Pudding for 25

[fruitstick]

I need to make desserts for a party this weekend.

About 20-25 people. Not quite buffet as there is chilli, lasagne etc (not my party I hasten to add) but not sit round table either.

Someone is making cupcakes. What can I do that's not too messy? But not too teatime cake either.

Thought about some chocolate brownies arranged nicely but host is worried there will be too many chocolate things .

Help.

Eton mess maybe?

Delias traditional trifle recipe usually goes down very well.I made a vast one to feed 20 people last christmas on a boxing day buffet. Do make with home-made custard as it tastes so much better.

Individual make your own Eton mess, meringues, fruit and bowl of cream

Just thought individual lemon meringue pies, make in fairy cake trays

Trifle, tiramisu, pavlova?

What about something like nigellas caramelised oranges

thefoodshortlist.com/2011/07/03/an-easy-breezy-summer-dessert-nigellas-caramelised-oranges-with-greek-yoghurt/

A bit of faff, but it can be done in advance and its transportable.

Oops, forgot to tick the box.

thefoodshortlist.com/2011/07/03/an-easy-breezy-summer-dessert-nigellas-caramelised-oranges-with-greek-yoghurt/

Big bowl of profiteroles with chocolate sauce on the side?

Make sure you bring cream and ice cream, brownies are a good one and can be reheated, apple and berry crumble always popular, also very popular desserts are banoffee and lemon meringue.
Or being a bit seasonal a Cranberry and orange drizzle cake I made one at work yesterday and it sold out in 2 hrs[36 slices] very easy and nice with a cup of tea

Ooh, loving these. (trying to calculate if enough to time to make tiny lemon meringue pies

I love the idea of ice creams to but I think the older guests would find it a bit 'modern'

A very rich chocolate torte with lots of (shop bought) ice cream.

You can slice it thin.

Fruitsticks mini lemon meringue for individual portions an be a pain to get out of the tins already having nightmares over the 200 mince pies I will have to do each day
I would just make large ones and slice and leave a cake slice next to it
When is the party Waswonderings idea for profiteroles is good esp as they an be made, filled and frozen

I could look in my new El Bulli Family Meal book if you like. It has recipes that size up from 2 to 75. But a great dessert is to get 2 or 3 large pre-baked sponge bases, lay out halved strawberries attractively on them, pour over Green's or Dr Oetker red fruit glaze, let it set for a few minutes, then pipe whipped cream rossettes in attractive patterns over the top. You can also use raspberries and tinned mandarins for this (with orange glaze for the mandarins). People love this and it only takes a few minutes to make.

Canyou use silicon not tin then it's much easier to push them out

a couple of big cheesecakes if you have a 2 big enough springform tins (or borrow some)

I would make tarts, perhaps one chocolate and one lemon.

Like the idea of cheesecake too.

2 pavlovas and a chocolate cake and you're sorted. Pavlovas always go down a storm and can be made in advance.

(trust me, I do this sort of thing a lot !)

Pavlovas scare me. No idea why. I'm great with a cake but terrified of meringue

How easy are they?

Peasy. I have 3 tips for you:

You need to use baking parchment so they slip off the tin no bother.

When they're finished cooking, turn the oven off but leave them in so they cool slowly in the oven. This reduces cracking (though I'm ok with cracking).

It's all about oven temp. My recipe (4 egg whites well whisked, add 8 oz caster, 2 teasp each of cornflour, vinegar and vanilla again well whisked) you put the pay into an oven at 150 degrees C and immediately turn down to 100 degrees C and cook for 1.5 hours.

Seriously they're super simple, can be made a couple of days in advance, are relatively cheap and are a real crowd pleaser.

Enjoy!