Baking

The graham craker crust provides a crunchy base for the rich, creamy filling.

"I have never had a better dessert than the sticky toffee pudding at Beginish Restaurant in Dingle, Ireland," writes Judith Gilbard of Forest Hills, New York. "I hadn’t heard of the restaurant before this visit, so I was pleased to stumble across such a find. Do you think the owners, John and Pat Moore, would share their recipe?" At the restaurant, this dessert is served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

"Over the years, I've come up with several pound-cake recipes using different fruits and spices," writes Sue Knechtel of Ottawa, Ontario. "I've had varied results—some good, some bad and some just ugly. My best creation is this ginger version."

This recipe yields more meringue squares than you'll need for the ice cream–filled napoleons. The extras can replace any that break — and they also make a delicious snack.

David Barber, chef at Three Square Grill in Portland, Oregon, writes: "My restaurant may not be located in the trendiest part of town, but we have a neighborhood following of customers who appreciate my house-made bread, lox, bacon, sausage, preserves, and pickles." This Bundt-cake gingerbread is moist, rich, and decadent — no wonder it's Three Square Grill's signature dessert.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

The black pepper is not necessary, but it does add interest and a pleasant warmth in the mouth. If you'd rather, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger with the dry ingredients, instead of the pepper. These are perfect with ice cream and fruit. This recipe uses approximately 4 lemons.

The recipe for this moist, dark, fragrant gingerbread pays tribute to Dona Abramson and Stuart Tarabour at the Bright Food Shop, a terrific little Mexican-fusion café in Chelsea where I spent some time. This was my favorite of their desserts, and it has since become a seasonal classic at Gramercy Tavern, though I've made a few adaptations and embellished a bit. My recipe has just a touch of cloves, and instead of just the ginger and cinnamon in a typical gingerbread, I use a panoply of spices, including cardamom, nutmeg, and a lot of fresh ginger, to give the cake a racy, intriguing flavor. The most unusual thing about this recipe is that stout is substituted for the water or coffee used in most gingerbread recipes. I find it adds a lot of richness and underscores the spices. Since it is made with oil, this cake will stay moist for several days. Dress it up or simply enjoy it on its own, with coffee, tea, or a beer!

Start this a day ahead and freeze overnight. For the crust, blend crumbled vanilla wafer cookies in a processor until crumbs form.

Peanut butter chips and chopped salted peanuts take brownies to a new level. Offer fresh fruit alongside.

The cake pans, cardboard rounds, and dowels are available at cake and candy supply stores; or call Jane's Cakes and Chocolates at 800-262-7630.

Offer a small salad of baby greens with a shallot and tarragon vinaigrette.

Inspired by the oversize black-and-white cookies that are practically an institution in delis all over the country.

These "cakes" are really festive cookies.