Layer Cake

For the spider web that decorates this cake, melted semisweet chocolate chips work best. Don't be tempted to substitute another type of chocolate.

In this show-stopping dessert, moist chocolate cake is layered with a luxurious combination of rich chocolate glaze and raspberry whipped cream.

One of our food editors has made wedding cakes for family and friends and, in fact, made her own, based on the following recipe. The techniques involved are straightforward, although the endeavor takes a bit of planning, the proper equipment, and sufficient freezer and/or refrigerator space. Once you have all the components ready to go, allow 3 to 4 hours for assembling the cake, depending on your level of experience.

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

Many Mexican desserts are topped with cajeta, a thick caramel sauce. Two caramel elements make this cake especially delicious: a syrup that's drizzled over each layer and caramelized sugar stars on top. Use a variety of star-shaped cookie cutters to make the stars.

"My cousin and I had a delicious chocolate cake at Watershed, a restaurant in nearby Decatur," writes Joyce Jue of Atlanta, Georgia. "I'd appreciate your getting the recipe so I can learn to make it."

You'll need a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch star tip to create the decorative rosettes. Begin making this cake two days before you plan to serve it.

A buttermilk layer cake is filled with ginger-scented lime curd, then finished with a sweet and fluffy frosting. Make the lime curd one to two days before assembling the cake.

Indulge yourself even more by mixing some toasted coconut (the sweetened, shredded kind) and a dash of coconut extract into vanilla ice cream, and scooping it alongside.

Make two trifles to serve 30 guests, or make one and round out the dessert table with fruitcake and goodies from the bakery.

In my New York shop, this recipe calls for a trio of chocolate mousses, white, milk, and dark. But in order to simplify — and to give milk chocolate a chance to shine — I have eliminated the white chocolate mousse. It is a simple layer cake consisting of chocolate génoise and the mousses.

It's hard to improve on chocolate layer cake, but we think we've done just that, thanks to a hint of mint. Offer vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt alongside.

This turns a terrific gingerbread—created by Rick Rodgers, an accomplished baker and food writer—into a layer cake. Let the stout stand, opened, at room temperature overnight so that it’s flat when you add it to the batter.

This ultra-rich dessert is inspired by the classic Rigó Jancsi cake, named for the legendary Hungarian Gypsy violinist. Make it one day ahead to allow the flavors to meld.