Dessert/8 recipes

Irish Porter Cake is a dense, dark fruit cake made with Guinness, currants, raisins, mixed peel, and warm spices. Bakes for up to 3 hours, then rests a full week before cutting.

Halloween fig spooks cupcakes built from cake mix studded with chopped figs, topped with a whole dried fig and draped in white buttercream icing for little ghost-shaped treats.

Fresh strawberries macerated with thin orange slices, orange juice, and sweet vermouth for a boozy, citrus-kissed fruit dessert. Diabetic-friendly with optional sweetener.

Sweet noodle kugel layered with cottage cheese, sour cream, raisins, and vanilla, then rested overnight and baked into a golden cinnamon-sugar-topped Jewish holiday classic.

Butter-rich nutmeg sugar cookies made with a blend of all-purpose and cake flour, rolled thin, and topped with a sparkling sugar crust. Crisp, fragrant, and deeply buttery.

Shamrock cookies for St. Patrick's Day, a tender mint-scented shortbread tinted green, shaped from three little dough balls plus a stem and dusted with green sugar. A fun holiday baking project.

Butter Cookies are one of those traditional Christmas cookies that everyone adores. This homemade butter cookie recipe is much better than what you find in the tins at the store during the holidays.

Light strawberry Bavarian cream with fresh berries, gelatin, whipped cream, and folded egg whites for an airy mousse-like dessert. Spoons into glasses and chills overnight.

Stovetop fudge made with semisweet chocolate, butterscotch coating, and marshmallow cream for a two-toned candy that is rich, nutty, and smooth in every bite.

Old fashioned butterscotch cookies made with melted butter dissolved in brown sugar for pure caramel flavor. A thin, crispy drop cookie with just six pantry staples that bakes in 8 minutes.

Thumbprint buttercream cookies made with brown sugar, egg yolks, and shortening, coated in stiff egg whites and nuts, then filled with buttercream icing after baking.

Old fashioned gingersnaps with a double hit of ginger from ground and crystallized pieces, dark brown sugar, molasses, and allspice. Crispy, crackly, and deeply spiced.

Chocolate rice pudding made with Mexican chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla, set with gelatin and layered with Kahlua-spiked whipped cream. A rich Mexican-inspired dessert.

Grandma's red velvet cake: a true vintage Southern recipe with cocoa, buttermilk, and vinegar reacting with baking soda to give the cake its tender, tangy crumb. Two 9-inch layers, ready in 45 minutes.

Vegan banana bread made with soft tofu, whole-wheat flour, maple syrup, and poppy seeds. No eggs or dairy. Food processor method makes mixing fast and hands-off.

It was nice and moist, if a tad on the heavy side. The recipe is actually for cupcakes, but can make one big layer. The frosting is outstanding, a definite keeper.