Yam recipes

Stuff thick-cut French bread with cinnamon cream cheese, soak in custard, then bake until golden and top with Grand Marnier strawberry sauce for an indulgent brunch showstopper.

Grandma's jam cake, a Southern Appalachian heirloom spice cake folded with fruit jam, raisins, nuts, and warm cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Old-time celebration cake for caramel icing.

Apfeltorte: German apple cake with whole peeled apples baked into a butter cake, their cores stuffed with rum-soaked raisins and chocolate. Finished with apricot glaze and powdered sugar.

Pumpkin pie built on heavy cream and sour cream for a richer, tangier filling spiced with cinnamon and ginger. Optional apricot preserve layer at the bottom adds a tart-fruit twist.

This recipe, though fussy to make, is attractive and tasty. Cheryl Kaufenberg of Darien said it came from a very old Better Homes & Gardens magazine

A rich and delicious dish made with potatoes, succulent ham, pickled jalapeno peppers and pimento-stuffed green olives.

Ukrainian cold fruit soup pureed with apples, pears, cherries, plums, and peaches in cinnamon-lemon broth with sweet wine and cranberry juice. A chilled summer soup bursting with orchard flavors.

Kentucky blackberry jam cake bakes a deeply spiced cake with blackberry jam, pineapple-soaked raisins, pecans, and warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. Heirloom Southern holiday cake.

Rugelach roll flaky cream cheese dough around apricot preserves, cinnamon-brown-sugar, walnuts, and raisins into bite-sized crescents. A classic Jewish bakery cookie for Hanukkah and Christmas alike.

Seasoned lamb chops are seared in hot skillet, then coated and served with a delicious apricot mixture.

Apricot almond bars with a buttery shortbread crust, spiced almond meringue topping, apricot glaze, and chocolate drizzle. Four layers of European-style pastry in every square.

Old-fashioned blackberry jam cake with warm spices, pecans, and raisins topped with silky caramel icing. Southern heritage cake with allspice, cloves, and buttermilk crumb.

Apricot brandy cake layers a tender, spice-kissed crumb with sticky apricot preserves and brandy buttercream frosting. The secret? Apricot baby food keeps the cake moist and fruit-forward with zero fuss.

Plum cake is the grand Victorian celebration fruitcake: pounds of raisins, currants, dates, citron, and almonds bound by spiced butter cake batter. Christmas, weddings, and christenings on a serious scale.

Glazed apple cake: silky McIntosh apple purée folded into a warm-spiced batter, topped with fanned Granny Smith slices and a glossy apricot jam glaze. A bakery-style fall dessert.

Swiss Aargau carrot cake made with ground almonds, grated carrots, kirsch, and cornstarch instead of flour. Finished with apricot glaze, fondant icing, and marzipan carrots.