Dessert recipes

Gooey butter cake bakes a yellow cake-mix base under a sweet cream cheese topping that bubbles and cracks like cheesecake on top while staying molten in the middle. A St. Louis classic.

Pistachio torte with 2 cups of finely chopped pistachios and breadcrumbs standing in for flour, lifted with beaten egg whites, and topped with a cup of lemon curd. A proper European-style celebration cake.

Homemade yogurt made with whole milk, cream, and a cooler for incubation. No yogurt maker needed, just a picnic tote and 8 to 10 hours of patience.

Funnel cakes pour a sweet batter through a funnel into hot oil for golden, lacy fried treats dusted with powdered sugar. State-fair classic, ready in 30 minutes at home.

Three-ingredient chocolate almond filling for cakes, pastries, and tortes: melted chocolate, butter, and toasted almonds blended into a spreadable ganache-like filling.

Pears De Cacao features pear halves filled with chocolate mint whipped cream, sandwiched back together, and drizzled with Creme de Cacao liqueur.

Kruchiy (Ukrainian fried knot cookies) made with sour cream, egg yolks, and vanilla, tied into knots and deep-fried until golden. Sprinkled with sugar to finish.

Flourless chocolate cake baked in a water bath with just five ingredients. Dense, fudgy, and intensely chocolatey with 12 ounces of melted chocolate and a full cup of butter.

Old-fashioned rice krispie date roll cookies made by cooking dates with eggs, sugar and butter into a ball, then mixing with crisp rice cereal and rolling in powdered sugar. A no-bake retro icebox candy.

Fluted sandwich cookies filled with tinted vanilla buttercream in three pastel colours. A pretty bakery-style cookie with a cut-out window on top showing the green, pink or yellow filling underneath.

Honey cake made with buttermilk, ginger, and cinnamon, baked low and slow in two layers. A dense, fragrant spiced cake where honey is the star, not just a supporting player.

Chocolate zucchini cake with cocoa, cinnamon, and sour milk for a tender crumb, topped with chocolate chips. Grated zucchini keeps it incredibly moist.

Free-form apple tart made with store-bought pie crust, thinly sliced Golden Delicious apples, cinnamon sugar, and a warm apricot jam glaze. Rustic, simple, and gorgeous.

Strawberry yogurt freeze: three ingredients, no ice cream maker. Strawberry yogurt frozen in cubes, blended with fresh strawberries and orange zest into a soft-scoop frozen treat.

Peanut butter ice cream sandwich made with graham crackers and vanilla ice milk. Three ingredients, no cooking, ready in five minutes flat.

Raspberry chiffon pie with a light, airy gelatin filling and a buttery toasted oat crust. Fluffy beaten egg whites give it a mousse-like texture.