Dessert/5 recipes

Lemon butter layer cake baked in a tube pan, sliced into four layers filled with lemon cream and topped with caramelized nut crunch. A three-component vintage dessert with big citrus flavor.

Four-ingredient peanut butter shortbread with butter, sugar, peanut butter, and flour pressed into a pan and baked low and slow. Sandy, crumbly, and nutty with no mixer or rolling required.

A tender blueberry cake with a honeyed graham cracker crumb that sets it apart from ordinary berry cakes. Baked in a springform pan and topped with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Light peach Bavarian cream dessert made with pureed peaches, peach yogurt, whipped egg whites, and real cream set with gelatin for an airy, no-bake treat.

Shrewsbury cakes, a traditional English rolled cookie with ginger, citrus rind, and caraway seeds. Crisp, lightly spiced, and chilled overnight before baking.

Old-fashioned lemon-nut coffee cake with a buttery crumb topping, walnuts, and lemon zest in a buttermilk batter. A quick one-pan breakfast cake best served warm.

Velvet cake is a flourless-style chocolate showpiece pooled over white chocolate and raspberry sauces. Dense, fudgy, and made with just six ingredients in the cake itself, it slices like a torte and tastes like ganache.

Ice cream cone cupcakes: chocolate cake batter baked right inside flat-bottom ice cream cones, then swirled with sweet almond buttercream and showered in sprinkles. The kid party showstopper.

Old-fashioned sandwich cookies with a choice of two homemade fillings: raisin with lemon, or chopped date with orange zest and nutmeg. Three dozen per batch.

No-bake caramel oatmeal cookies made on the stovetop with butterscotch pudding mix, evaporated milk, butter, and quick oats. Drop, cool, eat. No oven required.

Light, airy Vermont maple chiffon cake with walnuts, drizzled in reduced maple syrup glaze. Baked in an angel food pan and cooled upside down for a tall, tender crumb.

Pineapple ice box cake, a vintage no-bake dessert with lemon gelatin and whipped cream folded with crushed pineapple, layered between vanilla wafer crumbs. Chilled overnight for sliceable dessert.

Microwave oatmeal chews are no-bake bars with chewy oat base, melted chocolate chip top, and chopped nuts. Seven-ingredient bars made entirely in the microwave for fast snacking.

Date pudding cake with chopped dates and nuts in a light egg batter with barely any flour. Dense, sticky, and caramel-sweet, served warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

Rhubarb meringue torte with three layers of crisp piped meringue shells stacked with tangy rhubarb sauce. A stunning make-ahead spring dessert that's naturally gluten-free.

Red, white, and blue ice cream pie with a blueberry muffin mix crust, French vanilla ice cream filling, and sugared strawberries on top. A Fourth of July dessert.