Dessert

Makes about 3 cups

Tangy and sweet, classic cream cheese frosting has topped both carrot cake and gingerbread forever, and far be it from us to separate these classic American pairings. Although it was difficult to improve on the original recipe, we have added a few steps to the method to keep the consistency smooth and shiny; softening the butter and creaming it with the sugar until smooth before adding the cream cheese will eliminate any little bits of butter that have a tendency to pop up in cream cheese frosting.

"I start with this because I think it is the essence of all that is desirable in chocolate its dark intensity isn't toyed with, nor upstaged by any culinary elaboration. This is the plainest of plain loaf cakes-but that doesn't convey the damp, heady aromatic denseness of it. To understand that, you just have to cook it. And as you'll see, that isn't hard at all.

Is it a crumble, or is it a cake? Not even Rachel Allen knows. But one thing’s for certain: rhubarb and ginger are a match made in pudding heaven

Similar to cinnamon rolls but with soft maple sugar and maple syrup (from the Eastern Townships is best)...

A dense chocolate cake decorated to look like a cup of cappuccino. It is dead easy to make though it looks as though it has been concocted by a professional pastry chef. Your guests will be very impressed. The cake can be made up to five days in advance, but add the whipped cream just before serving. Garnish with chocolate espresso beans if desired.

Served by Camille and Leah at our Mighty Popo fundraiser concert in June 2011.

"Popcorn at the movies was ruined when they replaced the real butter with that odd-tasting "butter-flavored" topping. Popcorn really has no flavor, and it's only made edible with butter and salt, or even better, with a flavored butter. This spicy-sweet popcorn is my version of a savory snack served at a popular Toronto tapas bar to accompany pre-dinner drinks."

This cake makes a good dessert served with fruit and whipped cream or crème fraîche. Quick and east to make, the cake will stay moist for a few days but is at its best a few hours after baking.

Ginger is a flavour so associated with cookies that sometimes it is forgotten for cake. In this recipe, you get to enjoy ginger to the max, with ground, fresh and crystallised ginger all packing a punch in the batter.