I've been making this cake for years and it's a winner. It's moist, has no frosting so is not super sweet and is always gobbled up by whatever group I've served it to. You can substitute a gluten-free flour like Cup4Cup to make it a gluten-free recipe.

I think it works better if you grease AND flour the pan. Make sure you let it cool before you try to take it out of the pan.

Here is a link that might be useful: Apple Cake

Just adults? here's an old standby. You can assemble it the night before.
Brownie trifle with Kahlua

1 box brownie mix, baked (9x13 pan)
1 cup (225 ml) Kahlua
3 boxes instant chocolate mousse, prepared according to directions
9 Heath bars (crushed)
3 small cartons Cool Whip or Whipping Cream

Preparation

Poke holes in baked brownies and pour Kahlua over.
Cut into thirds.

Assembly:

1/3 Crumble of the brownies into bottom of trifle bowl.
Then spread 1 box of the prepared mousse, next spread 1/3 of the Cool Whip and next sprinkle 3 crushed Heath bars over top.
Repeat layers two more times ending with crushed Heath bars.
Chill.

Maddielee, I was going to post a similar recipe but we call it Death by Chocolate. It's essentially the same thing, but without the Kahlua - I think I like how it sounds with Kahlua! I'll have to try that next time I make it. It looks like a hot mess when you spoon it into a dish, but it is fabulous!

Why do people ruin a good chocolate dessert by adding coffee or alcohol!! A good chocolate dessert should be just that, chocolate.

That's the way I feel about mushrooms, chispa.

I made panna cotta (recipe link below) for the first time the other night. I topped it with Nutella. So very easy & so incredibly delicious.

One of the commentators said that if he takes this dessert to parties, he makes the panna cotta in small jam jars like these:

If you decide to try it, bring a jar of Nutella with you. Soften the Nutella in a microwave for 15 seconds to make it more fluid for topping the panna cotta. If you chill the Nutella with the panna cotta, it gets very hard (my newbie mistake!), so add it at the last minute instead.

Or you could top the panna cotta with fruit or a number of other toppings if you don't want to fuss with Nutella.

Here is a link that might be useful: perfect panna cotta

I just made mother's pumpkin chiffon pie for tgiving dinner. It is wonderful, make ahead and enjoyed by all.

Harvey Wallbanger cake is always a big hit....so nice and moist.

My new favorite dessert which is also easy to make and needs to be made ahead of time....at least overnight is mock chocolate eclair. Only difference is, make sure you get the french vanilla pudding...more like custard than the regular.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Well, to me favorite depends on what kind of mood I am in. Sometimes it is chocolate truffle cake, sometimes it is panna cotta (though my favorite right now is a buttermilk panna cotta with a fruit coulis) but, one dessert that is made ahead that is generally well loved is this maple mousse. Simple ingredients and almost never any left overs.

Maple Mousse
Serves 10
From the Cookbook Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c cold water
2 c heavy (whipping) cream
4 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp maple extract (I skip this)
1 c maple syrup (I like Trader Joe's grade B)
Chopped macadamia nuts, or pecans &more syrup
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

In a small bowl, soften the gelatin in the cold water. In a small mixer bowl, beat the egg yolks until light. Continuing to beat, add the maple syrup slowly until the syrup is incorporated into the yolks. Add the gelatin and blend. Transfer the mixture to a large, heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat just until it bubbles up in the center, about 3-4 minutes. Watch carefully, stirring with a whisk because the mixture will burn easily. Set aside to cool but do not refrigerate. This mixture will set surprisingly fast--in less than an hour-so be vigilant; you do not want it to be firm.

Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a large mixer bowl until soft peaks form. Beat in the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, and continue beating whites until they are stiff and shiny. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the not-quite-firm maple syrup mixture to lighten it. Pour over the remaining whites and fold in. In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream and maple extract together until soft peaks form. Fold into the maple syrup mixture. Spoon mousse into large, stemmed wineglasses, sherbet glasses or pots de cr�me. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Sprinkle mousse with macadamia nuts or pecans and sever with a pitcher of additional maple syrup to pour over the top.

Enjoy in good health!

A few:

pots de creme (double chocolate pudding)
pear tart with quince paste on puff pastry, w carmelized pistachios
mini pavlovas with mango pur�e and whipped cream
pumpkin cheesecake
fresh fruit w dip (sour cream, coconut and any preserve ...I use figs)
cheese course
chocolate peppermint pie

or a real crowd pleaser I made last year ...

chocolate cake rolled w fresh whipped cream, decorated w darn cute meringue mushrooms

... a Buche de Noel riff

This is really, really easy if you have a food processor and best if made ahead and left to sit for awhile. Perfect holiday flavors, the house smells heavenly when cooking the oranges, and everyone I've ever served it to raves about it. Clementines are available now. The notes are Nigella's.

Nigella Lawson's Clementine Cake

Ingredients

4 to 5 clementines (about 1 pound total weight)
6 eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/3 cups ground almonds
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Directions

Put the clementines in a pot with cold water to cover, bring to the boil, and cook for 2 hours. Drain and, when cool, cut each clementine in half and remove the seeds. Then finely chop the skins, pith, and fruit in the processor (or by hand, of course).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter and line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

Beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Mix well, adding the chopped clementines. I don't like using the processor for this, and frankly, you can't balk at a little light stirring.

