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Home » Recipes » Dessert

Simple Homemade Cakes and Pies

Simple Homemade Cakes and Pies with an emphasis on using fresh fruit or high-quality chocolate. They are great for a night in with family or for entertaining, and they always make a meal or get-together memorable.

I love to include tips and tricks to simplify fancy-seeming desserts to make them very manageable.

  • Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake with Lemon Glaze drizzled on top, cut into squares on parchment paper.
    Blueberry Lemon Crumb Cake with Lemon Glaze
  • Four Mini Basque Cheesecakes arranged in a semi-circle with one of the cheesecakes with a slice cut out and turned on its side to show the creamy interior of the cake.
    Mini Basque Cheesecake
  • Slices of a round flourless chocolate cake slightly separated from each other dusted with cocoa powder.
    Simple Flourless Chocolate Cake
  • A slice of Ricotta Cherry Cake topped with whipped cream and a single cherry.
    Ricotta Cherry Cake
  • A Classic Blueberry Pie with a lattice braided pie crust surrounded by blueberry hand pies and blue flowers.
    Classic Blueberry Pie with Easy Homemade Pie Crust
  • The Meringue Roulade with a cracked white crispy exterior and a lemon filling on a white marble board.
    Meringue Roulade
  • An Olive Oil Carrot Cake with two layers, cream cheese frosting and topped with chopped pecans.
    Olive Oil Carrot Cake
  • A grapefruit oilve oil cake sliced into 8 slices on a light blue summery plate dusted with powdered sugar and surrounded by sliced grapefruit pieces.
    Light and Fluffy Grapefruit Olive Oil Cake
  • Banana Bread cut into a square and frosted with Banana Bread Frosting.
    Banana Bread Frosting
  • Slices of Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread on a light background.
    Simple Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
  • A square slice of Banana Cake covered in chocolate frosting on a light background with other cake pieces nearby.
    Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting
  • Easy Loaf Pan Coffee Cake With Crumb Topping
  • A two layer Lemon Blueberry Mascarpone Cake with lemon curd filling and mascarpone fosting.
    Lemon Blueberry Mascarpone Cake
  • A slice of Chocolate Basque Cheesecake showing the rich chocolatey interior of the cake on a dark background.
    Chocolate Basque Cheesecake
  • Ginger Pie in a white ruffled pie dish with 8 pie slices cut and one slice on a plate nearby.
    Ginger Pie
  • An entire Maple Chocolate Walnut Pie with a golden crust and decorated with raw walnuts and yellow marigolds on a white marble background.
    Maple Chocolate Walnut Pie
  • Easy Apple Crostata
  • Fingers holding a slice of Chocolate Cream Pie With Graham Cracker Crust on a pie serving utensil with the rest of the pie in the background.
    Chocolate Cream Pie With Graham Cracker Crust
  • Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie
  • A fork holding a piece of cheesecake held over the remaining portion of the slice of cheesecake.
    Pumpkin Basque Cheesecake
  • A loaf pan basque cheesecake on a marble board with a dark background showing a cross section of the loaf with a creamy interior and caramelized exterior.
    Loaf Pan Basque Cheesecake
  • A slice of Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake on a small white plate with a light marble background surrounded by powdered sugar, extra blueberries, and purple and white flowers.
    Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Cake
  • Three slices of Italian olive oil cake showing the light airy texture of the cake dusted with powdered sugar on a black plate.
    Italian Olive Oil Cake
  • A slice of Lemon Rosemary Cake on a white marble serving board with a thin slice of lemon in the foreground and sunny greenery in the background.
    Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
  • A Classic Apple Pie with a golden lattice pie crust on a white marble background.
    Classic Apple Pie
  • The completed Key Lime Pie With Graham Cracker Crust topped with paper thin slices of lime and green lime zest.
    Key Lime Pie With Graham Cracker Crust
  • Overhead view of a salted caramel chocolate tart with one slice slightly removed.
    Biscoff Chocolate Tart with Salted Caramel
  • Cross section of cheesecake with a golden brown top, creamy center with a dark background.
    Cheesecake Without A Springform Pan
  • Overhead shot of slices of lemon pie without meringue on white plates with pink flowers and the remaining pie above.
    Lemon Pie Without Meringue
  • Raspberry Lemon Loaf cross section with lemon glaze dripping over a slice with lemons and raspberries for garnish.
    Raspberry Lemon Loaf
  • Swedish Apple Pie in a round fluted dish with two scoops of ice cream melting into the pie.
    Crustless Apple Pie (Swedish Apple Pie)
  • Swedish Blueberry Pie in a square baking dish with melted vanilla ice cream on top.
    Swedish Blueberry Pie
  • A thick slice of apple pie with crumb topping on a white plate with the rest of the pie in the background.
    Dutch Caramel Apple Pie
  • A fully baked Biscoff Pie Crust in a white pie dish.
    Biscoff Pie Crust
  • Two slices of Salted Caramel Mousse Cake drizzled with caramel and the rest of the cake in the background on a cake platter.
    Salted Caramel and White Chocolate Mousse Cake

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Lauren sitting at table in Tuscany with a glass of wine, charcuterie and rolling green hills and winery in the background.

I'm Lauren, I've worked in Finance, earned an MBA, and lived and traveled throughout Europe and the US. I love to cook and bake, and bring our family together around the table. Recipes shared here are real family recipes with real, fresh ingredients inspired by our travels.

More about me →

Easter Recipes

  • An Olive Oil Carrot Cake with two layers, cream cheese frosting and topped with chopped pecans.
    Olive Oil Carrot Cake
  • Mini Egg Bars cut into 25 equal sized squares with some squares at slight angles and one turned on its side.
    Mini Egg Bars
  • Easy Loaf Pan Coffee Cake With Crumb Topping
  • Overhead shot of slices of lemon pie without meringue on white plates with pink flowers and the remaining pie above.
    Lemon Pie Without Meringue
  • Blueberry Lemon Muffins on a cake stand with a white background decorated with blueberries and purple flowers.
    Blueberry Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
  • Four Mini Basque Cheesecakes arranged in a semi-circle with one of the cheesecakes with a slice cut out and turned on its side to show the creamy interior of the cake.
    Mini Basque Cheesecake

Most Popular

  • Banana Bread in square baking dish on a light background.
    Banana Bread without a Loaf Pan
  • A potato and rosemary pizza on a white background with three slices cut surrounded by rosemary garnish.
    Potato and Rosemary Pizza
  • A hand holding a spoonful of Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter over a bowl filled with the sauce on a light background.
    Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce with Butter
  • Thick slices of banana bread covered in a white maple glaze on a light background.
    Banana Bread Glaze
  • Thick slices of banana bread with streusel topping on a white serving board surrounded by crumbs.
    Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
  • Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Cookies stacked on top of each other showing the insides of the cookies and the melted chocolate chips.
    Chocolate Chip Rice Krispie Cookies

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