Easy - non Christmas pud - pud?

[NonsenseTalker]

We're the hosts this year (first time ever so loads of pressure) hubby is cooking the main but I need to come up with the dessert. I am thinking meringues, berries and cream, but in a tiered, fancy, fashion. How far in advance can I make and store meringues?
Or do you have any inspiring ideas?

A banoffee pie? It is everyone's guilty pleasure, and could not be easier to make, especially if you buy the tin of caramel stuff instead of boiling the condensed milk for hours. You could make it on Christmas eve. Dredge with plenty of cocoa in advance.

Alternatively, Tunisian orange cake is lovely and festive-tasting and you could easily make it a couple of days in advance. Looks fab with berries of any kind. Decorate with holly.

Paul Hollywood's baklava is easy peasy and always impresses my friends. The sweet nutty flavour of the pistachios is very festive, and it works well with good vanilla ice cream. I've kept it for up to a week, because it stays lovely and sticky with the syrup. Baklava

Equally, Russell Norman's Venetian Campari and blood orange cake is a beauty. I bought the cheaper Aperol stuff from Lidl for the liqueur. Made it for my dad's birthday and he loved it. This is another one you can make in advance, because it gets richer and stickier after a day or two. Campari and blood orange cake

Pavlova - the meringue base can be made in advance then assembled on the day. Nigella has several that would be great for the big day including This or this

Sorry - link fail. Nigella's cappuccino pavlova here

Thanks all :)
I will end up doing the laziest easiest one I'm sure!

Last year we made baked apples stuffed with mincemeat to give them a festive flavour.

They didn't look particularly impressive, but were really good and tasted Christmassy without being as heavy as a Christmas pudding.

Buy a nice lemon tart.

Nigella gooey chocolate puddings.

bread and butter pudding but made with pannetone (sp?) rather than bread. Also add extra raisins, soaked in pedro ximinez sherry. It's the most amazing sherry - it doesn't taste like sherry, more like liquified very boozy christmas pudding. It's delicious, and very good in lieu of a dessert wine with christmas pudding or other festive puddings. (I've known some people just use it to drizzle on nice vanilla ice cream as a pudding, maybe soaking some raisins in it beforehand to drizzle with too - if you want a ridiculously easy pudding!)

One of our staples at christmas is oranges in mandarin napoleon liqueur - segment all the oranges and cut all the pith and skin and separator bits out so you just have the nice orange flesh segments left. Then make a syrup up from sugar, orange juice (lots will have come out when you cut up the oranges, cut them up over a bowl so it catches it all) and water, plus a really good slug of mandarin napolean liqueur (could use grand marnier instead but the other is nicer ifyou're buying it specially).

Make it beforehand so all the flavours can meld together. heaven. We have a big bowl that is on the go from christmas eve and is topped up through the week with more segments as needed. It's particularly good to perk up boxing day breakfast but also works well as a few slices of alcoholic fruity freshness with other puddings - be they chocolatey, christmas puddingy, meringue, bread and butter pudding, creme caramel etc.

Also - if you do make meringues you will end up with lots of left over egg yolks - ideal for making a rich creme caramel or creme brulee or as extra richness in a bread and butter pudding! That way you get an extra pudding for very little extra cost.

I'm cooking the whole shebang (again) this year, going for shop bought Christmas pudding and a huge homemade chocolate log, making it tomorrow and popping it in the freezer. Easy peasey!

Profondo I clicked on the link just to see a picture of Paul Hollywood .................................mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Banoffi Pie, yes.

Wipes drool (and it's only partly in response to banoffi pie)

Can anyone suggest anything chocolatey, easy and make ahead?

We always also have a chocolate brandy cake - basically a chocolate fridge cake with lashings of brandy, nuts, glace cherries and bashed up digestive biscuits in. Mum usually makes it as our christmas log but it also works well in a tin as a cake or in a tray bake - cut into squares and piled up high with decorations artfully dotted on.

Goes very well with the mandarin napoleon oranges below not that I haven't spent the last 35 or more years of my life stuffing myself with the same puddings at christmas every year and haven't bothered to add any new ones to my repertoire. oh no.

can dig out the recipe if you're interested...

I'm making a raspberry frangipane tart. It's very easy as I buy ready made pastry and make the frangipane in the food processor.

SinisterSal: Mary berry made what looked to be a super easy, make ahead and keep in the freezer velvet chocolate torte thing.

I'm making these red velvet brownies with cheesecake swirl because they are delicious and that's what everyone said they wanted for pudding on Christmas Day.

I am making home made dark chocolate mousse served in stemmed glasses. I'll make them the day before then top with fresh raspberries and real gold leaf just before serving,

A bit of fun for kids & adults, Rudolph cupcakes:

lovedbyparents.com/rudolph-cupcakes/

Thanks that looks gorgeous