Get inspired by our selection of Christmas desserts, including classic steamed puddings, towering trifles, lighter-than-air roulades, and some truly show-stopping pavlovas.
Steamed Puddings
From a classic Christmas pudding for the traditionalists to alternative flavours for the Christmas pudding-averse, these steamed puddings are the perfect end to a Christmas feast.
Christmas Pudding Dried Fruit, Pecans, Ginger, Rosemary, Bourbon and Golden Syrup
The classics are the classics for a reason and you can’t go wrong with the ultimate Christmas dessert – a fruity, boozy, rich steamed pudding. This recipe from Jamie Oliver is a failsafe guide but you can also check out Jane’s Patisserie’s Cheat’s Christmas Pudding for an extra easy version or Gaz Oakley’s Vegan Christmas Pudding if you’re on the hunt for a vegan version.
Sticky Brown Butter Marmalade Steamed Puddings
The title for this inventive recipe from Nicola Lamb reads like a roll call of the most delicious textures and ingredients. Sticky? Yes please. Brown butter? Sign us up. Marmalade? Where do we sign? All combined in a light-as-a-cloud steamed pudding? Heaven.
Chocolate, Clementine and Stem Ginger Puddings
For the dried fruit-averse, Rukmini Iyer’s chocolate, clementine and stem ginger puddings make excellent substitutes for the traditional Christmas pud.
Mary Berry’s Chocolate Steamed Pudding with Chocolate Sauce
If you’re looking for a classic crowd-pleaser, this fluffy chocolate sponge is just the ticket. It’s served with a rich pouring sauce for added chocolatey flavour.
Trifles
Another true classic, trifles are synonymous with Christmas. Can’t see the perfect trifle for you below? Take a look at our full collection of festive trifle recipes here.
Matt Tebbutt’s Christmas Panettone Trifle
Matt Tebbutt’s trifle features layers of fruits steeped in marsala, homemade custard, a ricotta cream, and panettone. It’s an excellent way of using up any leftover panettone.
Rick Stein’s Clementine Trifle
Rick Stein’s simple trifle boasts liqueur-soaked slices of Madeira cake, custard and whipped cream layered with fresh seasonal clementines.
Jane’s Patisserie’s Chocolate Orange Trifle
This dessert showcases a classic flavour combination and makes for a great, show-stopping centrepiece at the Christmas dinner table.
Millionaire’s Trifle
If you’re looking for something truly show-stopping and unashamedly over the top, Jane Dunn’s millionaire’s trifle won’t let you down.
Quince, Brandy and Walnut Trifle: A Twist on a Charlotta
This Cypriot-inspired trifle is layered with sponge, poached fruit in jelly, chopped spoon sweets, custard, and topped off with whipped cream. Georgina recommends replacing the quince with pears or apples if you can’t get hold of them and to decorate it “as extravagantly as you wish”.
Meringues for Queen Sophia
Another brilliant make-ahead dessert, this regal recipe features coffee-spiked meringues layered with whipped cream, raisins steeped in sherry, caramel and walnuts.
Pavlovas
From Mary Berry’s Cranachan Pavlova Wreath to Prodigious Pavlova, these crisp meringues are topped with plenty of whipped cream and festive fruits. Looking for more Christmassy pavlova inspiration? Don’t miss our full collection of Christmas pavlova recipes here.
Mary Berry’s Cranachan Pavlova Wreath
The perfect Christmas pavlova doesn’t exi…Enter Mary Berry’s fabulously festive wreath-shaped pavlova, topped with berries and lashings of snow-liked whipped cream.
Nadiya Hussain’s Tutti Frutti Pavlova
Nadiya nostalgic tutti frutti pavlova combines glacé cherries, mixed peel, pistachios and shavings of chocolate. Layered on a chewy meringue nest with whipped cream in the middle, this is a playful twist on traditional pavlova.
Prodigious Pavlova
Described by NIgella as a “mega-meringue”, this aptly named Prodigious Pavlova has a marshmallowy middle and is topped with pomegranate and a vivid raspberry sauce.
Roulades
Roulades never fail to impress, which makes them the perfect choice for the festive season. From Benjamina Ebuehi’s Gingerbread Roulade to Mary Berry’s Chocolate and Hazelnut Boozy Roulade, let the good times roll with our pick of festive roulades.
