For me, a chocolate cake is the basic unit of celebration The chocolate Guinness cake here is simple but deeply pleasurable, and has earned its place as a stand-alone treat.

Amanda Saab, a social worker and home cook who lives near Detroit, riffs on her Lebanese grandmother's recipe for namoura, a cake made from semolina flour, soaked in syrup while it's still warm When she serves it at iftar dinners during Ramadan, Ms Saab often doses the syrup with a little bit of lavender extract

For a no-bake dessert that pays tribute to classic Black Forest cake, layer kirsch-soaked chocolate cookies with chocolate mousse, whipped cream, and cherry compote.

The hot milk cake is a tender, airy, exceedingly delicious cake that’s almost as delicate as a chiffon cake or genoise, but with just enough heft to feel like a lighter version of a vanilla butter cake.

With layers of mocha whipped cream and homemade chocolate chip cookies, this summertime icebox cake is bittersweet, creamy, and crunchy all at once.