Layer Cake

Root vegetables were often used to lend sweetness to eighteenth-century cakes and puddings. The carrot cake layers in this recipe are sandwiched with marmalade and iced with a cream cheese frosting.

Cream of coconut is added to the batter and the whipped cream frosting. You can make and chill the cake up to one day ahead.

Tall and beautiful, sweet and tart, this cake has lots of lemon flavor and plenty of style, too. It's the perfect finale for a St. Patrick's Day dinner or other special occasion.

For many Southerners the holidays wouldn't be the same without coconut cake. Because coconuts can be difficult nuts to crack — especially for cooks new to the task — we offer an easy method that involves baking the coconut briefly (which does not alter the coconut's flavor appreciably). If the coconut doesn't crack while in the oven, it will once force is applied.

A thick layer of pure white chocolate truffle separates the amaretto-brushed layers, and a bit more truffle filling is used to flavor the whipped cream icing.

Begin making this one day in advance. For best results, use a rich, premium ice cream, as it will freeze firmly.

You'll need two dozen lemon leaves or camellia leaves to make the chocolate decoration. If you don't have unsprayed leaves from your own or a friend's garden, get them from a florist.

Melissa Harden of Omaha, Nebraska, writes: "To celebrate our recent engagement, my fiancé and I spent a long weekend at the Mondrian in Los Angeles. Our stay was perfect, as was dinner at the hotel's Asia de Cuba restaurant, where I couldn't get enough of the rich Cuban Opera cake." A traditional Opera cake is made from very thin layers of cake, coffee buttercream, and coffee mousse — all covered with chocolate glaze. This version, which is perfect for a special occasion, is taller than your average Opera cake, owing to its thicker layers.

Buttermilk makes the cake tender, and cream cheese adds great texture to the frosting.

Dark rum moistens the cake layers and adds another festive flavor to this beautiful and delicious holiday dessert. The cake can be made and chilled two days ahead.

A decadent, impressive dessert that appeals to everyone's inner Boy Scout or Girl Scout. Begin preparing this a day ahead.

Susan Murphy of Kansas City, Missouri, writes: "My daughter and I love to spruce up boxed cake mixes with spices, nuts, or fruit. One afternoon we decided to experiment with banana muffin mix instead. We made a very moist cake, filled it with fresh banana slices, then topped it with creamy homemade frosting. It's one of our favorite creations to date."

"A few weeks before my best friend’s wedding in San Francisco, I flew into town for her bridal shower," writes Constance Stevenson of Portland, Oregon. "The luncheon was catered by Thymes Two Catering. For dessert, they served an elegant blueberry and lemon layer cake with a tangy lemon frosting."