Baked goods recipes

Lovelight chiffon yellow cake: feather-light two-layer yellow cake with a meringue folded into the batter for extra airiness. Classic 1950s tender-crumb cake.

Raspberry-lemon pie with a tangy condensed-milk lemon filling layered under a glossy raspberry topping in a graham crust. The summer berry-and-citrus combination served chilled.

Mama's cherry nut bread: a Bisquick-based quick loaf studded with walnuts and quartered cherries. Five ingredients, mix and bake, no kneading.

Orange biscuits rolled jelly-roll style with butter, orange juice, and zest, then sliced into spirals and baked hot. The breakfast pinwheel that turns plain biscuit dough into citrus-perfumed swirls in 45 minutes.

A chocolate quick bread loaded with chopped nuts. Mixed by hand in one bowl with no yeast or rising time. Wrap it in foil after baking and let it cool completely for clean, even slices.

Classic pate brisee: the four-ingredient French shortcrust pastry that forms the base of every great quiche, tart, or pot pie. Flour, butter, salt, and ice water cut and chilled into flaky perfection.

Parslied buttermilk biscuits baked at 500F for a golden crust and fluffy, tender center. No rolling pin, no cutting, just hand-shaped drop biscuits with fresh parsley in under 30 minutes.

Vanilla wafer pie crust with melted butter, lemon zest, and sugar pressed into an 8-inch pan. A quick no-bake crust with a subtle citrus twist that pairs beautifully with cream pies and cheesecakes.

Savory olive muffins with chopped black olives, grated onion, fresh mint, and olive oil. Greek-style savory muffins for picnics, brunch, or appetizer trays.

Three-layer lemon whipped cream torte with a cloud-light cake made from whipped egg whites, filled and frosted with a lemon custard folded into fresh whipped cream.

Cinnamon-topped mini muffins spiced with nutmeg and allspice, brushed with melted butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar while warm. Donut-style muffin bites in 30 minutes.

Sweet pastry dough (pate sucree) made in a food processor with butter, sugar, flour, and egg. A rich, tender, forgiving tart crust that's ideal for lemon tarts and fruit flans.

Homemade croutons and croutes from French or Italian bread, tossed in extra-virgin olive oil and baked until golden and crisp. Two essential bread toppers, one simple method.

Feather light cinnamon sugar muffins made with cake flour and nutmeg, rolled warm in melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Like a donut in muffin form.

These delicious popovers take advantage of lemon's strong affinity with freshly ground black pepper. They rise best in baked in deep molds in a very hot oven. One of the best ways to grate lemon peel is to remove the zest in strips using a vegetable peeler, then grind it to a powder in a spice mill.

Simple sweetened whipped cream filling with just three ingredients: heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla. Whip until stiff in 5 minutes for cakes, pastries, and pies.