Dessert/9 recipes

Chocolaty, creamy, smooth and absolutely delicious. This chocolate cheesecake is heaven.

Flourless chocolate mousseline cake with rum, coffee, and whipped cream folded into a rich chocolate-egg batter. Baked in a water bath for a dense, silky texture.

Old-fashioned cottage cheese custard pie with a cloud-light texture from folded egg whites. Sieved cottage cheese, vanilla, and milk bake into a silky, sweet filling.

Edna's cranberry cake with a layer of whole cranberry sauce baked between two layers of sour cream batter in a tube pan, topped with chopped walnuts. A holiday Bundt cake classic.

A classic Hungarian Dobos torte with thin sponge cake layers filled with chocolate coffee buttercream and glazed in melted semi-sweet chocolate. An impressive European pastry for special occasions.

Lemon pie with a crisp baked meringue crust, lemon curd filling, and sweetened whipped cream topping. A no-pastry dessert that's light, tangy, and completely gluten-free with a cloud-like meringue shell.

Homemade crepes stuffed with fluffy chocolate cream cheese filling, drizzled with a flaming creme de cacao and brandy butter sauce. Sinfully rich and dramatic.

German-style apple cream cheese tart with a buttery pressed crust, raspberry jam layer, and cinnamon-spiced apples topped with sliced almonds. Baked in a springform for easy serving.

Homemade hot caramel sauce cooked to soft ball stage with butter, half-and-half, and vanilla. A thick, pourable dessert sauce for ice cream, cake, and apple dipping.

Mandeltorte is a German almond torte with a buttery pastry shell, rich almond filling, raspberry jam layer, and piped lemon icing. An elegant European bakery-style dessert.

Vegan cocoa cupcakes made without eggs, butter, or milk. Oil, vinegar, and baking soda create the lift in these simple, one-bowl chocolate cupcakes.

Three-ingredient lemon cookies made with cake mix, whipped topping, and an egg, rolled in powdered sugar for a crinkle-top finish. Soft, puffy, and ready in 20 minutes.

Madeleines are delicate French shell-shaped sponge cakes, scented here with orange flower water and made from a simple batter of eggs, cake flour and melted butter. Buttery, light, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Chewy molasses drop cookies loaded with candied fruit and warm spices like cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and allspice. These colorful Christmas Jewels look like stained glass on a cookie platter.

Apple coconut kuchen with a yellow-cake-and-coconut crust, sliced apples layered with cinnamon sugar, and a sour cream custard drizzle on top. German-style coffee cake done semi-homemade.

Greek butter cookies (kourabiedes) with ground cloves and a thick powdered sugar coating. Tender, crumbly, and lightly spiced for the holidays.