8 Gourmet Desserts

By Deb Wise
October 09, 2012
Photo: Nigel Cox
Scrumptious, beautiful, and surprisingly light, these artisan desserts are sure to trick guests into thinking you went to an expensive bakery. Keep these recipes in mind for the holidays and special occasions.
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From Cooking Light's Test Kitchen to Your Kitchen Table

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Pumpkin-Hazelnut Cheesecake

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.

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Baked Alaska

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Baked Alaska

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.

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Cranberry Sherbet in Tuile Cups

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Cranberry Sherbet in Tuile Cups

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

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Chocolate Cake with Fluffy Frosting

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Chocolate Cake with Fluffy Frosting


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

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Pecan Cake with Caramel Mousse and Brown Sugar Topping

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Pecan Cake with Caramel Mousse and Brown Sugar Topping

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

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Baked Chocolate Mousse

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Baked Chocolate 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.

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Fresh Ginger Cake with Candied Citrus Glaze

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Fresh Ginger Cake with Candied Citrus Glaze

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.

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Almond-Mocha Mousse

Photo: Nigel Cox
View Recipe: Almond-Mocha Mousse

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

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