Dessert/8 recipes

Four-layer sour cream orange cake with citrus zest, a Grand Marnier glaze, cream cheese coconut frosting, and toasted coconut on the sides. A make-ahead showstopper for celebrations.

A two-layer banana cake made with honey-soaked oats, mashed bananas, and butter, frosted with a smooth cream cheese icing. Hearty, moist, and naturally sweetened with a full cup of honey.

Ann's chocolate pie with a buttery shortbread crust, airy egg white mousse filling swirled with melted chocolate, and whipped cream folded in. A no-bake chocolate mousse pie with a crumb topping.

Lemon lush layered dessert with a buttery pecan shortbread crust, cream cheese filling, lemon pudding, and whipped topping. A four-layer no-bake icebox dessert that chills overnight and cuts into clean squares.

Graham cracker pie crust with just three ingredients and optional sugar replacement for diabetic-friendly baking. Bake or chill to set, ready in minutes.

No-bake pumpkin scream pie with a creamy gelatin-set pumpkin filling, fluffy whipped topping, and a chocolate wafer crust. A spookier, lighter take on classic pumpkin pie for Halloween.

Mandarin orange cheesecake wrapped in crackling phyllo pastry, filled with cream cheese and ricotta, then soaked in orange blossom syrup for a Middle Eastern twist on a classic.

Hazelnut cheesecake with a toasted hazelnut and vanilla wafer crust, creme de cocoa in the filling, and a broiled sour cream topping. Rich and nutty.

Mud pie with an Oreo cookie crust, coffee ice cream layered with homemade chocolate-marshmallow mud sauce, and Kahlua whipped cream on top. The retro frozen dessert that earned its nickname for a reason.

A creamy Swedish cottage cheese pie with toasted almonds, baked in a flaky crust until set and custard-like. Lightly sweet with a nutty crunch. Served chilled for a Scandinavian take on cheesecake.

Frankfurter Kranz: a traditional German ring cake with three rum-soaked sponge layers, a rich egg-yolk buttercream filling, and a crunchy almond praline crown. The classic Frankfurt coffee-table cake.

Granny's icebox sugar cookies sliced from a chilled log, sprinkled with sugar and nutmeg, and baked into crisp-edged, soft-centered rounds. The make-ahead slice-and-bake recipe with old-fashioned charm.

Heritage apple pie with a butter-and-lard crust, tart Northern Spy apples, brown sugar, and a teaspoon of bread crumbs lining the bottom shell to keep it crisp. A three-stage bake delivers an evenly browned crust.

Mocha white chocolate cheesecake with a cocoa vanilla wafer crust, Kahlua coffee filling, and sour cream topping. Baked in a water bath for a crack-free finish.

Skidaddle cookies fold canned fruit cocktail and chopped walnuts into a brown-sugar drop cookie batter for a soft, fruity vintage cookie. A pantry-staple drop cookie that bakes in 12 minutes.

Crisp biscotti soaked in flavored simple syrup until soft, then topped with fresh whipped cream and fruit. A quick Italian-inspired dessert with endless variations.