Pour the cake mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 1 hour, when a skewer will come out clean; you'll probably have to cover the cake with foil after about 40 minutes to stop the top from burning. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, in the pan on a rack. When the cake is cold, you can take it out of the pan. I think this is better a day after it's made, but I don't complain about eating it anytime.
Notes:
I've also made this with an equal weight of oranges and lemons, in which case I increase the sugar to 1 1/4 cups and slightly Anglicize it, too, by adding a glaze made of confectioners' sugar mixed to a paste with lemon juice and a little water.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clementine Cake

Here's a super easy one that always gets compliments.

Creme de menthe cake

Prepare your favorite white cake mix (use the no yolk method). Follow the directions except substitute 1/4 cup of the water with creme de menthe.

When the cake cools, frost with chocolate fudge frosting (not plain chocolate).

Mix two tablespoons of creme de menthe into a container of Cool Whip. Spread the Cool Whip mixture on the cake and then refrigerate the cake for a few hours. Serve cold.

The cake turns a pretty spring green color and tastes like a mild peppermint patty.

I always get asked for the recipe. To be honest, it offends my cooking sensibilities because it's boxed caked and cool whip and canned frosting. :) But it's different and tastes good so I continue to make it.

This is super easy and no baking involved.
1 package of Oreo cookies crushed
1 8oz. pkg. Cream cheese
Any kind of melting chocolate, (milk, dark, dark with mint, even white with candy cane pieces.

Mix crushed cookies with room temp cream cheese,
roll into bite size balls and place on cookie sheet lined with waxed or parchment paper. Stick in freezer while melting chocolate. Dip cookie balls into chocolate and refrigerate. Chocolate hardens quickly. Done.
You could put them in small festive cupcake fluted cups.
You could also add sprinkles while chocolate is still soft.
My DD just made them for a baby shower and tinted the white chocolate pink for a baby girl. They were a big hit.

Judie, funny, I just found that oreo recipe last night and decided it was a good option for one of the treats I give to neighbors for Christmas.

Thank you all for the great ideas. I'm going to save some of them for the future, and I hope the ideas may have been helpful to others here, too. In the hours since my posting and now, the end of the week has gotten even more scheduled, so I think I'm taking an easy route -- my friend's homemade hot fudge sauce recipe, brownies from a local farm shop (they are amazing), and peppermint stick ice cream. Somewhat holiday-esque, and if people don't like brownies, they can have ice cream, and vice versa.

This easy recipe is a dessert or a salad, and always popular as it is fairly healthy, depending on the type of ingredients you use.

It makes a great presentation.

GRAPE SALAD

Red, black, and green grapes, no seeds (or just one or two types is fine), stems removed, washed and thoroughly dried.

Place in large clear trifle bowl, layering by color or mixing, or in individual wine or champagne or dessert glasses, clear.

Mix together:

--1 package of cream cheese (regular or low or no fat)
--1 small carton of sour cream (again, regular, low or no fat)
--Powdered sugar (I guess at it starting with 1/3 cup and sweetening to taste--you can also use SPLENDA)
--1 tsp good vanilla

Mix with mixer, then pour over the grapes.
If individual glasses, of course only pour a tablespoon or so over each glass.

Refrigerate.

--Just before serving, sprinkle brown sugar and chopped pecans over the creamy mixture.

This has never failed to get great reviews from adults and children alike!

I am not much of a dessert person but I'd kill for that pear tart recipe, Mtn!

Dutch Apple Pie

just eye ball the amount of apples. I use any kind. I find a mixture of empires and macs are good.
3 T flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
sprinkle of nutmeg
Mix together and place in pie crust
Add 2 T of milk and 2T diced butter (yes butter) to the top of the apples in the crust
At this point you could put on the 2nd crust - brush with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
or
you can do the dutch topping
3/4 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
Mix until it is a pastey consistency. dollop on top
Bake for 45-55 minutes at 375.
Really good! It should be given all the butter in it.

My mother had this recipe out of the newspaper. It is a coffee cake that uses sour cream as one of the ingredients. Very easy and really awesome. I need to make this again!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sour cream coffee cake

Even though I don't eat brownies or ice cream, I think the brownie-sauce-peppermint ice cream thing sounds perfect. Except for a few oddballs like me, the various ingredients and combinations should please everyone.

Sue, this old icebox cake recipe is super easy, and presented in this way, very impressive looking.

Here is a link that might be useful: Smitten Kitchen icebox cake

I took this easy peanut butter pie to my SILs at Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. It was shamefully easy. I also chopped up Reese's peanut butter cups and added it to the mix and used the chopped pieces for garnish.

I used a store bought Oreo shell instead of making my own which made it even less time consuming.

Love it when people think you've really worked hard on something that was easy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Recipe

Looks wonderful, but all I can pull up is the photo on Pininterest.

Above the photo, on the right, click on allrecipes.com

Sorry. I should have made it clear. I almost took a screen shot of the recipe from all-recipe but I didn't know if this site would allow that.

Or I could have actually typed out the recipe, but too time consuming.

Let me know if you don't get to the recipe.

I was clicking the allrecipes.com BELOW the photo and coming up with a potato soup recipe.

I LOVE this thread!