Playing with the key flavours in a dessert is part of the fun of baking. Whether the motivation is to be more in tune with the seasons, using what's plentiful and readily available, dietary restrictions, or just to switch it an old favourite, there are dozens of ways to vary a recipe and not sacrifice a thing.

Switch up the fruits in fruit-based desserts

A good crumble can be made at any time of the year, but relies on really lovely fruit to make it a triumph. Use a good basic recipe, keep the topping, and simply adjust the sweetening and the thickener according to the nature of the fruits you're choosing. Most crumble, cobbler, and crisp recipes call for a certain amount of fruit, and the amount pretty much stays the same no matter what fruit you're using; six cups of apples can be six cups of peaches. Taste the fruit; if it's sweeter than the fruit called for in the original, reduce the amount of sugar somewhat. If it's juicier, increase the thickening agent (flour, cornstarch, tapioca, etc.) a bit. Feel free to play with the flavourings, too: add cinnamon to an apple crumble, some ginger when making it with pears and cranberries, vanilla bean and lemon zest when using fresh peaches and blackberries.

Use similar fruits in place of each other

Use pears and apples interchangeably, and try different varieties. If a recipe calls for caramelized pears, try doing the same with apples. Or if you've always used Macs for your famous crumble, try using something different: Fugis, Pink Ladys, or Galas. Other good substitutions are peaches for nectarines; apricots for plums; or most berries for one another. Dried fruits are even more versatile; virtually anywhere you can use one sort, it can be replaced with another. Don't like raisins? Use chopped dried apricots, dates or dried cherries. Poof – whole new dessert.  

Experiment with different chocolates

There has never been a time when the average baker has access to so much outstanding chocolate. And each one is as unique as fine wines: some are distinctly fruity, others earthy, still others have overtones of coffee or spice. Any recipe that relies heavily on chocolate – brownies, chocolate mousse, flourless chocolate cake – can be a perfect opportunity to explore the gourmet chocolate section at the local market or fine food shop. And if cost is a factor, try combining two or three different chocolates of varying prices in the same recipe. I do this often, and finds it adds a depth and complexity to the flavour of the finished dessert. Plus, who doesn't love an excuse to try great chocolate?

Try different nuts

Most nuts in dessert recipes can be interchanged for others of similar composition. In other words, as long as the nuts aren't as different as say, almonds and chestnuts, you can often replace one with the other, opening up a lovely new world of flavour. Try using cashews or pistachios instead of almonds, or hazelnuts instead of peanuts. Nuts pack a big flavour punch in many desserts, and this simple switch can create a whole new dessert.

Seek out cool extracts

Many gourmet and specialty food shops carry lines of domestic and imported extracts for baking. We're generally familiar with vanilla, almond and even peppermint, but maybe not so much with raspberry, apricot and coffee. A few drops in an icing, cake, or custard can be the start of a whole new dessert, especially when you carry the flavour further by layering it: add fresh raspberries to the top of the cake, or chocolate-covered espresso beans to the ice cream.

Regan Daley worked for several years as a pastry chef in some of Toronto's most prominent restaurants, including the celebrated Avalon (named by Gourmet magazine as one of the best in North America), where her elegant and original dessert creations, such as Valrhona Molten Chocolate Cakes, quickly become household words.  She now conducts dessert and pastry-making seminars and is a contributing editor for President's Choice Magazine.  She lives in Toronto with her husband and their two sons.

For more information visit sweetkitchen.regandaley.com.