Dinner party dessert recipes

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Impressive recipes for a special occasion

Chef-style chocolate, coffee and orange dessert

This impressive but achievable iced dessert is directly inspired by chef James Knappett's cult pud 'Chocolate, orange and coffee.'

Medium

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Baking recipes

Jamaican ginger cake with chocolate ganache and berry coulis

Rich, sticky Jamican ginger cake is the ultimate comfort bake. Team it with simple berry coulis and chocolate ganache for a dinner party pud.

Freezable

Easy

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Cheesecakes

Caramelised white chocolate cheesecake

This showstopping cheesecake has a chocolatey biscuit base, a creamy caramelised white chocolate filling and golden ganache topping.

Make-ahead

Medium

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Pannacotta

Burnt honey pannacotta with rhubarb and chamomile syrup

Ravinder Bhogal's burnt honey pannacotta with rhubarb is the perfect make-ahead dessert for spring, including your Easter lunch.

Gluten-free Make-ahead

Medium

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Pistachio

Lebanese syllabub with ghraybeh (pistachio biscuits)

Food writer Angela Zaher gives the traditional dessert syllabub a Lebanese twist with arak and orange blossom. Serve with pistachio biscuits.

Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Almond

Almond cheesecake meringue nests

Scoops of pillowy amaretto-spiked mascarpone top golden sugar meringue nests to make these individual festive desserts.

Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Patisserie

Ravneet Gill’s mango and passion fruit choux buns

Ravneet Gill's choux buns filled with a mango, passionfruit and white chocolate ganache make a fabulous dessert to serve friends.

Medium

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Chocolate tarts, tortes and pies

Ravneet Gill’s gianduja chocolate tart

Ravneet Gill's rich gianduja chocolate tart has a velvety-smooth filling and wonderfully crisp pastry. Serve with chilled pouring cream.

Vegetarian

Medium

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Pavlova

Caramelised walnut and coffee pavlova

Chetna Makan's coffee pavlova is topped with cream and beautifully caramelized walnuts, then drizzled with chocolate ganache.

Gluten-free Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Cheesecakes

Japanese soufflé cheesecake

Chef Jeremy Pang shares his recipe for a perfectly fluffy Japanese souffle cheesecake. Try this technical bake and impress your friends.

Vegetarian

Medium

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Chestnuts

Chestnut parfait with chocolate bourbon caramel

Creamy chestnut purée is perfect for making into all sorts of wonderful desserts, including this decadent parfait, drizzled with boozy caramel

Gluten-free Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Blackberries

Blackberry millefeuille

Blackberries take centre stage in this towering mille-feuille recipe. Coulis and fresh berries provide sweet-sharp contrast to the cream.

Vegetarian Make-ahead

Medium

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Honey

Ravneet Gill’s honey and toasted rye parfait

You'll love Ravneet Gill’s honey parfait, which sees the frozen cream lightly sweetened with honey, and studded with crunchy breadcrumbs.

Freezable Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Pears

Rosé poached pears

Rosé is the perfect match for in-season pears in this poached pears recipe. Its delicate flavour enhances the pears’ sweet, buttery taste.

Gluten-free Vegetarian Make-ahead

Easy

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Patisserie

Manon Lagrève’s mini canelés

Manon Lagrève shares a family recipe for mini canelés. The wonderful batter is flavoured with vanilla and rum, and caramelises during baking.

Medium

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Autumn desserts

Manon Lagrève’s almond, pear and tonka bean tart

Looking for the perfect end to an autumn dinner? This almond, pear and tonka bean tart is it. Follow our tips for a beautiful dessert.

Vegetarian

Medium