Cake

One of the great things about a trifle is that you make it ahead of time, so the cake can soak up the flavors of the custard, fruit, and syrup. It’s a perfect holiday dessert.

Marble cakes are both homey and festive. A marble cake looks slick when you slice into it and reveal the delicate pattern created when the two batters are swirled together. My first experience working with this type of mixture came about as the result of a marbled chocolate terrine that appeared first in the pages of the old Cook's Magazine, and then in my chocolate book. Everything about it was right—the texture, the flavor, the quantity of mixture in relation to the mold—everything, that is, except the marbling. Even when I barely mixed the white and dark chocolate mixtures, what I got was a few streaks of dark and white, and mostly a muddy combined color. After several frustrating attempts, I realized that I had too much dark chocolate mixture and I recast the recipe so there was twice as much white chocolate as dark and the terrine marbled perfectly. So this marble cake is proportioned in the same way: Rather than dividing the base batter in half, I like to remove about one third of it and add the chocolate. Thanks to my old friend Ceri Hadda, who shared her mother's recipe years ago.

This deep, rich cake gets extra flavor from bittersweet chocolate, coffee, and crystallized ginger.

You’ll need a 7 3/4-inch-diameter trifle dish that is at least 4 3/4 inches deep. The recipe makes an extra gingerbread cake; have it for breakfast the next morning. If you prefer to make 12 individual trifles, use all three gingerbread cakes and cut each in half horizontally. Using a pretty glass as a guide, cut out 4 cake rounds from each cut cake layer. Alternate 2 cake rounds with 2 to 3 layers of the mascarpone cream, a few candied kumquats, and some poached cranberries in each glass.

Serve this elegant Euro-style treat with a sweet late-harvest Sauvignon Blanc.

The cake is layered with dark chocolate ganache and white chocolate cream, then topped with marshmallowy peppermint frosting.

Here's a real showstopper, with an exotic touch of cardamom. To crush the cardamom, place the seeds in a resealable plastic bag and tap with a rolling pin.

Forget marshmallows with the yams this year. Instead, use them to make the topping for this cheesecake. Because the cheesecake needs to chill overnight, be sure to begin one day ahead.

A homespun look meets exotic flavor.

Mint gives delicious lift to the coconut flavors in this cake, which gets moistness from sweetened condensed milk and coconut cream.

Editor's note: The recipe below is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Chris Miller, executive chef at Como Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri in Bali. In this streamlined dessert, summer berries are served atop grilled polenta with a simple garnish of strained yogurt and pistachios. The key to success here is using high-quality ingredients: ripe fruit at its seasonal peak, a full-flavored honey (Chef Miller prefers rambutan, a Javanese variety with a fruity, citrusy flavor and amber color), and delicate orange blossom water. If you'd like, try garnishing the dessert with a chiffonade of fresh basil or mint.

Fresh ginger and pear infuse a robust old-world favorite with newfound vibrancy.

These individual cakes, from Lantern pastry chef Monica Segovia-Welsh, are moist, tender, and not remotely fussy. If you don’t want to fool with the suggested accompaniments, serve the cakes with a dollop of whipped cream instead.

This irresistible honey cake is moist, lightly spiced, and scented with coffee, fresh orange juice, and rye whiskey.

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted with permission from Cakes for Kids, by Matthew Mead. Bake this cake for a Halloween party and your guests will be trick-or-treating at your house for years to come. If you wish to serve this cake in a compote or other shallow bowl as we did, be sure to place it on a cardboard base first so you'll be able to set it in the compote without disturbing your work. Skill Level: Medium

Editor's note: This recipe is reprinted with permission from Cakes for Kids, by Matthew Mead. Super fast and not at all scary—these whimsical ghosts gather ever so sweetly around a purchased angel food cake. Use any sort of Halloween candy or favor you like to complete your presentation. Skill Level: Easy

Editor's note: This recipe is adapted with permission from Cakes for Kids, by Matthew Mead. Use this recipe to make Mead's <epi:recipelink id="350068">Jack-O'-Lantern</epi:recipelink> cake.

A well-baked honey cake was beloved in my family, and when I was growing up my aunt was the baker supreme. We all looked forward to visits to her house and thick slices of the cake for dessert. I think this honey cake is better than my Aunt Fannie's—and that's saying something. Of course, when she reads this, she may well disagree. Still, I think that the inviting aroma of the spices as the cake bakes and the added touch of a slightly crusty glaze at the end will win her over.