Baking

Here's a fine-textured cake with a luxurious cream cheese and whipped cream frosting.

Made with a fraction of the butter used for most upside-down cakes, this dessert has the flavor and texture of angel food cake — and it tastes so good that nobody will know it has been streamlined.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can easily be doubled.

Good as the centerpiece of a meatless meal.

They're delicious served warm with butter, preserves or honey.

Chocolate chip cookies are taken to a crispy, crunchy new level.

Begin preparing this at least a day ahead.

An old-fashioned layer cake topped with a lusciously sticky icing.

This is a wonderful combination of cookie and candy, with the crumbly crust serving as counterpoint to the chewy caramel topping. For a nice presentation, place the cookies in paper candy cups, and set the cups in a basket; wrap clear cellophane around the basket, tie it up with raffia and decorate it with pine cones. Save the irregularly shaped leftover cookies to enjoy as a snack.

A version of the southern classic; this one has a fudgy texture.

A big finish for a big celebration dinner.

"Whenever we're in the area, my husband and I stop at the Thompson House Eatery in Jackson, New Hampshire," says Sandra L. Michaud of Newtown, Connecticut. "I'm crazy about the freshly baked lemon bread that sometimes comes with meals there." This sweet quick bread would make a nice breakfast treat, too.