Dessert recipes

White-chocolate snowflakes balance gracefully on a delicate, lemony three-layer white cake filled with zesty lemon custard and covered with a white-chocolate frosting.

No-churn fresh fruit ice cream blends pureed fruit with sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream for a creamy summer dessert. No ice cream maker needed, freezes in a loaf pan.

Make-ahead pumpkin chiffon pie with a cloud-light gelatin filling of pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg folded into stiff egg whites. Lighter than classic pumpkin pie and a Thanksgiving prep-day winner.

Homemade peach ice cream with fresh chopped peaches folded into a microwave-thickened custard base of milk, half-and-half, sugar and egg. Smooth, scoopable and a Southern summer ritual.

Kahlua mousse brownies, a thin sheet brownie spiked with coffee liqueur and instant coffee for deep chocolate-mocha flavor. Bake in a jelly roll pan and sandwich with ice cream for a fancy dessert.

Rolled baklava swaps the usual diamonds for crisp phyllo logs filled with spiced walnuts, baked golden then dipped in honey-lemon syrup. The cold-syrup dip keeps every flaky roll crisp, not soggy.

Lemon poppy seed bundt cake uses a doctored lemon cake mix with instant pudding for a moist crumb, finished with a glossy lemon glaze. The bakery-style shortcut every home baker should know.

Katherine Hepburn's famous brownie recipe: fudgy, walnut-studded, and intensely chocolatey with just 8 simple ingredients. The Hollywood icon's own words? "Beat it all like mad" and go crazy.

Cream cheese brownies marbled with German sweet chocolate batter and a tangy cheesecake swirl. Fudgy, dense, and just slightly tangy thanks to the cream cheese running through every bite.

Banana fudge walnut brownies pack mashed banana into a fudgy chocolate brownie with crunchy walnuts. A clever way to use overripe bananas in a different dessert.

Lemon cream cupcakes with sour cream batter, fresh lemon zest, and a tangy lemon buttercream frosting. Moist, dense, and bursting with bright citrus flavor.

No special occasion needed for this decadent dessert...it's so easy.

Deeply moist chocolate cupcakes made with hot coffee, sour cream, and both cocoa and melted chocolate for double the richness. A from-scratch chocolate cupcake to crown with frosting or ganache.

Three-nut baklava layers buttered phyllo with walnuts, pistachios, and toasted almonds, then drinks in a citrus-clove honey syrup overnight. The Greek dessert pulled out for big celebrations and bigger family gatherings.

Oatmeal pecan pie deepens the classic with toasted oats and pecans in a honey custard, all baked in a rum-spiked oat crust. A nuttier, less cloying twist on pecan pie with a hint of black pepper.

Five-ingredient chocolate peanut crunch ice cream made with chopped chocolate-covered peanuts churned into a simple cream and milk base. No-cook custard for an electric ice cream maker.