Dessert buffet idea

[Kakkilakki]

I have been asked to contribute to a dessert buffet. There will be around 35 people attending. There will be about 6 desserts to choose from.

I need something incredibly easy and no fuss. I am a terrible baker so no cake. I will have the afternoon before the event to prepare my dish.

I thought of eton mess. But I wouldn’t have enough glasses to do individual ones. Plus someone is making a berry cream thing so it might be a bit samey. Has anyone got any other ideas?

The only thing I am good at is baking cookies. But this needs to be a proper dessert, not just a box of cookies.

Key lime pie is my go-to quick & easy dessert. It's no bake, very quick to make and is delicious 😋

gingeybites.com/2013/07/key-lime-pie-mary-berry.html

Key lime pie is really easy

Can you make a choux bun? They are really easy and are they are always dead popular.

Chocolate fountain!

Tart with a biscuit base is dead easy provided you have a) a food processor to make the base b) a loose bottomed tart tin and c) time to let it set.

Nigella’s salted chocolate tart is amazing and looks much harder than it is.
Jane’s Patisserie lemon posset tart is great too - especially with ginger nut base.

The easiest and best desert (though probably most expensive) is a big bowl of hulled strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, and another big bowl of whipped double cream.

If you do decide to do Eton mess don’t assemble it until it’s about to be eaten. The meringue melts so you just end up with really sweet cream and no crunch.

Another great desert is lemon tart (buy the base) served with homemade honeycomb (google recipes - they’re all much of a muchness - and the honeycomb is much cheaper, easier and faster to make than you’d expect. That combination of sweet, sharp, sour, crunchy, and smooth, is incredible. Put a couple of fresh raspberries on top if you really want to push the boat out.

I would say a cheesecake.

Chocolate fountain/fondue - marshmallows and fruit

A big chocolate mousse.

For a family thing recently I made mango sorbet - just whizz up frozen mango, honey, lime and à bit of double cream & freeze it. Served it with meringue nests and raspberries.

Chocolate dipped strawberries on skewers. Alternate dark and white choc.

Jelly of your choice, when cool swirl in some double cream, add fruit of choice. Allow to set. Adjust liquid to allow for the cream addition. Decorate with slices of fruit and grated white choc.

Yes it needs a chocolate dessert. I make an easy chocolate tort that people were fighting over...

Crushed biscuit base, I use hobnobs but anything will do. (half butter to crushed biscuits by weight) line a tin (ideally a loose bottomed one). Press up the sides and into the bottom. Chill for a hour.

The filling is easy. Ha

50/50 double cream to chocolate by weight to make the gnash. I use half dark chocolate, half milk so it's a bit sweeter. You can get fancy and swirl in white or caramel chocolate. Decorate with cocoa, icing sugar or chocolate of choice (buttons malteasers etc).

Thank you for the inspiration. I dug out my old Mary Berry recipe and made these tonight. Melt chocolate and cream, stir through creme fraiche and chill. So much less faff than a chocolate mousse and everyone said they were delicious.

Another vote for fruit salad , as it would complement the other desserts. Depending on whether you can get the ingredients, a bowl of soft fruits eg strawberries (cut into 4 pieces), blueberries and raspberries

You could also bake the cookies, put the fruit salad in the centre of a plate and place the cookies around them. Sometimes people just want a little bit of something sweet rather than a full dessert