Electric Mixer

Whipped cream, fresh lemons and sweet raspberries add homemade flavor to purchased lemon curd.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Fool is a classic English dessert made by combining fruit puree with whipped cream. Here it is spooned into small crisp tartlet shells and garnished with a strawberry. Any leftover fool would make a nice treat with afternoon tea.

Here's a classic spring dessert from Commander's Palace.

Coconut and chocolate team up in the filling of this impressive cheesecake, which also has a chocolate cookie crust. Begin making the cake a day before serving.

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

Cornmeal gives this cake a coarse texture that is a delightful foil for the smooth filling and whipped cream frosting.

The contrast of the subtle white chocolate cake and frosting with a tart-sweet lemon curd filling is superb.

This cake has all the lightness of its pale vanilla with an extra fillip of chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder added to the batter; the orange glaze brings out the chocolatiness even more. And the self-rising cake flour, which helps the dessert to rise triumphantly high, virtually guarantees a perfect-every time creation. A flavorful sherbet, such as banana or raspberry, makes an ideal accompaniment to this cake.

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

Potatoes lend moistness, and caraway seeds and onions--two ingredients favored by German, Scandinavian and Eastern European immigrants--add flavor to these traditionally shaped rolls.

A beautiful special-occasion dessert that can be prepared a day before serving. Any leftover raspberry filling is delicious on toast or pancakes.

We garnished this cake with Vanda orchids, an edible flower often used to decorate drinks in Hawaii.