When most people bake a cake or pie or prepare some other dessert, they rely on the three staples of dessert dishes — wheat flour, eggs, and milk. Those are three of the top eight allergenic foods. If you’re a dessert lover, passing on dessert is not an option, and it doesn’t have to be. With these ten recipes on hand, you’ll always have something to top off after the main course. Use the following key to know if the recipe works with your specific allergy or allergies:

• EF: Egg free
• MF: Milk free
• NF: Nut free
• PF: Peanut free
• SF: Soy free
• WF: Wheat free

Fruit Crisp (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 16-ounce can sliced peaches
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk-free, soy-free margarine
• ¼ cup quick oats

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 1-quart casserole dish. Drain peaches and place in casserole dish. Set aside.
2. Blend together cornstarch, brown sugar, and margarine. Mix in oats. (Mixture will be lumpy.) Pour over peaches. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Blondie Cake (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 1½ cups flour
• 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup milk-free, soy-free margarine, softened
• 3 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons baking powder; mixed together
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch pan. Set aside. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Set aside. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, sugar, and margarine. Beat until well combined. Add water, oil, and baking powder mixture; and vanilla extract. Beat until light and creamy. Add flour mixture and beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 minutes, or until light golden brown, and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired.

Chocolate Pudding (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 1 cup sugar
• ¹⁄₃ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon milk-free, soy-free margarine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan; mix well. Add water, stirring with a wire whisk until well blended. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in margarine and vanilla extract.

2. Pour into individual cups. Let cool to room temperature. Chill completely in refrigerator before serving.

Tip: For a less sweet taste, reduce sugar by 1⁄3 cup. This recipe can be used as a pie filling.

Cream Filled Cupcakes (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF)

• 1½ cups flour
• 3 ⁄4 cup sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract coarse orange sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.

2. In large bowl, add all ingredients except colored sugar and mix well. Pour batter into prepared muffin tins. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Move to wire rack. Cool completely. Remove paper liners from cupcakes.

3. Prepare Cream Filling (see next recipe). Pour filling into pastry bag fitted with small pastry tip. Insert pastry tip into bottom of cupcake. Squeeze filling into cupcake until cupcake starts to expand. Turn cupcake over and use filling to make a swirl design on top. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

Cream Filling (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF)

• 1¼ cups flour, divided
• 1 cup vanilla rice beverage
• 1 cup milk-free, soy-free margarine, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract dash of salt

In medium saucepan, combine ¼ cup flour and rice beverage. Cook over medium heat until thick, stirring constantly. Set aside and allow to cool completely. In medium bowl, whip margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add remaining flour, rice beverage mixture, vanilla extract, and salt; beat 5 minutes.

Tip: To make a Thanksgiving cupcake, add a few drops of yellow or orange food coloring to the filling mixture. Use decorator gel to outline Pilgrim hats on the tops of cupcakes.

Hot Fudge Sauce (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 6 tablespoons milk-free, soy-free margarine
• ½ cup water
• 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In a small saucepan, combine margarine and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously.
2. Add chocolate; stir occasionally until it melts. Chocolate mixture may be lumpy.
3. Add sugar, com syrup, and salt. Boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Serve hot. Makes about 2 cups.

Pumpkin Pie (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1½ cups water
• 6½ tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ginger
• wheat-free pie crust (coconut pie crust works well; ¼ cup shortening, 2 cups coconut flakes,
  bake for 35 minutes or until light brown)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Pour into pie crust. Bake 30 minutes or until firm. Remove pie from oven, sprinkle Coconut Topping (see next recipe) on top. Bake 5 more minutes.

Coconut Topping (optional)

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup coconut

Mix brown sugar and coconut. Sprinkle on top of pie.

Raisin and Spice Cupcakes (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cup milk-free, soy-free margarine, softened
• 3 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons oil, 2 teaspoons baking powder; mixed together
• 2½ cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups applesauce
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside. In large bowl, beat sugar and margarine with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add water, oil, and baking powder mixture. Beat well. Stir in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, salt, nutmeg, applesauce, and raisins.

Spoon batter into muffin tins,²⁄3 full. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and sprinkle confectioners sugar on tops of cupcakes. Cool completely before serving.

Tip: These cupcakes stay moist for days. They hold together better and are easily removed from the paper liners if made a day or two in advance. Can also be made as a cake using an 8x8-inch greased and floured pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes at 350 degrees.

Vanilla Frosting (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• ²⁄3 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1-pound box confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream shortening and sugar until well blended. Add water. Beat until smooth. Chill at least one hour. Beat again and add vanilla.

Tip: This frosting works well for making flowers and other decorations. It can be made with lemon or orange extract instead of vanilla.

Sweet Potato Pie (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF, WF)

• 1 (40-ounce) can sweet potatoes, drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon dash of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk-free, soy-free margarine, softened
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup apple juice
• 2 packets unflavored gelatin
• 4 tablespoons warm water
• 1 wheat-free pie crust, unbaked

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mash sweet potatoes. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Mix well. Stir in margarine, salt, and apple juice. Set aside.

2. In small bowl, combine gelatin and warm water, stirring until gelatin dissolves. Add to sweet potato mixture. Mix well. Pour into pie crust. Bake 1 hour. Allow pie to set overnight before serving.

Tip: This recipe was tested using a glass pie dish. Increase the oven temperature by 25 degrees if you use an aluminum pie pan.

Wacky Chocolate Cake (EF, MF, NF, PF, SF)

• 1½ cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 5 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup cold water confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift dry ingredients into mixing bowl. Add vanilla, vinegar, oil, and water. Blend well; pour into ungreased 9-inch square pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. When cool, frost or sprinkle confectioners sugar on top. Tip: Omit cocoa powder, and add one mashed banana after adding water.