Make-ahead dessert recipes

You can make these dessert recipes in advance, then add the finishing touches to serve them on the day – perfect to take some stress out of throwing a dinner party.

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Torta caprese

Torta caprese

Chef Francesco Mazzei shares his traditional Italian dessert, torta caprese, that’s perfect for a celebration...

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Pineapple fritters with salted caramel sauce

Pineapple fritters with salted caramel sauce

These crisp, creamy pineapple fritters are a surefire dessert winner. Sweet pineapple and thick clotted...

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Chocolate, orange and frangipane tart

Chocolate, orange and frangipane tart

For cake-maker and owner of Pudding Fairy Laure Moyle, it was her father’s sweet tooth...

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Rhubarb jelly and Bird’s custard ice cream

Rhubarb jelly and Bird’s custard ice cream

Georgina Hayden has combined the nostalgic flavours of rhubarb and custard in a clever dessert...

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Crème brûlée bakewell tart

Crème brûlée bakewell tart

A hybrid dessert combining the best of a decadent French crème brûlée and a traditional...

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Pistachio and rose ice cream cake

Pistachio and rose ice cream cake

A magnificent serve-from-the-freezer dessert that you can make ahead of your dinner party. All you...

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Mini cosmopolitan cheesecakes

Mini cosmopolitan cheesecakes

Everyone knows, and loves, a classic Cosmopolitan cocktail made with cranberry juice, vodka and orange...

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Dark and stormy crème brûlée

Dark and stormy crème brûlée

Rum, ginger and lime have been borrowed from a classic dark and stormy cocktail and...

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Gin and lime 
custard tart

Gin and lime 
custard tart

We’ve taken the flavours of a gimlet cocktail – gin and lime – and magicked...

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Caipirinha sorbet

Caipirinha sorbet

Bring on the wow factor and add a touch of glamour to your dinner party...

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Key lime pie

Key lime pie

This American classic is the perfect combination of zesty and refreshing yet fabulously creamy. We’ve...

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Saffron and orange blossom crème caramels with cardamom and orange rhubarb

Saffron and orange blossom crème caramels with cardamom...

”That edge of dark, bitter caramel against the sweet, creamy custard makes for the most...

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No-churn blackcurrant ripple ice cream sandwiches

No-churn blackcurrant ripple ice cream sandwiches

A great make-ahead dinner party dessert for the summer but without the faff of an...

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Mint chocolate ice cream parfait bombes

Mint chocolate ice cream parfait bombes

Create a showstopper dessert for your next dinner party with these impressive ice cream bombes;...

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Chilled lemon soufflé

Chilled lemon soufflé

This make-ahead lemon soufflé recipe is easier than it looks but you don’t have to...

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Toffee ice-cream cake

Toffee ice-cream cake

Looking for a quick, easy and attractive pudding recipe? Take a tub of ice cream...

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Easy flourless chocolate cake

Easy flourless chocolate cake

A crisp outside and gloriously fudgy centre make this easy flourless (gluten-free) cake the best...

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Chocolate and caramel sponge pudding with chocolate custard

Chocolate and caramel sponge pudding with chocolate custard

This pudding has everything: chocolate, custard, caramel… and it’s quick to put together. Dig into...

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Sticky ginger and almond cake

Sticky ginger and almond cake

Gill Meller’s sweet, spiced ginger cake is made with honey, molasses and almonds and tastes...

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Baked lemon curd syrup sponges with brandy custard

Baked lemon curd syrup sponges with brandy custard

We’ve given these dainty sponges a little grown-up treatment with a slug of brandy, a...

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Giant Portuguese custard tart (pastéis de nata)

Giant Portuguese custard tart (pastéis de nata)

In Portugal pastéis de nata are often eaten for breakfast. This giant version is bigger,...

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Blood orange jellies with madeleines and chantilly cream

Blood orange jellies with madeleines and chantilly cream

The beautiful citrussy flavour of these jellies, served with zesty orange madeleines, is the perfect...

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Eric Lanlard’s triple chocolate verrines

Eric Lanlard’s triple chocolate verrines

Eric Lanlard’s triple chocolate recipe proves that good things come in threes – layers of...

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James Martin’s chocolate mousse

James Martin’s chocolate mousse

Creamy, light-as-air chocolate mousse is a great way to end a dinner party. James Martin’s...

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