Cake

The unusual name of this cake, also known as "Crazy," "Mixed-Up," "Mix-in-the-Pan," or "Three-Hole" cake, was inspired from the fact that the ingredients are sifted, mixed, and baked in the same pan. The result is a surprisingly light chocolate cake, quick to make, which kids love to help prepare because it is so easy. I like it plain (for breakfast!) or with whipped cream and fresh berries on the side.

There's a hint of cinnamon in the chocolate filling and the whipped cream topping.

I have written about my favorite cake recipe — the Tre, Tre, Tre Cake — for Epicurious. Recently, with a rather empty larder and company coming for dinner, I played around with that recipe and came up with this delicious dessert, which I named Anarchy Cake, because with recipes, as with so many things, Italians are basically anarchists.

Use two 6-mold nonstick mini-Bundt-cake pans or giant-muffin tins for these.

This elegant no-bake cheesecake has a smooth, airy filling similar to a mousse. To make the graham cracker crumbs, blend graham cracker pieces in a food processor.

Adding Beaumes-de-Venise — a delicate, fruity dessert wine — keeps this cake moist and adds a whole new dimension to its flavor. Combining blackberries with blackberry preserves for the topping brings out the best in the berries, whether they’re tart or sweet. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

This cake has a crunchy pecan-brown sugar topping and a layer of pears in the middle.

"When my daughter and son-in-law took me to Bridges in nearby Danville for my birthday, they told me the restaurant was in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire," says Merrybell Loesel of Walnut Creek, California. "I was even more impressed by dessert than I was by the restaurant's claim to fame—the chocolate pudding cake defies description." These individual cakes have a soft, pudding-like center. If you're short on time, substitute purchased vanilla or coffee ice cream: Soften it, and stir in some Frangelico—a hazelnut liqueur made in Italy—before serving.

"My cousin and I had a delicious chocolate cake at Watershed, a restaurant in nearby Decatur," writes Joyce Jue of Atlanta, Georgia. "I'd appreciate your getting the recipe so I can learn to make it."

Troy Hile of Santa Barbara, California , writes: "The Chocolate Scream! cake — a flourless chocolate cake — served at Los Olivos Cafe & Wine Merchant in Los Olivos, California, is the best I've ever tasted. I'd like to try my hand at making it."

Wendy Popp of Richmond, Virginia, writes: "My job as a physical therapist and my hobby, horseback riding, keep me pretty busy. But my sons — Sammy, two, and Weston, four — keep me moving the most, which has changed my cooking style. I used to be much more experimental, but now I need low-maintenance, tried-and-true recipes that will please the boys (including my husband, Jim) and impress dinner guests." This moist Bundt cake is a slight variation on a local award-winning recipe. After Wendy started making it, the dessert quickly became a family favorite.

Sweet potatoes make this moist; cranberries and walnuts add texture and color.

Pastel des Tres Leches con Rompope This special-occasion cake from the state of Sinaloa is spiked with rompope, a rich Mexican eggnog liqueur. It is heated with the tres leches until the mixture is reduced to a syrup that is poured over the hot cake.

You'll need six baby loaf pans for this recipe. Look for disposable ones at the market.

Chill this overnight to develop the blueberry flavor and give the filling time to set.

Thin, delicate layers of flourless chocolate cake are filled with silky chocolate-espresso mousse. Begin making this dessert at least one day ahead, and serve it straight from the freezer; the frozen mousse filling has the texture of soft ice cream.