This moist chocolate cake with a fine, delicate crumb is made with unsweetened chocolate and cocoa. To slice each layer in half, use a serrated knife and, with a sawing motion, make a 1-inch-deep horizontal cut around the middle of each layer. Use this cut to guide the knife as you slice from one side through to the other.

In this guacamole, the onion, chile and cilantro are ground into a paste before being combined with the avocado, resulting in a richer, more flavorful dip.

In Ireland, the traditional breads evolved to suit both the ingredients and the cooking capabilities of the times. Because of the climate, only soft wheat could grow, so Irish breads developed from using soft wheat flour and the popular milk of the time, buttermilk. Soda bread is very versatile and appears in many forms-as a round cake, as individual rolls or scones, baked in the oven or on a griddle, or even in a large covered pan over an open fire.

These soft and buttery treats are loaded with three types of chips and coarsely chopped pecans.

Sweet, salty and delicious, these chewy bars are the perfect Halloween treat.

By CCA Member Joan Deady; San Francisco, California

This very rich, very creamy cheesecake boasts a chocolate crust, chocolate filling and two kinds of chocolate chips scattered throughout. For best results, first bring the eggs and cream cheese to room temperature, and be careful not to overbeat them. This will help prevent cracking.

These cookies, packed with three types of chocolate and two kinds of nuts, are absolutely divine.

A delicious twist on a classic dessert, this cake is made with three chocolate mousses: semisweet, white and milk chocolate. Make the sponge cake the day before or early in the morning so there’s time to chill the assembled cake 2 to 4 hours before serving.

Three forms of ginger (grated fresh, ground and crystallized) give surprising pizzazz to the mellow custard and sweet fruit flavor of this pudding. You can vary the quantity of each type of ginger to suit your own taste, or kick it up a notch if you wish. Peaches, nectarines or apricots can be substituted for the pears.