Cake

A dessert that is simply ready-made pound cake that has been accented with an orange custard cream.

This recipe was created to accompany Minted Berry Spongecakes. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This luscious cake has two chocolate mousse fillings and a rich dark-chocolate topping.

Crunchy hazelnut praline adds a touch of sophistication to this rich cheesecake. Begin preparing the cake a day before serving.

This crisp and creamy dessert pairs pistachio praline meringues with lemon buttercream. The unique praline is also used to garnish the sides of the cake. Assemble it a day before serving to allow the buttercream to set and the flavors to come out.

Grand Marnier gives an extra kick to the frozen orange mousse, and pistachios make the crust crunchy. Start preparing this at least a day before you plan to serve it.

There's enough espresso cream to top 6 cakes for a quick, elegant dessert. The leftover 6 are great to keep for snacks.

If I had to choose among all my cakes, this one would win first place because it is delicious by itself yet versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of buttercreams. The cake combines the soft texture of white cake with the buttery flavor of yellow cake. Using all the yolks instead of whole eggs produces a rich yellow color, fine texture and delicious flavor.

Marillenfleck This is one of the most popular of all coffee-house treats, and almost every baker has the recipe in his or her head. (The proportions are 200 grams each of flour, sugar and butter, but these don't translate as easily in the American volume method of measuring.) This version comes from my friend Gerda Hofer, who related it by heart. Don't be put off by the use of canned fruit, which is consistently flavorful and sometimes preferable to the bland fresh fruit we get too often these days; but you can use fresh fruit if you are sure it is at its peak of flavor. If using fresh apricots, sprinkle them with 2 tablespoons additional sugar before baking.

The more succulent the berries, the better. The cake layers absorb the juices, which is why this cake must be assembled at least 8 hours before serving.

This needs to chill overnight, so plan accordingly.

We always had this coffeecake for birthday breakfasts and other special occasions. Even when we lived far away from Maine, the smell brought us back to Bar Harbor.

Pear and Dried Cherry Frangipane Cake Recipe

This cake is a southern tradition for festive occasions. It can be completely assembled and chilled one day before serving.

Caffelatte is what Italians of all ages have for breakfast at home. For small children it is a cupful of warm milk lightly stained with coffee, the ratio of coffee to milk increasing with one's years. It is often accompanied by some store-bought biscuits, but not in my assistant Nadia's family. She lives on her father's farm outside Venice with her husband and small boy, and for her son Tommaso she bakes wholesome cakes with fresh fruit. He has some with his caffeelatte and takes another piece to school to eat for merenda, recess. I was particularly taken with the cake Nadia makes when there is no more summer fruit on the farm. She uses pears and apples and always adds a banana she buys in town. The proportions of one fruit to another may vary, and indeed Nadia says they always do, but nothing much can go wrong or affect the cake's plainspoken, engagingly fresh taste.

Bake this at least one day ahead.

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.