Dessert Recipes

Sweet potato pie with mashed yams, cream, vanilla, and a bright squeeze of lemon. The Southern Sunday-supper dessert that splits the difference between custard pie and pumpkin.

Nana Keele's carrot cake with crushed pineapple, cinnamon, and nuts, topped with a hot buttermilk syrup that soaks right into the warm cake. A family heirloom recipe.

Emma Lynn's pound cake with heavy cream, six eggs, and cake flour baked in a tube pan. No leavening needed. A classic Southern-style pound cake with a tight, buttery crumb.

Pumpkin cheese tart with a gingersnap-oat crust and a marbled cream cheese-pumpkin filling, finished with warm caramel sauce. A lighter take on pumpkin pie that actually holds its own on the holiday table.

Fresh peach pie with a creamy cream cheese and sour cream custard filling, sprinkled with cinnamon. A Southern summer pie that elevates ripe peaches with a tangy cheesecake-style base.

Kentucky Derby-style chocolate walnut bourbon pie with a deep molasses backbone. The Run for the Roses pie has 3 tablespoons of bourbon, two cups of walnuts, and chocolate chips in a sweet syrup base.

Buttermilk orange tube cake studded with pecans and soaked while warm in a hot rum-orange-lemon syrup. A boozy, citrus-forward bundt with a moist, melt-in-the-mouth crumb.

Fudge truffle cheesecake bakes a chocolate cookie crust under a dense cream cheese filling laced with 8 ounces of melted semi-sweet chocolate. Rich, fudgy, no flour, no fuss.

Mulled summer fruits in Chenin Blanc, a make-ahead dessert of peaches, berries, and apricots soaked in spiced white wine syrup. Served chilled with sorbet or whipped cream.

Chilled strawberry dessert soup made with puréed fresh berries, heavy cream, milk, and a splash of crème de cassis. No cooking required. Elegant and refreshing.

No-bake chocolate cream cake layered with chocolate wafer cookies, vanilla whipped cream, and fresh strawberries. Refrigerate 8 hours and the cookies soften into cake-like layers.

A fat-free chocolate cake made with cocoa, instant coffee, and egg whites, topped with vanilla glaze and swirled raspberry jam. Rich chocolate flavor without the guilt, baked in a springform pan.

French strawberries in red wine with sugar, lemon juice, and fresh thyme. Marinate for 3 hours to overnight for a sophisticated, no-cook Burgundy dessert.

Lunn Cake, a traditional English yeast cake baked in a ring mold with scalded milk, eggs, and a light crumb. Served warm with butter, this no-knead bread rises twice for a pillowy texture.

Sweet avocado mousse blends ripe avocado with lemon yogurt and coconut rum, then folds in whipped egg whites for a pale green, silky chilled dessert topped with chopped pistachios.

Old-fashioned maple walnut ice cream made with real maple sugar, maple syrup, heavy cream, and chopped walnuts. Custard-free, hand-cranked, deeply maple-rich.