Electric Mixer

If you don't have tartlet pans, you can make one large shortcake in an eight-inch-diameter pan and then cut the cake into wedges.

Our food editors dreamed up this variation on a classic theme for our "all-French" issue, published to coincide with the French republic's Bicentennial celebrations.

Definitely not Ye Olde English Classic, but very delicious and very contemporary. Using store-bought sponge cake (ask for it at your supermarket bakery) or pound cakes simplifies assembly.

Bright ribbons of cranberry puree swirled through a creamy white cheesecake create a pretty contrast. Begin the cake a day ahead.

Senior editor Karen Kaplan devised these delicious lemon sugar cookies. They're cut into Hanukkah shapes-menorahs, dreidels and Hebrew letters-and decorated with blue and white icing. Wrap them in tins, decorated shoe boxes, hatboxes or pretty bags. They make nice hostess gifts for couples with young children.

This treat is topped with slices of bright oranges. The slices must be cooked very slowly, or the pulp will fall away. Begin preparing the cheesecake one day before you plan to serve it.

Ginger's peppery flavor is the perfect foil for white chocolate. Here, the ginger is used in several forms, each contributing its own nuance: Crystallized ginger provides texture and a warm bite to the filling, gingersnaps are used for the crust, and ground ginger enhances both crust and filling. Begin making this dessert a day ahead.

From Goldie's by the Bridge, North Tarrytown, New York.

Intense chocolate flavor accented with orange highlights this lovely layer cake.

This fluffy Lady Baltimore cake is layered with toasted pecans, dried figs, raisins, and frosted in a thick, luscious Swiss meringue.

At Valentino, pastry chef Michelle Robie cuts the cake into individual heart shapes and sometimes serves them with a blood orange sauce.