Dessert/5 recipes

Orange poppy seed pound cakes bake fresh orange juice, zest, and crunchy poppy seeds into individual butter loaves. Make-ahead holiday gift cake.

Wacky cake style chocolate layer cake made with no eggs, butter, or milk. A pantry-staple Depression-era recipe with deep cocoa flavor and a tender, fudgy crumb that's accidentally vegan.

Peach and blueberry casserole with fresh fruit topped with a buttery, cinnamon-sugar crumble baked golden. A rustic summer cobbler-style dessert using peak-season peaches and berries.

Apples, tangy cranberries, and pears under a granola-type crust can be served in small glass bowls for an inviting holiday meal conclusion.

Three-layer chocolate mint cake with a green mint buttercream center and glossy chocolate ganache topping. Rich, fudgy, and seriously refreshing.

Reduced fat chocolate snack cake made with chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, and semi-sweet chips, topped with chopped nuts and a vanilla powdered sugar drizzle. A lighter take on rich chocolate cake.

Old-fashioned chocolate sheet cake with a boiled cocoa frosting that goes on while everything's still hot. Buttermilk keeps it moist, chopped nuts add crunch. Ready in under an hour.

Showstopper cheesecake with a pecan shortbread crust, cranberry glaze layer, white chocolate orange filling, and candied orange slice topping. A stunning holiday dessert that requires overnight chilling.

Hefty chocolate pound cake with sweetened condensed milk for extra richness, baked in a tube pan and topped with a cooked cocoa frosting that sets with a glossy snap.

Buttery almond cookies with brown sugar, cream of tartar tang, and chopped almonds throughout. Dough requires chilling before shaping into balls and baking.

Use this recipe with peaches, sour cherries or pineapple with equally good results.

Try this cookies that are suitable for Christmas time or any other holiday!

Banana Pudding Splits are a lighter take on the classic, with low-fat chocolate yogurt pudding, fresh banana, pistachios, whipped topping, and a cherry. Diabetic-friendly and ready in 20 minutes.

Rum pecan pie with a brandied butter crust, layered chopped pecans under a mosaic of pecan halves, and a dark rum and maple-kissed filling. Holiday dessert with a grown-up flavor twist.

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.

Classic cocoa layer cake with a tender crumb from the creaming method, ready for your favorite frosting. Swap water for coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor. A reliable two-layer cake in under an hour.