Baking

Moist spice cake layered with cream cheese frosting adds up to one irresistible autumn treat.

Leftover caramel will keep for a week in the fridge; rewarm it and serve over ice cream.

Because they're firm and tart, Pippin or Jonathan apples would also be good here.

Look for a dark honey, such as forest honey, which is available at specialty foods stores and from kalustyans.com. WHAT TO DRINK: Try the 2004 Château Grillon, a delicious Sauternes that won't break the bank (France, $19 for 375 ml).

This rich dough takes a couple of hours to rise—just set it aside and forget about it.

Here's a mellow way to flavor this creamy and comforting Spanish custard dessert.

In this free-form tart, the filling is mounded in the center of the pastry and the edges are simply folded up around it.

This simple, slightly crunchy cake needs only a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Remember to add eggs, oil, and milk to your shopping list if your cake mix of choice requires them—or, if you are very short on time, use ready-made cupcakes. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Designed for a four-tier cake, this recipe may be halved and simply made in a 9 1/2- by 11-inch pan and adorned with elephant cookies.

Though the presentation of this cake— all white-glazed and topped with undulating ribbons of toasted coconut—will take everyone's breath away, we promise that it will only get better from there. (And the cake's rich, coconutty, rum-nipped flavor will never hint that it was a one-bowl effort.)

These little cakes from Will Goldfarb have lots of fall flavor thanks to kabocha, a round Japanese winter squash. Make the cream a day ahead.