Chocolate is credited for making this famous cake famous. It’s yellow, cream-filled cake layers are topped by a sweet disc of chocolate ganache, a novelty in Boston’s dining rooms of the 1800’s. This version of the famous cake is still served at the Omni Parker House in Boston, where it was invented.

The Parker House Hotel in Boston is one of those grand oldies, heavy with mahogany and wainscotting. Not only is it home to Parker House Rolls, but also, the Boston Cream Pie. Now the Omni Parker House Hotel, it still serves both classics.

New England’s classic soup/meal for centuries.

This is the recipe for the sweet, golden cake crumb muffin with a generous trove of blueberries inside that I hope to find at bed & breakfast tables when I am seaside in Maine or passing through Minnesota’s lake country in the summer.  The recipe works with the bigger (highbush) variety as well, and also works with frozen berries if you miss the wild blueberry harvest in your state.)

This rich variation on the versatile chocolate sauce, ganache, makes an easy fondue for cake squares or for dipping fresh fruit slices.

Raisins are a major crop of California’s fertile Central Coast and the grape-growing wine country there. These muffins showcase the raisins with whole grains and tangy buttermilk. They are easy to make and might even be healthy if they weren’t so wonderfully sweet. If you want to dial down the sugar, use applesauce instead.

Applesauce can be enjoyed on its own, or used to sweeten up plain yogurt for a snack or accompany a roasted pork chop at dinner. A perfect staple for all seasons and a fun recipe to make and enjoy with family.

This rich coffee cake uses the same technique as Pineapple Upsidedown Cake and Tarte Tatin to achieve a soft, caramelized fruit top. It relies on layers - first, the caramel, then sliced apples and cherries, then the cake batter. Once baked and cooled, flip the cake out on a cake plate and the caramel soaks the cake and the soft, sweet apples will be on top.