Cake

Boxed spice cake never tasted so good: Fresh pears, crystallized ginger and a sweet nut topping really perk it up. Serve this warm or at room temperature. The topping will be soft when warm; it will be firmer, like southern praline, when cool.

These individual charlottes make an impressive finale to a special dinner. Start preparing them at least one day ahead.

The name of this cake derives from the flavors that are reminiscent of the classic mole, an aromatic, delicious chocolaty savory sauce that originated in Pueblo, Mexico. I have always thought that dried chiles were a surprisingly good match for chocolate, and with the addition of canela, cloves, and pumpkin seeds, the full mole flavors emerge. For a shortcut, substitute sectioned grapefruit for the orange caramel.

The warm caramel flavors in cola complement the molasses and brown sugar in this cake. The remaining candied kumquats are delicious served over vanilla ice cream. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese in the frosting.

"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."

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.

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!

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.

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

You can substitute pears for the apples.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 3/4 hr

Begin making the lime-ginger curd one day before baking the cake. The assembled dessert can be chilled overnight before serving.

Try any leftover sauce on ice cream.

This cake can be prepared one day ahead. Sweetened cream of coconut is available in the liquor section of most supermarkets.

The shortbread cookie crumbs will hold together in the pan without any additional butter. Fromage blanc gives this cheesecake a light and silky texture.