Fruity Fall Desserts

Enjoy pumpkin spiced cake as an indulgent breakfast or teatime treat.

Yogurt adds a slight tartness to this cake from home cook Mária Keresztes Kovács. While any stone-fruit may be substituted, plums—especially Italian plums—are in season well into autumn.

Ripe black mission figs, sweet brown sugar, and just a hint of cinnamon combine beautifully in this swirled ice cream, as lovely to look at as it is to eat.

Eva Powell, a former elementary-school librarian in Mitchell, Indiana, has won the town’s pudding contest five times with her recipe for persimmon pudding with a crispy, cake-like crust.

These Lebanese shortbread cookies feature a buttery pastry scented with rose and orange blossom waters wrapped around a cinnamon and nutmeg–spiced date filling.

A pie filled with fresh pears, drizzled with cream, and sprinkled with sugar and flour makes an incredibly simple, elegant dessert.

Farina undergoes an unexpected transformation from hot cereal to airy pudding in this tart-sweet Latvian dessert, which is typically served with milk poured on top.

Sweet dates are roasted in a cinnamon-spiced sherry syrup.

A cinnamon-spiced sauce of butter and melted caramel candies poured over apples makes a wonderfully sweet, gooey pie filling.

Applesauce adds moisture and sweet apple flavor in a lovely cinnamon-spiced, autumnal cake.

A rosemary-laced cornmeal crust adds a fragrant, savory dimension to classic apple pie. Get the recipe for Apple-Rosemary Lattice Pie »

The recipe for this quick and easy tart comes from the fifth edition of Joy of Cooking (Bobbs-Merrill, 1963), and features crushed amaretti cookies, walnuts, and brandy-soaked raisins.

What could be better than gooey, delicious caramel-coated apples? Gooey, delicious caramel-coated apples with nuts.

Grape jelly intensifies the flavor of ripe plums in this sweet-tart summer pie from Drummond Ranch pie contestant Tracy Harris.

Cooks in the Italian Alpine village of Oulx flavor this tart with red wine and cinnamon to honor the town’s patron saint, Sant’Antonio. Get the recipe for Torta di Sant’Antonio (Sant’Antonio Apple Tart) »

Classic frozen yogurt gets a boost from floral persimmon and toasted spices.

Fresh or frozen cranberries make the base for this tart custard pie.

This recipe comes from the so-called Grape Pie Queen of Naples, New York, Irene Bouchard. She started baking these sweet pies in the early ’70’s.

This special-occasion cake features layers of cardamom-scented shortbread baked until golden and lightly crisp, sandwiching homemade prune filling under a thin coffee glaze.

Layered with gingersnap cookies and pecans, this refreshing ice cream has all the spicy sweet flavors of pumpkin pie.

Simple and delicious, this recipe brings out the sweet flavor of the apples. Three days before the feast, start prepping by making the pie dough for both pies, the cranberry sauce, and the mashed potatoes. Bring your bird home at least two days before Thanksgiving so you have ample time to presalt, a simple step that keeps the turkey juicy and intensifies its natural flavors.
Get the recipe for Classic Apple Pie »

Poaching Bosc pears in port wine turns them a beautiful, vibrant red. Get the recipe for Port Wine Poached Pears »

This satisfying pastry layers plum preserves and walnuts for a gooey, crumbly cake.

This sweet, tart fruit pie is a beautiful showcase for the flavors of fall and winter. It’s great on a holiday table, and is at its best when served alongside a plate of cheese: the rich quince flavor balances beautifully with a wedge of funky, crumbly blue beside it on the plate.

We enjoyed this warm and comforting dessert while visiting a sheep farm in new Zealand. Get the recipe for Apple Crumble with Hot Custard »