Best dessert alternative to Christmas Pudding?

[PigeonLittle]

I normally make a pavlova ahead of time and decorate like a Christmas wreath (see pic)

cdn.thewhoot.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/berry-christmas-pavlova-video.jpg

But would love to hear other ideas, I fancy a change this year!

Sorbet - light and refreshing, easy to make or buy in advance.

LOL @PieMistee I have always worked from home so that helps...

Many hands make light work! Plus I've had over 20 years experience to come up with a stress free system since ex-MIL first dumped hosting on me a week before Christmas when I had a newborn and a half installed kitchen with no oven. I find cooking relaxing and my DC are at uni so I have plenty of time.

Mincemeat, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding get made on Stir Up Sunday in a cooking session with friends and wine. I make most of the Christmas cookies and some of the canapes/nibbles/pastry at the start of advent and freeze so I have nibbles and treats on hand for the whole season, I'll make extra pastry when I am making it for something else etc. My DM and I have a chilled Christmas Eve in the kitchen chatting and making things with more wine.

On the day, everyone mucks in. It's always more fun in the kitchen at parties!

Then I don't cook again until New Year's Eve

Oh, that pavlova looks brilliant, op. I might give that a go!

I do an ice cream bomb with orange sorbet middle. Sooo good.

I always make a chocolate swiss roll, fill it with sweetened chestnut puree, roll it up, then ice it with melted Nutella. Once set, I dust lightly with a little icing sugar as snow, and pop on a sprig of holly from my garden. It makes a tastier version of yule log, served with cream.

Do you have any recipe recommendations? We have other allergies in our house as well and I have yet to find a trifle recipe and ingredients that are free of all traces. Admittedly more of my time has gone to planning more regular meals though.

Sorry, that was for @leavesthataregreen!

Where I live in the Southern US, the most traditional Christmas dessert is coconut cake. There are lots of recipes on the web; my favorite version has a lemon curd filling.

@LifeInAHamsterWheel

Trifle. Every year I do a trifle and a lemon meringue roulade. Use the egg yolks for the custard in the trifle and the whites for the meringue in the roulade. Yum

Omg that sounds amazing I might have to try that!

Reading these, I really fancy trying a roulade! Can I make ahead or do I make on the day?

The sorbet sounds super lovely as well! What flavour are you making?

I've seen meringue roulades in the freezer section at Aldi & Tesco etc so they can be frozen. I put fresh raspberries in mine which wouldn't be great for freezing but you could make it without, freeze and then scatter with raspberries when you're serving it?

@SenecaFallsRedux would you share the recipe please? I love the sound of lemon and coconut together!

@StopMotion can you eat custard made with powder? My sister has a bad egg allergy and can't eat fresh custard but can eat custard made up with Bird's custard powder. If so, just use any trifle recipe and use instant custard in place of fresh? Otherwise you could leave it out completely and just layer up sponge/jelly/fruit/cream?

Make your own ice cream sundaes
Homemade ice cream, brownies cut up small, butterscotch sauce, raspberry sauce, chocolate sauce.
Plus crushed up malteasers & (Un-crushed!!) smarties

Not fancy but everyone looks forward to it & it all gets made a couple of weeks ahead.

@LifeInAHamsterWheel I am away from home right now and don't have my recipe handy (it was my grandmother's and I can't find the exact one online), but it's basically just a vanilla 3-layer cake (which I think in the UK is called a sponge), and I use store-bought lemon curd, beaten lightly to fluff it a bit, between the layers, and then a vanilla buttercream icing, covered generously with sweetened coconut.

I mention "sponge" because in the US a sponge cake usually means a cake made with beaten egg whites and no butter. The layer cake in the coconut cake is made with butter and whole eggs, using the creaming method.

I'm sorry but why is no one commenting on "Stir Up Sunday in a cooking session with friends and wine? What a great idea, I am picturing a massive farmhouse kitchen table with an aga in the background.

We take (not make) profiteroles, they defrost on the journey over to my sister's house. They are bought from Costco. However, this thread has made me think I will try to make a salted caramel trifle again. I made it years ago. There are only 10 of us on Christmas Day for the full turkey dinner so we tend to fill up on the main course. The puddings is just a small treat as both my sister and I then go onto our respective in-laws.

Vianetta!

No Christmas pud (or cake) here EVER due to my utter hatred of revolting dried fruit
We make the Rachel Khoo (I think that’s her name? Paris kitchen lady) chocolate and salted caramel molten middle pots and then profiteroles with chocolate sauce and the rest of the salted caramel from the chocolate pots.
Last year we were so full from the Christmas dinner (eaten in the evening at about 6:30) that we ate pudding about 3 days later when we got round to it

We make and freeze the choux buns a few days before Christmas and they defrost quickly so fill and drizzle the sauce on when you want to eat them, the chocolate pots are also usually made the day before so both easy to make ahead puddings.

Chocolate orange trifle was awesome!

Mince pies
Fruit cake
Ice cream
Sweets
Chocolates
Cookies
Meringue and Pavlova
Cheese platters
Sausage rolls