Make-ahead dessert recipes
Browse our best make-ahead dessert recipes – all can be made in advance, with the finishing touches added on the day. Perfect to take some stress out of throwing a dinner party.
Choose from crowdpleasing classics such as eton mess and Michel Roux Jr’s chocolate mousse or lemon tart, or new favourites including Japanese soufflé cheesecake and a mango twist on tiramisu.
In the mood for chocolate? We love these molten middle chocolate fondants and our chocolate tart inspired by After Eights. If fruit’s your thing, we have plenty of make-ahead dessert recipes in that vein, too. For summer, opt for a strawberry daiquiri tart; for winter, try our pear and butterscotch cheesecake. And if you’re a pavlova fan, you’ll be spoilt for choice with our topping ideas, from caramelised walnut and coffee to peach bellini and pink praline.
Need starter ideas for your soirée? Check out our recipes, including smoky garlic prawn cocktail and a halloumi and clementine salad.
Showing 1-16 of 159 recipes
Cheesecake recipes
Caramelised white chocolate cheesecake
This showstopping cheesecake has a high-sided chocolatey biscuit base, a creamy filling spiked with nutty caramelised white chocolate and a...
Sweet tart recipes
Black forest bakewell tart
When black forest gateau meets bakewell tart, something magical happens. These two nostalgic desserts combine perfectly – especially when served...
Sweet pie recipes
Seville orange and ginger pie
Seville oranges are made for more than just marmalade. Their distinctive sour bitterness and floral taste is great in desserts,...
Italian dessert recipes
Bonet (Italian chocolate and amaretti pudding)
Bonet is a classic Piedmontese dessert showcasing two of the region’s favourite things – chocolate and amaretti biscuits. Gently cooked...
Almond recipes
Almond cheesecake meringue nests
Scoops of pillowy amaretto-spiked mascarpone top golden sugar meringue nests to make these individual festive desserts. The meringues can be...
Trifle recipes
Coconut pannacotta and raspberry trifle
Dreamy layers of coconut cake, pannacotta and cream make this trifle with a twist exciting enough, but the surprise layer...
Ice cream recipes
Spiced fruit and mascarpone ice cream sandwiches
These festive ice cream sandwiches are inspired by our popular Christmassy spiced fruit and mascarpone semifreddo recipe. The sponge is...
Pavlova recipes
Caramelised walnut and coffee pavlova
Chetna Makan’s easy pavlova is topped with cream and beautifully caramelized walnuts, then drizzled with dark chocolate ganache – the...
Cheesecake recipes
Japanese soufflé cheesecake
Chef Jeremy Pang shares his recipe for a perfectly light and bouncy Japanese soufflé cheesecake. The sound and wobble of...
Chestnut recipes
Chestnut parfait with chocolate bourbon caramel
Creamy chestnut purée is perfect for making into all sorts of wonderful desserts, including this decadent parfait, which comes topped...
Brilliant blackberry recipes
Blackberry millefeuille
Millefeuille (which translates to ‘a thousand leaves’ thanks to all the layers of puff pastry) are all the rage right...
Honey recipes
Ravneet Gill’s honey and toasted rye parfait
Not all frozen creams need to be churned – as the quintessentially French parfait proves. Cookbook author and chef Ravneet...
Pear recipes
Rosé poached pears
Cooking with rosé should be a more common practice! The wine is the perfect match for in-season pears in this...
Autumn dessert recipes
Manon Lagrève’s almond, pear and tonka bean tart
If you’re looking for a dinner party dessert in the autumn months this winner from queen of French bakes, Manon...
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