Cake

Cake making was quite a fad in the twenties. The new gas stoves were efficient, reliable and easy to operate; besides, with more women working outside the home, there wasn’t as much time to prepare multiple desserts, so fancy layer cakes were made to satisfy everyone. Marshmallows were popular in the decade, and they were used in desserts, salads and side dishes. Here they sweeten an old-fashioned frosting and decorate this easy-to-make chocolate cake.

This recipe, given to me by my aunt, was given to her by her mother. Everyone agrees that it is absolutely delicious. The contrast between a sweet cake and a slightly spicy apple filling is piquant and delightful. The cake layers resemble large sugar cookies.

Fresh fruit marinated in Scotch and sugar is a lovely topper for the purchased cake.

The frozen berry sabayon is smooth and creamy, like ice cream.

This torte has a crisp top that shatters when cut and a fudgy tart cherry center.

We like serving these chewy, moist almond cakes, which are based on the financier, a French pastry, in individual gratin dishes, but the batter can also be baked in a 9-inch glass pie plate for 30 to 35 minutes.

This batter is particularly well suited to the blender. Avoid overmixing, and you'll have a lovely soft cake. Please note when buying molasses that blackstrap has a much stronger taste than the regular kind.

A small slice of this delightfully dense chocolate cake goes a long way.

"My favorite restaurant on the New Hampshire coast is Anthony Alberto’s Ristorante Italiano in Portsmouth," writes Holly Price of Newfields, New Hampshire. "The food there is superb. On a recent visit, I ended my meal with the frozen praline mousse cake."

The cake can be made a day ahead and refrigerated; bring it to room temperature to serve. If desired, you can garnish the cake with sugared mint leaves: Whisk egg whites until they are foamy, then brush them over mint leaves and sprinkle leaves with sugar.

Hungary is justly renowned for its baked goods, and dobostorte, probably inspired by Turkish layered pastries such as baklava, is one of its best and arguably the favorite. This famous seven-layer cake is purportedly named after a nineteenth-century Budapest pastry master, but the idea of thin cake layers sandwiched with creamy frosting dates much further back. This version uses thin sponge cake layers complemented with a rich buttercream. To create a batter with proper consistency, it is preferable to weigh the flour and sugar. Since most home ovens heat unevenly, it is advisable not to bake too many layers at the same time.

"Richardson's Canal House Inn is in a historic building on the Erie Canal, outside of Rochester, New York," says Ellen Wagner of Pittsford, New York. " All the food is great, but the apple raisin cake is especially good. It's so moist and delicious—know gourmet readers would love it. Will you request the recipe from the pastry chef?" Pastry chef Debbie Maruke glazes the cake and serves it with a caramel sauce, but we think the cake is terrific on its own.

Chocolate cake, chocolate ganache, and chocolate mousse team up with fruit in this incredible dessert. Begin making the cake one day ahead. Enjoy the extra mousse later.

This is a Creole cake whose history is the history of the famous New Orleans carnivals celebrated in song and stories. The "King's Cake," or Gateau de Roi, is inseparably connected with the origin of our now world-famed carnival balls. In fact, they owe their origin to the old Creole custom of choosing a king and queen on King's Day, or Twelfth Night.