Cake

Appalachian apple stack cake is communal cooking at its finest. Originally, each layer was baked at home by individual cooks, likely in cast-iron skillets, then brought together and assembled for church suppers and gatherings. Instead of the spongy cakes we're used to today, these layers are more like cookies—firmer, so they slowly soften beneath liberal applications of apple butter and cooked apples. This recipe stays mostly true to those principles. Instead of individually baking the layers one skillet at a time, though, use a cake pan to trace a pattern on parchment paper and trim circles of rolled dough to fit it. Bake two layers simultaneously (more if you have a convection oven). The edges of the cake layers won't be as perfectly neat as if you'd baked them in skillets or cake pans, but that's all right. This is a rustic cake.

I do love a good Bundt cake—they're just so elegant and beautiful! This easy melt and mix recipe is flavored with chai and pumpkin pie spice.

You can't beat the classics when it comes to desserts, and this is one of my best. Zesty, creamy and light-as-air, this cake is completely heavenly. It's impossible to stop at one slice!

Make sure the cake pan you're using is at least 2" deep; the batter will rise to the very top while baking and will overflow in a shallow pan.

You don't need a bowl or even beaters for this treat. Just mix all the ingredients in your food processor, then bake—so clever! I can never turn down an excellent cream cheese frosting either, and this is one of the best.

The gooey toffee sauce is both absorbed by the cake and served on the side. For a glossy, polished presentation, brush the still-warm cake with a clean pastry brush after it comes out of the pan, which will remove some of the excess syrup.

Dark chocolate and ripe plums make a sweet match in this decadent late summer dessert.

We drink green tea all the time, at home or in restaurants, and it is an essential part of the Japanese culture. Matcha is a type of green tea often used in the formal tea ceremony, but it is also used in a number of Japanese desserts. It doesn't give a strong tea flavour but creates a nice colour and slight dry tartness at the end of the palate. This cake is very light and refreshing compared to many New York- style cheesecakes.

Maybe you forgot his or her birthday, or maybe you didn't forget, maybe you never even knew, but jeez, it's today, really? This cake won't work for a kid's birthday—that calls for more...of everything—but if you just got home, dinner isn't even made, and it turns out it is someone special's day, you just have to bust out a cake, and this one is all from the pantry and requires minimal gear and cleanup. Send him out for a pint of ice cream or suggest she use the shower first-this cake can be in the oven before your celebrant gets back. Thirty minutes later and it's out and cooling on the counter. Fair warning: this cake is like that guy who never moves out of his parents' house—born there, no matter how ready it seems, it falls to pieces when you try to get it out. Cut into wedges and lever them out individually, then cover your tracks with vanilla ice cream or plain or chocolate whipped cream.

I found this recipe while working with a lady who is gluten intolerant. At that time there weren't many recipes for her dietary needs and I wanted to make a special cake for her birthday. It's quite large, always popular and well suited for dessert. It's also great for Passover—a bonus!

Oh, wait: Did we mention the prettiest cake in the display case also happens to be gluten-free? Eat at will!