Baking

Martha loves the combination of fluffy white frosting and fresh coconut curls that adorn this cake. You can also top the cake with more sweetened or unsweetened coconut, toasted or not. If you don’t have square cake pans, use 9-inch round ones; the baking time will be the same.

An abundance of grated carrots makes these cupcakes moist, while granulated sugar, instead of the traditional brown, keeps them light.

Maple Buttercream is the perfect complement to these walnut cupcakes, but you can also frost them with Brown Sugar Buttercream (page 386).

The applesauce in this cake makes it exceptionally moist. Although homemade applesauce is best, you could also substitute an all-natural store-bought variety. If you would prefer a larger cake, prepare the batter as directed and bake in two nine-inch pans for forty to forty-five minutes.

Half of the ganache is used for the glaze, which should be cool to the touch but pourable. If necessary, warm it over a pan of simmering water.

Bananas vary greatly in size. The six bananas called for in this recipe should weigh a total of about four pounds. Once cut, bananas will discolor rapidly, so it’s best to slice them just before using.

You can assemble this showstopping dessert up to eight hours ahead of serving; leave off the last layer of cream and fruit, and refrigerate along with the partially assembled cake. Just before serving, top the cake with the remaining cream and berries, and garnish with the mint leaves. If you can’t find beautiful small strawberries, halve or quarter larger ones.

The combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour produces a very tender crumb. You will need a paper cornet to pipe the dots and lines of lemon curd that top the buttercream frosting. Fully decorated, the cake looks fresh and whimsical-a perfect choice for a birthday party, baby shower, or other celebration.

This is the kind of classic, all-American layer cake that birthday memories are made of. It’s guaranteed to please a crowd.

These elegant cookies, found in nearly every pastry shop in Paris, have a crisp exterior and a slightly chewy center.

It’s best to bake these cookies on cool, dry days so they can form and retain a curved shape. Because they are fragile, first line airtight containers with several layers of paper towels, then lay tuiles on top, in one layer, without crowding.

If you wish to make these with store-bought puff pastry, increase the sugar to one cup. Thaw and unfold the dough on the sugared work surface, then trim each piece into a ten-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Proceed with the recipe, sprinkling and rolling as directed. (Standard packages contain about one pound of dough, so the yield will be slightly greater than for our homemade version.)

The traditional Italian flavors of almond and anise are delicate enough for teatime yet equally good with strong coffee or espresso.

These red-and-green-flecked cookies are particularly festive at Christmas; Martha likes to bake several batches to give away as gifts.

The combination of cocoa and ground cinnamon is commonly found in Mexican chocolate and hot drinks; we’ve used it here to flavor a traditional Scottish cookie.

Be sure to sprinkle the shortbread with granulated sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven; this will help the sugar adhere to the cookie.

These are best the same day they are baked, when they’re still nice and crisp,especially around the edges. After that, they will be softer but still delicious.

These bars provide the perfect contrast of crisp and gooey. For a chocolate variation, omit the jam and evenly scatter fourteen ounces of finely chopped semisweet chocolate over the cooled crust before proceeding.

Classic lemon bars get a couple of twists: wheat germ adds texture to the shortbread crust, and lime juice and zest flavor the filling.