Dessert
3852 recipes found
Whole-Banana Bread
There are a lot of flavors beyond banana hanging out in this loaf: coconut, chocolate, tahini and almond extract. They get along so well that you end up with something that tastes notably better than almost any other banana bread you’ve had before. It’s cocoa-rich, nutty and not too sweet. Using the whole fruit — both banana flesh and peel — punches up the banana flavor, but doesn’t overshadow the other notes. Nadiya Hussain’s recipe offers numerous substitutions; you could play up nutty notes by opting for almond butter and almond milk, or swap in olive oil in place of coconut oil. The recipe inspires infinite permutations.
Noodle and Apple Kugel
This comforting kugel tastes much richer than it is, and it is certainly lighter than a traditional kugel (though it is not a low-calorie dessert). I’ve made this with Golden Delicious apples and with tarter varieties like Pink Lady; I liked it both ways.
Apple Kuchen With Honey and Ginger
More coffeecake than dessert, this moist apple cake is pure comfort, with candied ginger, a touch of honey in the batter and a honey glaze. New crop autumn apples are wonderful to use in season, but you can make the cake year round. It will keep for several days, tightly wrapped, at room temperature.
Coconut Caramels
Making your own candy may seem daunting, but time and attention are all you need. This recipe calls for two sugars: granulated, which provides the base for your caramel, and an inverted sugar, corn syrup, which stabilizes and keeps the caramel from crystalizing. The line between soft-chewy and hard candy is a delicate one, so a candy thermometer is recommended for precision. Ginger and cardamom will add a nice zing, but lean into other warm spices, such as cinnamon, black pepper or chili powder, if that’s what you have on hand. A final coat of toasted, finely shredded coconut lends an almost buttery crunch, and prevents the pieces from sticking. Wrap up individually if you have the time: These are made for sharing and can be frozen for up to a month.
Apple Strudel
Cherry-Cheese Strudel
Pear Kuchen
Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen, sisters who run the Four & Twenty Blackbirds bakery in Brooklyn, hail from South Dakota, where their family ran a small restaurant. Kuchen, a German cake topped with fruit that is a staple of the state’s Thanksgiving tables, is central to their childhood memories of the holiday. Their recipe, topped with pears, “looks a little different than those traditionally found in local South Dakota church and community cookbooks,” Melissa Elsen wrote in an email, “but it tastes like it does in my memory (with the addition of cardamom).” That cardamom, it turns out, is key to the dish’s success, with citrus and savory notes that are as pleasant as they are unexpected.
Chocolate Mousse or Pudding Souffle
Sauerkraut Kuchen (Sauerkraut Cake)
Murbeteig or Sugar-Cookie Dough
Schwowebrettle or Petits Fours de Noel
The dough should be prepared 12 hours before it is to be baked.
Beet Red Velvet Cake
Pamela Moxley, the pastry chef at Miller Union in Atlanta, developed this cake as part of a book project for Steven Satterfield, the co-owner and chef. She uses dutched, nonacidic cocoa powder so she punched up the acid with extra lemon juice, which helps with the bright red color. She adds goat cheese to her cream cheese frosting, to play against the subtle beet flavor. The chef liked it so much that he added it to the restaurant menu.
Blueberry Kuchen
Cinnamon Stars (Zimtsterne)
Sacher Torte
In this version of the classic Viennese Sacher torte, from Luisa Weiss's cookbook "Classic German Baking," two dense chocolate cake layers are filled and topped with rum-scented apricot jam, then coated in a fudgelike chocolate glaze. Making a perfect Sacher torte with a level top and pristine shiny icing takes patience and precision. But don’t let that discourage you from having a go. Even if the glaze is slightly smudged and the top a bit askew, it will still taste delicious, and there are few cakes as richly satisfying as this. You can make a Sacher torte up to 3 days before serving. Store it under a cake dome or loosely covered, at room temperature. (Update: Some readers were having trouble with the glaze seizing in the original recipe. Luisa Weiss retested it, and we made some updates to the recipe that should clear it up.)
Nathan Family Butter Cookies
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake With Pecans
By substituting pecans (or other nuts) for the usual maraschino cherries, this twist on a classic upside-down cake is less sweet and crunchier than the usual recipe. Caramelizing the brown sugar in a skillet before adding the fruit gives you a particularly deep, complex flavor. Because of the moisture in the topping, you’ll need to bake this cake a little longer than other, similar butter cakes. Underbaked cake will be soggy and apt to fall apart, but an ideal result will have a well-browned surface and dark, slightly crunchy edges.
Chocolate Hazelnut Crepe Cake
Something magical happens when you layer crepes with cream to build a cake. The flavors intensify, you improve the cream to crepe ratio and there are more crispy edges. And then there is the dazzling moment when you present the ethereal cake and slice into it to reveal a whole world of fine rings. This cake, with light hazelnut crepes and rich chocolate cream, isn't difficult to make (though the first crepe in the pan is always a flop; don't get discouraged). It does take some time, though, to make and assemble. Just keep the image of the gorgeous final product in your mind as you work.
Lemon Curd
Lemon curd sits in that elusive space between soothing and exciting. Its texture is smooth and comforting and its flavor is zesty, a delicious contradiction. Curd is easy enough to make, just stand by the pot — it calls for attention. Once made, the curd can be packed in a closely covered jar or container; it will keep well in the fridge.
Chocolate Coconut Cake
The fine, feathery crumb of this dessert, which is on the lighter side of chocolate cakes, is balanced by a slather of glossy, fudgy frosting. A topping of shredded coconut provides additional richness and texture. Make it the day before serving; its flavor only improves overnight.
Triple Chocolate Trifle With Raspberries
The imagination has no limitations, as we see from this recipe. It’s chocolate pudding, chopped chocolate, whipped cream and raspberries layered over brownies, repeatedly. It’s a fairy tale dessert to satisfy all comers.
Maple-Honey Pecan Pie
Using maple syrup and honey instead of the usual corn syrup in pecan pie makes for a complex and richly flavored confection that’s still wonderfully gooey in the center. This recipe also has double the amount of pecans compared with most recipes, giving it plenty of crunch. You can bake it the day before serving; it keeps very well at room temperature for at least 24 hours. It also freezes reasonably well for up to 3 months, though the crust won’t be quite as flaky.
Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream Cake
Refreshing and citrusy yet creamy and sweet, this stunning dessert is just like a Creamsicle, but in grown-up cake form. It’s also incredibly easy: Simply stack spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream and orange sherbet into a springform pan and smoosh them down as you go. As for the crust, use whole vanilla wafers; They're less work, and crunchier than if you used crumbs. There are many ways to riff on this cake. You could try a different sherbet flavor, use frozen yogurt instead of vanilla ice cream, or trade the vanilla wafers for gingersnaps, shortbread or any other crumbly cookie. You could also add salted caramel, jam, nuts or pomegranate molasses in between the layers of ice cream.
Warm Fig and Chocolate Sponge Cake
This dessert is somewhere between a sponge cake and a clafoutis: light and airy, yet rich from the addition of dark chocolate and rum. Make sure you use really ripe, in-season figs, as they make all the difference here. The figs release their juices with the caramel, rum and orange to create a sauce that is perfect to scoop over the sponge cake when serving. For a more concentrated flavor, roast your figs separately before adding them to the caramel. A spoonful of crème fraîche is all you need here, but you could serve this with some vanilla ice cream, if you’re looking for a supertreat.