Ready, Set, Gorgeous

A beautiful dessert, especially if showcased on a pretty plate or platter, makes a dazzling, sweet finish to a meal. Just be sure to have plenty of forks and spoons to go around. Caterer Laurence Craig had to create his own molds to bake replicas of the cakes pictured on Pierre Frey's delicious new Gourmandise fabric.

Our desserts are displayed on, from left: fluted pedestal platter ($19.95, Crate & Barrel); vintage English dessert plates ($295 for a set of six, Bergdorf Goodman); striped Galerie Royale dessert plate ($50, Bernardaud); stacked handblown crystal Edwina cake stands ($195 and $210, William Yeoward Crystal); Martha Stewart embossed-ceramic cake stand ($24.99, Kmart); Mosser Glass cake stand ($75, Fishs Eddy); Pavilion dessert plate with pierced edge ($16, Lauren Home, Ralph Lauren); and Ginger porcelain plate ($25, La Cafetière).