Benjamina Ebuehi’s Gingerbread Roulade
There’s something so sophisticated about this subtly festive roulade from Benjamina Ebuehi. The light sponge is flavoured with a medley of aromatic spices while the whipped cream filling is rippled with Biscoff and studded with stem ginger.
Nadiya Hussain’s Choco-Mint Roll
This no-bake chocolate and mint roll is a breeze to throw together, leaving you with plenty of time to decorate the finished product; Nadiya tops hers with chocolate coated mint leaves and a smooth ganache.
Meringue Roulade with Rose Petals and Fresh Raspberries
Ottolenghi’s meringue roulade is a refreshing twist on the more traditional chocolate yule log. With an irresistible layer of mascarpone cream wrapped in soft meringue and topped with raspberries, pistachios and rose petals, it makes for an elegant centrepiece.
Mary Berry’s Chocolate and Hazelnut Boozy Roulade
This dessert not only features a rich dark chocolate sponge but is finished with shards of hazelnut praline. It’s also laced with Bailey’s for a still boozy alternative to Christmas pud.
Cheesecake
A cheesecake may not be the most traditional of festive desserts but it is the ultimate choice if you want to get ahead and whip up your dessert before the big day. See all of our festive cheesecakes here.
Six-Minute Baileys Cheesecake
This cheesecake from Sarah Rainey couldn’t be simpler to make. It uses just six hard-working ingredients, including everyone’s favourite festive tipple, and is finished with chocolate shavings.
Ainsley Harriott’s Rich Chocolate and Espresso Cheesecake
A subtle hint of espresso enhances this deeply chocolatey flavour of this cheesecake from Ainsley Harriott.
Jane’s Patisserie’s No-Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake
Creamy, indulgent, and infused with festive spice, this recipe is perfect for cheesecake (and ginger) lovers.
Bread and Butter Puddings
A good bread and butter pudding is our go-to dessert for the many gatherings around the festive period that call for a crowd-pleasing but super easy dessert. For more of our favourites, take a look at our full collection here.
Nicola Lamb’s Bread-and-Butter Pudding with Caramel Mandarins
From the spiced custard to the caramel-poached mandarins, Nicola Lamb’s elevated brioche bread and butter pudding is full of special touches. Any leftovers can also be reinvented into French toast for a glorious breakfast.
Orange Chocolate Chip Bread and Butter Pudding
Studded with chocolate chips and infused with orange, Rukmini Iyer’s bread and butter pudding is a festive twist on the classic.
Something different
From parfaits to bombes, these wildcard Christmas desserts are a refreshing break from the classics.
Ottolenghi’s Malty Figgy Pudding
With dried figs, chocolate and malted milk in a rich and gooey sponge, this twist on a figgy pudding is a warm embrace in pudding form.
Frozen Espresso Parfait for a Crowd
With creamy coffee parfait set between layers of chocolate meringue and topped with crunchy praline and a caramel whisky sauce, this parfait from SWEET makes for a stylish festive dessert.
Banoffee Alaska Almond Pastry, Caramel, Bananas and Vanilla Ice Cream
This recipe from Jamie Oliver is a show-stopping way to round-off your Christmas feast. It’s a medley of flavours and textures, from rich caramel to lime-spiked bananas and a crunchy crown of meringue. Much of the preparation can be done in advance, giving you more time to relax and enjoy yourself on Christmas afternoon.
Winter Bombe: Chocolate, Cherries, Vin Santo, Panettone and Pistachios
With festive flavours of panettone and Vin Santo, this bombe is also a great make-ahead option, with only 20 minutes of preparation time involved. Simply assemble the ingredients, freeze and then pour hot chocolate sauce over the top when you’re ready to serve.
Nadiya Hussain’s Chestnut Torta
This dense, nutty torta, packed with toasted nuts and rich, dark chocolate, is best served with lashings of cream.
Miso Caramel Ice Cream Bomba
Ixta’s striking take on the Italian classic bomba di gelato features three elements, a white miso and caramel ice cream, a miso caramel brittle and a crisp chocolate shell. It’s a brilliant choice for taking the pressure off the big day as you’ll need to make it in advance, so that’s one less job to tackle on the 25th.
