Baking

Tiny egg-shaped candies tucked into the filling are a cute addition to this delicious dessert.

In this East Coast-style breakfast treat, a tender sour cream coffee cake is topped with a thick layer of cinnamon-scented streusel.

This homemade version of the childhood favorite is absolutely incredible. Flaky pastry, strawberry preserves, and powdered sugar—what's not to like?

This delicious dessert gets a double dose of maple flavor: one in the cake, another in the cream cheese-maple frosting. Keep in mind that maple syrup affects the baking time of this cake (it takes almost an hour to bake).

Mayonnaise replaces the oil that's typically used in chocolate cakes. It gives this cake—which would make the ideal birthday cake—an incredibly moist and tender texture. Serve with glasses of ice-cold milk.

Finely grated lime peel, a tangy lime glaze, and crunchy pistachios brighten up this old-school favorite.

Baking this free-form tart on a rimmed baking sheet helps contain any juices that might overflow.

You'll get about five cups of preserves from this recipe. Try leftovers alongside soft cheeses or over vanilla ice cream. Fresh ricotta is available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets.

A take on the Provençal tart known as pissaladiére, this galette can be served as an hors d'oeuvre or, with a salad, as a light lunch. It gets fullness of flavor from a tangle of sweet caramelized onions that tops a smear of tomato paste enlivened with garlic and anchovies (left over from Mediterranean Eggplant Relish). A flaky homemade pastry crust ups the richness even more.

Food editor Maggie Ruggiero touts these amber bars as the love child of rice krispie treats and those sesame candies sold at natural foods stores. They're nutty, both crisp and chewy, and just a bit crumbly—the perfect afternoon snack.

Get the irresistible flavor of samosas without all the frying. Phyllo (left over from Roasted Winter Vegetable Baklava ) makes an ingenious wrapper for our take on the popular Indian snacks, although the filling of garam–masala–spiced potatoes and peas is quite traditional. They bake up light and crisp, ready for a dip in chutney or raita. Serve these samosas with a salad for a vegetarian main course, or make smaller ones as appetizers.

Bananas, brown sugar, and rum have a natural affinity for each other (think of their shared tropical background), so it's no surprise that they make a wonderful crown for this homespun dessert. The spicy rum flavors of the topping are echoed in the cake itself, making the whole production darker and more interesting than your usual pineapple upside–down affair. Be sure to use just–ripe bananas for this recipe; if you use overly ripe ones, they will dissolve into the cake.

In our Egg Salad with Lemon and Fennel , fennel contributes juicy crunch and a nice hit of bright flavor. Here, the leftover fennel goes in a decidedly different direction: Candied in a sugar syrup, it has a softer snap and becomes more mellow. Along with pistachios, golden raisins, and fennel seeds, it makes a sophisticated filling for baked Gala apples. Many baked–apple recipes are too homey for company, but this version, with its spectrum of greens and golds, would be the highlight of any dinner party menu.

Alone, this cake is moist, tender, and elegant, the chocolate echoed by the glossy glaze. But let's put our cards on the table: The exuberant confetti of colorful sprinkles is what makes you want to dive right in. They're just so much fun. Indeed, this cake turns any meal into an occasion with a capital "o."

Does anything say straight-up summer like a cobbler? The one here gains complexity from a jumble of different berries and extra depth from dark brown sugar. Mixing the brown sugar with regular granulated sugar makes it easier to sprinkle on top of the biscuit topping before the cobbler goes into the oven; when it comes out, the tender, featherlight biscuits will be crowned by golden crunch.

As its name suggests, a pudding cake is like two desserts in one: a light, fluffy cake that gives way to a smooth, rich custard. This one gets its signature tang from buttermilk. Maple–sweetened berries prove to be an inspired companion.

Cornmeal lends these crackers a golden glow and a nice crunch; lots of crushed green peppercorns (left over from Chicken Spice Rub ) provide an intriguing spiciness. Serve them with cheese or all on their own with cocktails.

This riff on a jalousie, a type of sweet whose top pastry lets you peek at the sweet filling within, features golden puff pastry filled with stripes of sweetened cream cheese and lush guava paste. Test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau conceived of this pastry as a dessert, but it would also make a decadent breakfast treat.