Cake

Scots often serve butter and orange marmalade with gingerbread — this recipe goes a step further by incorporating marmalade into the batter.

Wolf Blitzer's family serves this moist, not-too-sweet Bundt cake as a side dish. A warm slice would also be delicious for breakfast. Use the large holes of a box grater to prepare the carrots.

The Middle Eastern tone is part of this cake's appeal. A very nutty cake is suffused with a honey-citrus soaking syrup, much like baklava in concept but flour-free, making it suitable for Passover. A little goes a long way. For large Seder crowds, you can double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch springform pan or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. I serve this cake cut into small squares or diamonds placed in small muffin liner cups. Copeland Marks, in his book Sephardic Cooking, attributes this to Turkish cuisine. Joan Nathan calls it "Tishpishiti" in her book, Jewish Cooking in America and points to Syrian, as well as Turkish roots as does Claudia Roden in her book, Mediterranean Cookery. A nutty classic indeed! My version is inspired by a recipe simply called "Nut Cake," found in From My Grandmother's Kitchen, by Viviane Alcheck Miner with Linda Krinn. If you are interested in Sephardic recipes along with a very engaging family history, this book is a real find.

Trude Reder of Long Branch, New Jersey, writes: "My mother's recipe for linzertorte is one of my favorites. It brings back memories of my childhood and of my mother and grandmother busy baking in the kitchen, the delicious aroma of cinnamon and cloves filling the whole house. I've been baking this dessert for family and friends since my husband and I came to this country from Austria over 45 years ago. Now, I've started teaching my own grandchildren the recipe, hoping they will love it as much as I do." Don't substitute jelly for the jam in this recipe — it might leak from the crust. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 3 1/4 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Makes use of the microwave.

This recipe, all the rage at the turn of the previous century, makes the quintessential layer cake—old-fashioned and toothsome.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Start making this at least one day ahead.

This traditional French dessert combines all the best qualities of custard, pudding, and cake.

We wanted to make a cake that would look wonderful, taste great, but still be manageable. The layers are a basic pound cake, and the frosting is a simple cream-cheese variation. Sandwiched between the layers is store-bought jam. We know the thought of freezing your showpiece layers can be a little scary. We've tested several, however, and want to emphasize that it’s infinitely better to freeze the layers up to one month (don't refrigerate them) than to have them dry out at room temperature. Finally, you'll need some sort of base for the assembled cake. This can be anything from a very large platter to a piece of wood covered with tulle. Important: Two separate batches of the following batter are required in this recipe. You'll need twice the quantity of the batter ingredients below, but do not double when mixing the ingredients.

Tangy crème fraîche and a very grown-up rum-pineapple topping take cheesecake to an entirely new level. For best results, use Philadelphia-brand cream cheese.

An elegant finale to the meal; the cake has a light texture, and the filling provides great pumpkin flavor with a hint of orange. Pour a late-harvest Sémillon with dessert.

Dark chocolate, light chocolate and coffee fillings alternate with nut meringue layers, and dark chocolate ganache covers the whole torte. This is an irresistible version of the traditional Parisian dessert.

The coffee in this cake may be replaced with a sweet fruit liqueur or with orange juice.

Though similar in texture to a flourless chocolate cake, the addition of poppy seeds makes this torte delightfully different.