Dessert/7 recipes

Hot apple pandowdy is an early-American upside-down apple dessert: cinnamon-sugar apples baked under a soft butter cake batter, then inverted and served warm with whipped cream.

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.

No-bake Irish cream chocolate cheesecake with bourbon, cocoa, and whipped cream folded into a gelatin-set filling. A boozy holiday showstopper that chills, never bakes.

Light angel food cake rolled with a tangy lemon cream filling made from sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. A stunning no-fuss dessert that starts with a box mix.

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.

A show-stopping layered meringue cake with toasted almond dacquoise, caramel-orange buttercream filling, and glazed orange slices. A French patisserie masterpiece for special occasions.

Party date cake is a big-batch chocolate date loaf topped with sugar, chopped nuts, and chocolate chips. Served warm in slices with whipped cream for a crowd-sized dessert.

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.

Old-fashioned molasses cookies made with lard and sour cream for a tender, flaky texture butter can't match. Spiced with cinnamon and ginger, chilled overnight, then rolled thick and soft.

Microwave chocolate pots de crème made for two with German sweet chocolate, half-and-half, and egg yolks. Silky French custard, no oven, no water bath. Chills in the fridge.

Festive pumpkin pie with a cream cheese-enriched filling, warm spices, and a sour cream topping baked right on. Part pumpkin pie, part cheesecake, all holiday showstopper.

Chocolate tortoni is a frozen Italian dessert with two kinds of chocolate, whipped cream, beaten egg whites, toasted almonds, and candied cherries. Elegant, no-churn, and make-ahead.

Old-fashioned coconut fudge candy shaped into little haystacks. Brown sugar, butter, and shredded coconut cooked to soft-ball stage, then dropped onto wax paper. Makes about 60 pieces.

Chilled peach soup with white wine, orange liqueur, maple syrup, and whipped cream. A silky, boozy fruit soup that works as an elegant summer dessert or first course.

Strawberry-rhubarb shortcake with a warm rhubarb sauce, fresh strawberries, buttered biscuits, and whipped cream. A classic spring dessert that celebrates two seasonal favorites together.