Electric Mixer

A small slice of this delightfully dense chocolate cake goes a long way.

This recipe makes more meringue than you'll need for 8 servings. You can pipe the extra into sticks and bake them to eat as a snack. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

This elegant dessert was inspired by Vienna's Spanische Windtorte, a giant meringue shell filled with cream and berries. The sauce is a colorful and delicious accompaniment; if there is some left over, use it on pancakes, waffles or ice cream.

The coconut tuiles (cookies) that go into this layered dessert (left) are delicate, so the recipe provides for quite a few extras to allow for breakage. Tuiles are also terrific with ice cream. The syrup gets an interesting (and delicious) kick from nontraditional dessert ingredients like black peppercorns and a jalapeño chili.

"My favorite restaurant on the New Hampshire coast is Anthony Alberto’s Ristorante Italiano in Portsmouth," writes Holly Price of Newfields, New Hampshire. "The food there is superb. On a recent visit, I ended my meal with the frozen praline mousse cake."

A puree of spinach and basil lends color and flavor to this Thai-style main dish.

The cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated; bring it to room temperature to serve. If desired, you can garnish the cake with sugared mint leaves: Whisk egg whites until they are foamy, then brush them over mint leaves and sprinkle leaves with sugar.

Hungary is justly renowned for its baked goods, and dobostorte, probably inspired by Turkish layered pastries such as baklava, is one of its best and arguably the favorite. This famous seven-layer cake is purportedly named after a nineteenth-century Budapest pastry master, but the idea of thin cake layers sandwiched with creamy frosting dates much further back. This version uses thin sponge cake layers complemented with a rich buttercream. To create a batter with proper consistency, it is preferable to weigh the flour and sugar. Since most home ovens heat unevenly, it is advisable not to bake too many layers at the same time.

If you can't find Italian Moscato, substitute Essencia, the Muscat-based dessert wine made in California. Serve this rich custard with the raisin-studded cookies featured here.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr

Chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and chocolate mousse team up with fruit in this incredible dessert. Begin making the cake one day ahead. Enjoy the extra mousse later.

"Many of my friends are chocolate lovers, and this recipe seems to do the trick every time," writes Ann Bolger of East Lansing, Michigan.

Crème fraîche gives this exceptional ice cream irresistible tang and a silky texture.