8 Gourmet Desserts

We have a secret weapon in our Test Kitchen: Deb Wise, an experienced baker who gets the science and loves the challenge of making light sweets with sublime texture and glorious flavor. Here, we offer Deb’s wisest offerings yet.

First we have this Pumpkin-Hazelnut Cheesecake. Spiced pumpkin adds seasonal color and warm flavors to this magnificent double-decker dessert. Hazelnuts contribute their unique browned butter note to the wonderfully dense cake beneath the silky cheesecake. Shards of brittle add drama and style.

A big cloud of fluffy meringue sits on top of this classic. Rest assured healthy eaters, the base of this dessert is fat-free frozen Greek yogurt — much healthier than a cream-based frozen dessert.

Whimsical cookie cups bedazzled with sugar crystals add sparkle to your holiday table. The bracingly tart cranberry sherbet lends a pop of garnet color.

Soft, fine-crumbed cake gives way with each forkful, allowing creamy frosting to drape every bite.

The gourmet treat was made for fall — just look at it; warm brown sugar topping trickles down over the pecan cake and caramel mousse.

Similar to a flourless chocolate cake, this sinfully delicious mousse has a superthin cake-like outer layer and a dense, fudgy center—it’s as rich and satisfying as any chocolate dessert you’ll find.

We fully embrace the peppery punch of fresh ginger, which gives this moist cake a surprising tingle. Kumquats offer a tart, sweet kick to the glaze drizzled over the warm cake.  A bundt pan is key for presentation here.

The beauty of this dish lies in the contrasting textures of a crisp cookie and ethereal, airy mousse.