pressed into the sides. A stunning Southern celebration cake.

Kris Kringle no-bake bars layer crisp rice cereal with peanut butter and corn syrup, topped with melted chocolate and butterscotch chips. Six ingredients, 30 minutes, no oven needed.

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.

Cowboy cookies (hundred cookies) loaded with crisp rice cereal, oats, coconut, and nuts in a chewy brown sugar dough. The classic everything-cookie that bakes 100 to a batch for cookie tin gifting.

Bourbon-soaked raisin and pecan tube cake with a tender buttermilk crumb and warm nutmeg spice. A boozy Southern-style pound cake finished with a brown sugar drizzle.

A flourless chocolate mousse cake with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, served with fresh raspberries and mascarpone. Just 6 ingredients and no flour needed for this elegant dessert.

Wheat-free Italian cream cake made with rice flour and buckwheat flour, loaded with coconut and nuts, topped with honey cream cheese frosting. A naturally sweetened, gluten-friendly Southern showstopper.

First-rate carrot cake folds shredded carrots, crushed pineapple, coconut, and walnuts into a moist buttermilk batter. Topped with orange-spiked cream cheese frosting for the ultimate spring dessert.

Triple chocolate cheesecake with three distinct stripes of milk, white, and bittersweet chocolate over a chocolate wafer crust. Topped with a glossy ganache glaze and toasted almonds. A water-bath bake gives it that crack-free, silky texture.

Southern sweet potato pie with evaporated milk, nutmeg, and lemon extract in a deep-dish crust. A silky, custard-style filling made from mashed sweet potatoes that yields two full pies from one batch.

Lazy Daisy oatmeal cake with rolled oats soaked in boiling water for a moist crumb, topped with a broiled brown sugar, coconut, and nut frosting that bubbles up caramel-golden. A beloved American classic.

Soft-baked bars with apples, cranberries, and nuts baked into orange-scented batter, then frosted with tangy orange cream cheese icing. Perfect for holiday cookie trays.

Three-layer butternut cake with tangy cream cheese frosting and chopped nuts. Rich buttermilk batter laced with butternut flavoring bakes up tender and moist, then gets slathered in a thick, nutty frosting that'll have folks lining up for seconds.