Baking

Forget the boxed version you grew up with. This yellow cake recipe gets a rich dark-chocolate frosting with a touch of tang thanks to sour cream. For the best presentation, it’s important to cut the cake layers evenly. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

This cake is perfect for beginners—it’s moist, forgiving, and easy. Jif creamy peanut butter is our favorite for the decadent frosting.

If you like, serve this chocolate-cinnamon recipe with whipped cream or an extra dollop of yogurt—or, of course, a cup of coffee.

In this gâteau breton aux pommes, or apple cake, apples are caramelized before being baked in buttery batter. Why stop there? Salted caramel sauce lets guests indulge even further.

These delicate cheese puffs always impress. Once you get the hang of the dough, you’ll serve them at every opportunity.

Peggy Loftus, a contributor to Food52, devised these stellar custards.

It may look like a giant lunch-box treat, but an ultra-smooth ganache and a final flourish of crunchy sea salt make this one elegant cake.

Lime zest is a fresh addition to macaroons, and a Microplane is our zesting tool of choice. If you can’t find unsweetened coconut chips, use two 7-oz. bags of sweetened shredded coconut and reduce the sugar to 1 Tbsp.

The late Richard Sax, celebrated cookbook author and champion of home cooks the world over, inspired this flourless chocolate cake—a riff on his iconic chocolate cloud cake.

This simple, moist banana bread recipe can also be baked in three small (5¾x3¼”) loaf pans, which is how you’ll find them at Julia’s stand; cooking time will be 40–50 minutes. For the deepest flavor, use ripe bananas with lots of freckles.

Using frozen berries in desserts is a clever way to add flavor and vibrant color in colder months. Choose a mild honey, such as clover or orange blossom, to let the fruits shine.

Parchment paper is a lifesaver when making this rustic tart. Use it when rolling out the tender, delicate crust (it’ll keep it from sticking), then use it to fold over the edges of the galette.

Part of what gives this cake its light texture is beating the butter and sugar well, so don't rush this step.

This recipe calls for baking one giant cookie, a way to ensure even, consistent ice cream sandwiches.

Once in a while in the Test Kitchen, there’s a dish that we can’t get enough of. This simple, layered dessert is so good, we fought over the last bite.

You may get six or eight soufflés out of this recipe. Older eggs will create more voluminous whipped whites, meaning more batter. Dry days (as opposed to humid weather) will help make the meringue loftier, too.

This is one of those sleeper recipes that’s more complex-tasting than it sounds. Each element is supereasy to prepare and can be made days in advance, but the finished dessert is a stunner.

These little blueberry pies are simple to make, and thanks to their rectangular shape, you won’t end up with wasted scraps of dough. 

This tangy, crustless cheesecake feels light and airy thanks to the addition of beaten egg whites.

The key to a tender biscuit is to handle the dough as little as possible.

As summer progresses and apricots go out of season, try these desserts with ripe plums instead.