Caramel Banana Cake

We all have one. That Dessert. The one that we pull out, with a sly smile, when we want to make a big impression and leave people groaning with pleasure. The fudgiest chocolate cake. The homemade ice cream with caramel swirl. The pie your mother taught you how to bake. What is your personal knock-out, show-stopping, crowd-pleasing dessert pick? 

I haven't made a pie in awhile and I was thinking at this point that I'd hold out until early spring berries made their way into the markets. But recently, I overheard talk of a pie that caught me off guard: Chai-Spiced Banana Cream Pie. I didn't have a recipe, but I could only imagine how amazing the spice-flecked vanilla custard, soft bananas and pillowy whipped cream would taste, so I set to work. More

It's Girl Scout cookie season and if you're anything like me, you've been sidetracked at the grocery store by sweet looking Scouts hawking Thin Mints and Samoas. As a former Girl Scout who once did her fair share of hawking, I have trouble saying no. Plus, I like cookies. Last week a little news story brought to my attention a fact I've long known: there's a trick to making them taste even better. More

Who doesn't have vanilla extract in their pantry right now? If not the extract, then maybe vanilla paste or whole vanilla beans. But what about those other flavorings you see on the grocery shelves? Read on for six additional extracts we like to have on hand for making desserts. More

Q: Do I need to refrigerate cupcakes that are filled with homemade lemon curd? I'm finding very conflicting information online, and I don't want to make a bunch of people sick!

Sent by Morgan

Q: I'm hosting a boozy St. Patrick's Day brunch this Saturday and wanted to make alcoholic Shamrock Shakes. Can you recommend a good recipe?

Sent by Kristin

Growing up in the middle of Alabama did not encourage too much cross-cultural eating. On the weekends, my mother served country ham biscuits, breakfast casserole, and cheesy stone-ground grits (sometimes all at the same time!). Back then I'd never heard of migas or scrapple, congee or crêpes. I'd certainly never heard of a blintz, and boy was this Southern girl missing out! More

Q: I was wondering if you had any advice on how to create recipes for baked goods. I cook pretty much all meals without recipes, unless I'm trying out something brand new, but when it comes to baking I limit my edits to adding chopped up fruit, a pinch of cinnamon or putting less sugar than the recipe asks for. 

Q: Help! I'm looking for ways to dress up a gluten-free vanilla cake. My girlfriend's birthday is this weekend and I picked up a package of Bob's Red Mill gluten-free vanilla cake mix (per great reviews), but need some help to dress it up a bit and make it beautiful and birthday-worthy. 

My mom used to make homemade Chex Mix when we were growing up, so while I don't buy many packaged snacks these days, I sometimes grab a bag of Chex Mix as a guilty-pleasure treat. When I saw this recipe for Chocolate Coconut Chex mix last week, I knew I was in for trouble. More