Kara Middleton, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Kara Middleton has tested.

Cake stand with 7 frosted coconut cupcakes, four unfrosted cupcakes on the table, and a bowl of frosting.

Coconut Cupcakes

Kids can’t resist these sweet little somethings. That includes the kid in all of us.

Dried fruit and nut cake in slices on a wooden cutting board with parchment paper, beside a red and white dish towel.

Dried Fruit and Nut Cake

Chock-full of crunchy nuts and moist dried fruit, this cake is a taste sensation. May we suggest a choice of apricots, plums, pears, or peaches?

A cut citrus poppy seed cake with a white glaze.

Citrus Poppy Seed Cake

A harmony of sweet citrus notes nudges the classic lemon poppy seed cake in a less one-dimensional direction here. We may even be thinking of this as a 5D cake.

A Staub casserole dish filled with overnight French toast with caramel sauce and bananas and spoon resting in the dish.

Overnight French Toast with Caramel Sauce

French toast any day of the week becomes reality with this overnight rendition that’s heavy on the indulgence. Finally, a way to get everyone to clamber out of bed without complaint!

A bowl filled with spicy harissa lentil stew on a white plate with flat leaf parsley garnishing the dish and scattered around the bowl.

Spicy Harissa Lentils

An easy weeknight meal that’s an unassuming melding of red lentils, harissa, sautéed onions, and garlicky tahini sauce that can only be described as magical. (Yes, lentils can be magic.)

A slice of no-bake cheesecake drizzled with maple bourbon syrup on a white plate with a pitcher of syrup also on the plate.

No-Bake Cheesecake

We’re hearing from folks who’ve tried this cheesecake that it’s “unbelievable” just how spectacular it is for being no-bake and no-fuss. We couldn’t agree more.

A whole peeled pear in an opened piece of parchment with star anise and cardamom in a blue baking dish.

Pear Parcels with Star Anise

Infused with spice, suffused with booze, and wrapped oh so neatly, this last course makes quite the lovely gift for guests to unwrap.