Family Desserts

Dark, soft old-fashioned molasses gingerbread baked in a 9 inch square pan and served the way it used to be, with a thin, sharp, warm lemon sauce poured over each square. Cups and grams, and the hot water step that makes the crumb.

Arkansas possum pie with a pecan shortbread crust, a sweet cream cheese layer, a thick chocolate pudding layer and whipped cream spread to the edges so the chocolate stays hidden. Cups and grams, and only the crust is baked.

A classic Southern red velvet layer cake finished with the original cooked flour frosting, also called ermine: white, light as whipped cream and not too sweet. Cups and grams, step by step.

An old-fashioned Southern caramel cake: three 9-inch yellow layers and a real cooked caramel icing, taken to 238°F and beaten by hand until it starts to lose its shine. Cups and grams, and the two-minute rule for icing it.

The classic strawberry pretzel salad: a salty buttered pretzel crust, a sweet cream cheese and whipped topping layer, and strawberry gelatin with sliced strawberries set on top. With the sealing trick that stops the gelatin leaking and the timing that keeps the pretzels crunchy.

Indiana sugar cream pie made the old way: sugar, flour, heavy cream, vanilla, butter and nutmeg stirred right in the unbaked crust, with no eggs at all.

The classic Texas sheet cake: a thin, tender chocolate cake baked in a jelly roll pan, with a boiled chocolate pecan frosting poured over while both are warm so it sets into a glossy sheet. Feeds a crowd, ready in under an hour. Cups and grams.

Old-fashioned Depression-era water pie: plain water poured into an unbaked deep dish crust, flour and sugar sprinkled over without stirring, vanilla and five pats of butter. Cups and grams, and why it only sets once it is cold.

Old-fashioned lemon icebox pie: a graham cracker crust, a filling of sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks and fresh lemon juice that thickens on its own, a short bake to set the yolks, then hours in the cold. Sharp, sweet and sliceable. Cups and grams.

Classic pineapple upside-down cake made in a cast iron skillet: brown sugar and butter caramel, pineapple rings with a cherry in each, a soft buttery cake poured over, and the flip onto the plate. With the timing that keeps every ring in place. Cups and grams.

This easy homemade strawberry jam tastes like summer in a jar, and you don’t need any special equipment or a ton of sugar to make it happen. I still remember the first time I made…

This easy 3 ingredient chocolate mousse is the dessert you make when you want something that feels impossibly luxurious, but takes almost no effort. It’s silky, deeply chocolatey…