Dessert ideas for Christmas

[LuciaPopp]

Having a family Christmas celebration a few days before Christmas itself. Can anyone recommend a good dessert- something special to serve 12. Can’t be Christmas pud or Yule log unfortunately as we’re having those on other days. Nothing boozey as there will be small children.

Thank you.

We like Black Forest gatauex! I know it's a bit retro but it tastes Christmassy to me.

Or what about a couple of bit cheesecakes but use ginger and mixed spice in the base to make it a bit more festive, you could decorate with a sprig of holly and some gold leaf?

I assume Christmas cake isn’t the answer you want? 😂

Pavlova - it can be made to look like a snowy landscape!

Ice cream - with liqueur for the adults and other toppings for children/non-drinkers. People ALWAYS ask for seconds of this.

Profiteroles.

Baked alaska.

I've done this one a few times and it's always good. It got several stages but most can be done well ahead of the day, you just do a bit at a time.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chocolate-orange-bombe-alaska-hot-chocolate-sauce

Basque cheesecake with berry sauce
Easy to make and can be prepared in advance (tastes even better)

Winter bombe
Black Forest trifle
Ferrero rocher cheesecake
Ice cream Bundt cake

Sticky toffee pudding

A big trifle? I'm going to make the Platinum Jubilee trifle this year - lots of lemon and amaretti biscuits. The recipe dictates you make all the different components from scratch but I'm cutting a few corners on that front.

Jubilee Trifle

Fridge cake Xmas pudding

I am a huge fan of walnuts, so for Xmas, I always make a walnut cake with lots of cream & caramel. Attached is a pic of how it looks (not my pic) :)

Nigella's clementine cake garnished with creme/ice creme (I like both) and sliced oranges or clementines

Use whatever fruit went into the cake.

Remove peel and pith, slice and leave in juices in fridge overnight. Dust with icing sugar if you have a sweet tooth

Save some peel shavings to decorate Some might add dark chocolate shavings, too.

Trifle? MIL did the dc a build your own trifle station a few years ago and they still talk about it now.

@Thesearmsofmine cool! How did that work if you don’t mind me asking?

Pear and chocolate crumble- the Nigel Slater recipe

She just had the separate elements in big glass bowls and each dc had a dessert bowl and she let them loose to build their own layers. Very simple but it went down so well with the dc.

Mary Berry has a recipe for a cheesecake with raspberries and white chocolate and it’s fabulous

A big trifle. The Jubilee one sounds good but I love a traditional one, no booze with the kids though. I use jam swiss roll, then add raspberry jelly mix so it soaks into the sponge. When set, add fruit. Layer with homemade custard and then top with whipped cream and lots of sprinkles! Simple but delicious.

I'd pick something like Fruit Mousse as it can be made in advance with a variety of fresh or frozen fruit, cream or yoghurt and just has to be blitzed in a food processor. If served in glass bowls, it looks pretty too. The less stress the better IMHO.

I made a lovely pear and ginger spiced triffle one year, I will see if I can find the recipe.

www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/baking-and-desserts/gingerbread-caramel-and-pear-trifle/

I think you could leave out the rum or make a smaller child friendly one with no rum.

My mum used to do chocolate mousse, it can be split in half so there's an adult one and a children's one

I've also made Delia's Christmas pudding ice-cream. I wouldn't worry about a tiny bit of booze though, if you use a tablespoon in a recipe for 12 it's a tiny amount per portion.

I make profiteroles every year. I fill them with cream on the day but make them, and the chocolate sauce, the day before.

Look fabulous in a massive bowl with a dusting of icing sugar and a big jug of warm chocolate sauce

This year's Good Housekeeping Christmas mag has a chocolate mousse torte with fresh raspberries that I will be giving a go, but also will be making trifle and a sticky ginger cake.