Electric Mixer

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted with permission from Cakes for Kids, by Matthew Mead. Use this recipe to make Mead's <epi:recipelink id="350068">Jack-O'-Lantern</epi:recipelink> cake.

A well-baked honey cake was beloved in my family, and when I was growing up my aunt was the baker supreme. We all looked forward to visits to her house and thick slices of the cake for dessert. I think this honey cake is better than my Aunt Fannie's—and that's saying something. Of course, when she reads this, she may well disagree. Still, I think that the inviting aroma of the spices as the cake bakes and the added touch of a slightly crusty glaze at the end will win her over.

Serve a platter of cookies alongside the pears and ice cream. The night before you make the cookies, place the dried cherries in a small bowl of crème de cassis. The soaking will infuse the fruit with the flavor of the black-currant liqueur.

Save leftovers for snacks.

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted with permission from Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food.

Easy, sophisticated, and make-ahead friendly, this is just the cake for your Memorial Day gathering.

Here's a great recipe for a large group, as it can be made in quantity without much fuss. This berry tiramisù has become one of my favorite ways to show off the fresh berries of the season. If you wish, serve sliced strawberries or a compote of blueberries and raspberries on the side.

Use any leftovers as a spread for scones.

This egg-free mousse packs punchy raspberry flavor.

The yogurt helps make this moist cake especially tender. Great for brunch or tea.

You'll turn up your nose at plain old chocolate chip ice cream once you try this cool, stracciatella-flavored concoction—stracciatella being a vanilla-flavored cream with thin ribbons or chips of chocolate (which melt on the tongue) running through it. The stracciatella cream fills this semifreddo-like cake, which also shines with a toasted-almond cookie-crumb base, a toasted-almond topping, and a drizzle of espresso fudge sauce.

While soufflés often sound difficult to make, this recipe is easy to follow and yields impressive results. We like to serve ours with high-quality vanilla bean ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

Egg whites give these pancakes their light texture. Ricotta cheese adds rich flavor. And the finishing touch? A delicious cherry sauce, which would also be great on waffles or vanilla ice cream.

This dessert is like a frozen mousse, which helps explain its name: semifreddo, or "half-frozen."

Made without butter or flour, these dense, chewy cookies will satisfy even the most intense chocolate craving.

This lightly sweet gelatin separates into two distinctly textured layers when it cools, adding a lovely depth to a unique dessert.

As with many European desserts, this recipe calls for no salt but does use salted butter rather than unsalted.

A zeppola is an Italian fritter. The dough is similar to choux pastry, which is used to form cream puffs, éclairs, and gougères.

In this dessert from Cafe Paradiso, pink peppercorns give the meringues a subtle floral flavor.