Electric Mixer

(Pistachio Wafers Layered with Strawberries and Cream)

Fruit — such as kiwi, orange, pineapple and berries — is a nice garnish for this cake. If you like, puree some of the berries with sugar to make a colorful sauce.

This recipe originally accompanied Chocolate Mint Layer Cake .

Because this cake has a special place in my husband's heart, I named it after him. It's best warm, so bake it as you eat dinner.

Spice Cookies Rice paper is traditionally used in this recipe, but is not essential. You can bake these cookies on buttered baking sheets instead.

An updated version of Scottish shortbread.

"Recently my future in-laws came to dinner for the first time. My fiancé had mentioned their love of chocolate and coconut, so I knew I had to dazzle them with a sensational dessert," writes Sarah Smythe of New London, Connecticut . "This cheesecake worked beautifully."

Using sweet soda pop in dessert recipes is a southern tradition.

If you love cheesecake, try this classic French dessert.

Gianduia, a ground hazelnut and chocolate confection from the Piedmont, inspired this spectacular terrine.

The cake layers are brushed with Strega, an Italian liqueur flavored with herbs and flowers. Removing the torte from the freezer an hour before serving allows the whipped-cream frosting to soften, while the filling remains frozen.

"My fondest memories of growing up in the South are of times spent with my Alabama grandmother, Gorda Dyson," says Sandra Crook of Jacksonville, Florida. "In the afternoon we would retire to the front porch, sip iced tea, and eat traditional English biscuits, which we called tea cakes. She would tell me stories of her youth, and I felt so grown-up and special. I hope you enjoy the recipe." Sandra Crook serves her tea cakes warm, when they're nice and chewy, with jam or with strawberries and cream. When cooled and left unadorned, they become crisp and buttery sugar cookies. She uses the southerner's favorite flour, White Lily, which gives the tea cakes a wonderful crispness, but we also had good results when we tested the recipe with cake flour (self-rising).