Vanilla

For this fall dessert, you’ll give your apple cake a luscious drizzle of toffee sauce.

Also known as the hummingbird cake, this sweet and spiced cake originated in Jamaica.

This easy no-churn ice cream relies on whipped cream and sweetened condensed milk for its creamy texture, and is flavored with rich espresso and toasted hazelnuts.

The salty-sweet crust on this no-bake peach cheesecake is not to be missed.

This fragrant coconut cake is dense and chewy inside and crisp on the top.

You can think of the chiffon cake as angel food cake’s even fluffier cousin.

This easy no-cook pastry cream requires no hand-whisking or tempering, and the ingredients don’t even have to come to room temperature.

This easy crepe recipe calls for brandy, but you can substitute any flavorful spirit or liqueur to customize it to your tastes and pantry.

Calling something the “world’s best cake” is quite a statement, but it’s not something taken lightly by Norwegians.

One of the most famous cakes in Sweden, Prinsesstårta is known for its showstopping layers of sponge cake, pastry cream, and raspberry jam.

Lemony sticky buns are the best buns.

Pastéis de nata have a melt-in-the-mouth, fragile, flaky crust and a not-too-sweet custard that is caramelized and darkened in spots.

Warbat is a popular snack during the month of Ramadan. The flaky pastry is drizzled with rose water syrup and sprinkled with vivid green crushed pistachios.

This mosaic jello uses gelatina de leche as a base in which colorful cubes of three other gelatin flavors are suspended. If you’re having a birthday party, use small cups instead of a baking dish for individually portioned treats!

The thought of making homemade caramel sauce is daunting for many cooks, but there’s no reason to be intimidated. It’s simple to prepare and, start to finish, takes only 15 to 20 minutes, after which you have a luscious, full-bodied sauce to drizzle on apple and peach pies, use in and on cream pies, and top off pie à la mode. No fancy equipment needed: just a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and a candy thermometer.

My classic salted caramel, enriched with butter and a touch of cream for a thick, smooth sauce, is perfect as a pie topping, or served alongside à la mode slices.

It’s never a bad idea to serve pie with plenty of whipped cream. Think your pie is sweet enough? You can leave the sugar out—ain’t nothin’ wrong with plain ol’ whipped cream. For a luxurious twist, try the mascarpone variation below.