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Original poster

Desserts which are surprisingly impressive for little effort!

55 replies

PayandPark · 13/12/2018 14:24

We have some friends over for dinner this weekend. I am struggling to think of an easy to make dessert that looks good.

The dish I am doing for the main course is quite labour intensive, so I wanted something simple to make for dessert.

Does anyone have any brilliant ideas? Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
Nottobesoldseparately · 13/12/2018 15:10

Lemon cheesecake (although I do lemon and lime)
It's a BBC good food one. Really simple and refreshing. Chilled, not baked.
It can be made the night before.
Serve with whatever you fancy, cream,ice cream, fruit coulis (all of them)

isseywithcats · 13/12/2018 15:12

go to iceland at this time of year they have all the super posh christmas dessets in buy, defrost jug of cream easy

Kescilly · 13/12/2018 15:13

I don’t know if it’s impressive, but I like this one. Mainly because it can be made ahead of time and it’s something a little different.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/raspberry-ginger-fridge-cake%3famp

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General food
NonaGrey · 13/12/2018 15:14

I’m with hohum tiramisu.

Pinkyyy · 13/12/2018 15:15

A nice cheesecake? Then you could prepare it the day before

PickleSarnie · 13/12/2018 15:18

Self saucing puddings are awesome. Although probably not particularly wow to look at. Easy to make and can be done ahead and shoved in the oven whilst you eat your main.

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/baking-and-desserts/best-ever-self-saucing-pudding-recipes/

AdaColeman · 13/12/2018 15:18

For a cheats Crepes Suzette, buy ready made pancakes.
Make an orange flavoured butter cream using finely grated orange rind and orange juice. Make sure the butter cream is soft enough to spread easily, and spread some on each pancake, folding it in quarters and layering them on an oven proof plate, dab any leftover buttercream on the top of the circle. Cover well with foil till needed.
Leaving foil in place, heat through in a hot oven.
Serve hot (two each is a good serving) with a spoon of orange liqueur over each portion.

Imnotswallowingthat · 13/12/2018 15:40

American version of Parfait, couldn't be simpler and always looks lovely if you use different couloured fruits.

trixymalixy · 13/12/2018 15:44

Pavlova is actually really easy and people are always impressed.

Whyislarryhappy · 13/12/2018 15:44

Flan! Ready bought base, fresh or tined fruits. Quick setting jelly.
For decoration on top of any desert - freeze satsuma or orange segments separate then melt chocolate and dip frozen segments into chocolate will go hard. Delicious by themselves too!

QueenCity · 13/12/2018 15:46

Lemon posset. Really easy to make and can be made in advance.

AviatorShades · 13/12/2018 15:59

Lemon posset or syllabub, both easy to make in advance and keep in the fridge and a blessing for those of us who really don't 'do' chocolate (except for after 8s with coffee..Smile

Chelsea26 · 13/12/2018 16:02

Stewed rhubarb in glass bowls, marscapone and crushed ginger biscuits on top

MakeLemonade · 13/12/2018 16:08

I would do a no bake white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake, so good! Or if you prefer, Nutella cheesecake is delicious and you can top with crushed Ferrero Rocher and edible glitter for extra appeal. We tend to put raspberries in the Nutella cheesecake too as it needs a bit of balance as it’s very sweet.

Make them the day before as they need to set overnight for best results.

toastfiend · 13/12/2018 16:11

This: www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1357/decadent-chocolate-truffle-torte%3famp

So easy, tastes delicious, looks impressive. I leave out the cinnamon and add a glug of cointreau to mine.

JellySlice · 13/12/2018 16:35

Ginger Cosh

Whip cream (real, not squirty) and sweeten with a little syrup from a jar of ginger. Add some of the ginger if you like, finely chopped.
Dunk gingernuts in tipple of choice (brandy or rum are the obvious ones, but you could add a splash of schnaps or Kahlua or anything you like, really). Be generous.
Sandwich dunked gingernuts together with cream (be generous!) to make a log on the serving dish.
Drizzle with some more of the booze.
Melt dark chocolate 4:1 with salted butter (about 4 choc to 1 butter) and drizzle all over the log.

Leave for at least 24h before serving, so that the gingernuts can soak up the liqueur.

If you're feeling fancy, offset the gingernut sandwiches so that you get a herringbone parquet effect, with extra whipped cream to cover exposed biscuits. It makes a lovely stripy effect when you slice the dessert.

Desserts which are surprisingly impressive for little effort!
HildaZelda · 13/12/2018 16:40

My Irish friend made an absolutely gorgeous cheesecake for a dinner party recently. I just had to get the recipe. It's from an Irish website (hence the relevance of my friend being Irish)

You can make it the night before and have it ready in the fridge.
She did dark chocolate digestives for the base (Aldi do them, a packet is about 50p) and they went really well with the raspberries.

www.beaut.ie/life/sweet-saturday-recipe-no-bake-cheesecake-144183

irregularegular · 13/12/2018 16:41

Nigella Chocolate and Rasberry Meringue

macnab · 13/12/2018 16:43

Pavlova is very easy and you can top with all sorts of fruit. However, I would disagree with @Slurpy I've been making them for years and never owned a stand mixer! I just use an electric whisk and it takes no time.

I think Eton Mess is yummy and can look fab if served in big posh glasses with some fresh mint on top. Even though I know how simple it is to make, I'd still be delighted if it was served up to me after a meal. In fact, I'd be delighted with anything served up to me as it's usually me doing all the cooking!

ILikeyourHairyHands · 13/12/2018 16:45

A lemon tart is super-easy (particularly if you buy a ready-made pastry case).

ILikeyourHairyHands · 13/12/2018 16:47

And yes to pavlova. Use passion fruits at this time of year rather than summer fruits.

Kezzie200 · 13/12/2018 16:59

Layer of sponge fingers, layer of frozen raspberries, layer of whipped cream. Repeat.

Serve after a few hours to give raspberries time to defrost.

Amazing! So easy.

Almondio · 13/12/2018 17:02

My go-to is homemde sticky toffee pudding with good quality bought vanilla ice cream. Tastes absolutely amazing, doesn't look so pretty but it's a winner.

Regnamechanger · 13/12/2018 17:06

White and dark chocolate truffle cake. 500g dark and 500g white chocolate (the cheap 200g bars from Aldi are delicious. Make a digestive biscuit base. Gently melt the white chocolate in the microwave so that it doesn't get too hot. Whip 500 double cream, not too firm. Blend the melted chocolate in. Put it in the tin, bang to take out bubbles and put in freezer. Repeat as above with the dark chocolate, put that on top of the white truffle layer and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. At it's best the day after making. Can be frozen. Enjoy licking the various bowls!

Crimebustersofthesea · 13/12/2018 17:06

I know the recipe makes this sound complicated but if you buy the sorbet, ice cream and sponge there is really very little to do. And you can do most of it in advance, just chuck the meringue on and stick it in the oven. Everyone is always dead impressed and I smile smugly Blush

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1936/chocolate-orange-bombe-alaska-with-hot-chocolate-s