Electric Mixer

The torte and compote are each great on their own, if you have time to make only one of them. A kosher-for-Passover sorbet would be nice with this dessert.

These are favorites in Mexico and Russia.

This dessert has a baked chocolate-cookie crust and a chilled light-and-fluffy filling of pureed fresh raspberries folded into whipped mascarpone cheese.

Cape Cod's cranberry bogs — which supply the crowning glory of countless holiday desserts — provided the inspiration for this festive and luscious cheesecake. Chocolate wafer cookies (used in the crust) are sometimes located in the ice cream section, displayed above the freezer case.

"My sister, who lives near Chicago, takes me into the city for dinner at Erwin restaurant whenever I visit her," says Marion J. Matczynski of Parma Heights, Ohio. "One time I tried the peanut mousse cake; it was to die for."

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 2 hr

Coconut milk, which gives a velvety texture to this pound cake, can be found in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

This recipe makes more phyllo crisps (the building-block wafers of the napoleons) than you'll need—they can replace any that break along the way and are delicious on their own.

Here's a party-size ice cream sandwich that everyone will love. We use two 9-inch-diameter cake pans so that the cookies keep their round shape when baking. And there's no need for last-minute fuss; this can be made up to three days ahead.

Make a cake the easy way: Spruce up a mix with sour cream, chocolate, brown sugar frosting and a crunchy pecan brittle.

Similar to zuppa inglese (an Italian trifle), this impressive dessert layers an amaretti-and-cream filling and orange segments between syrup-soaked sponge cake. Many of the components can be made ahead; start with the filling so that it can chill overnight.

A subtle hint of lavender accents this lovely dessert. It can also be left out if you prefer.

You will need to chill the dough at least 4 hours. Also, if you bake these cookies a couple of days ahead, the vanilla flavor will become more pronounced.

This is a simple recipe for a wonderful bûche de Noël. The cake is a bit heartier than the typical genoise, which suits my taste, and the hint of cinnamon gives it an aromatic layer of flavor. You may change and adjust flavorings, drizzle the cake with a rum or a sugar syrup flavored with vanilla after it's cooled, or do any number of things to make it your own.