Cake

A rich chocolate-raspberry truffle filling highlights this updated Linzertorte.

If time is short, omit the streusel topping.

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

Pumpkin adds beautiful color to the all-American cheesecake while pecan praline makes a southern-style topping. Begin preparing this cake a day ahead.

Here's a quick, modern version of an old-fashioned favorite.

New York City's classic dessert gets a luxurious lift from chestnuts.

The German plum harvest is celebrated every year with a festival in Bühl in the southwestern part of the country. In this simple German dessert, cake batter is covered with wedges of fall plums; a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar bakes into a crunchy topping.

Because the torte is so rich, a small piece really satisfies. Start preparing this the day before you plan to serve it.

Named for the famous resort island in the Bay of Naples, this chocolate nut cake is one of Italy's few chocolate desserts. It's a specialty of all the fancy pastry shops in Chiaia, the district of Naples closest to the dock where the ferries leave for Capri. The cake is often decorated with a stencil of the island and of a solitary palm tree.

This cake, also called fraisier (French for "strawberry plant"), is usually made with almonds, but pistachios are used in this rendition. The delicate cake is layered with fresh strawberries and a mousselike white chocolate buttercream and then topped with marzipan.

There's an extra hit of flavor from crystallized ginger in this scrumptious layer cake.