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Christmas Dessert Ideas
Wondering what to have for Dessert on Christmas Day?
Christmas is a time when we loosen our belts a notch and quietly push that New Year’s diet to the back of our minds.
In my household, our Christmas dessert tends to be our tea as we massively overindulge with starter and main so we eat it later on in the evening. And each year I like to change things up.
So here are 15 Christmas Dessert Ideas to complement your Christmas Feast…
Yule Log
This dessert is based on an age old tradition of burning a huge log in the hearth for the 12 days of Christmas.
Yule log desserts are comforting, rich and a delicious choice for Christmas Eve and a big hit with kids.
Tip: For a wonderfully soft, yet punchy yule log. Use a lighter sponge brushed with rum or espresso.
Black Forest Gateau
Layers of cream on cherry on chocolate sponge – as if you hadn’t gorged yourself enough this Christmas. The sourness of the cherries complements the bitterness of the dark chocolate, yum.
Although Black Forest Gateaux seems to be rapidly going out of fashion, it’s still widely consumed in the UK.
Tip: You can buy tins of cherry filling to sandwich in between your sponge, which is a great time saver if making your own.
Trifle
Trifle is such a versatile dessert. You can flavour trifle with a variety of ingredients such as citrus, berries, caramel or even chocolate.
Don’t forget it is the booze that makes trifle so Christmassy.
Tip: For a suped-up trifle, try adding a compote, coulis, curd or caramel sauce in between layers for that tastebud zing!
Fruitcake (AKA Christmas Cake)
Similar to Christmas Pudding, a Christmas Fruitcake isn’t so rich in flavour, and the icing on top makes it much more appealable to children.
The key to a great fruitcake is the amount of time it’s had to mature and develop that iconic taste we know and love.
Tip: Many supermarkets in the UK sell Christmas cakes and ‘premium’ aged cakes as well. These can be a great, tasty time saver.
Roulade
Going to that extra effort to make a fancy dessert is a great way to impress at Christmas time. Something about roulade just screams professional chef!
Whether you want fruit, chocolate, caramel or something a bit exotic, the roulade is a super tasty dessert that will surely make you go mmm.
Tip: You can buy shop-bought sponge and meringue roulades that are absolutely delicious, my favourite ones are from Asda. They do Lemon & Mascarpone and Raspberry & White Chocolate – They are delicious!
Christmas Cupcakes
Everyone loves cupcakes! These make a really tasty, novelty dessert at Christmas. You can have fun with the kids making them yourself on Christmas Eve or get Shop Bought.
We tend to buy a few festive styles and arrange them on a platter, with some cookies and candy canes, they go down a storm with everyone and look great on the table.
Tip: Shop Bought Christmas Cupcakes are such a time saver, with no compromise on taste (and they certainly look better than mine) I buy these from Tesco.
Cheesecake
One of the UKs most beloved desserts, the cheesecake can easily be adapted to a Christmas flavour if wanted.
Baked or No-bake, there are so many ingredients and flavours you can use in your recipe such as cinnamon, ginger, cranberry and orange.
Tip: Use gingerbread biscuits for the base and cranberries or mincemeat in the cream for a true festive flavoured cheesecake
Cranberry Fool
The most simple dessert ever! These look great in individual glass dishes. I tend to use raspberry or strawberry as the main stewed fruit as cranberry is too sour alone.
I then decorate them with cranberries and a sprig of rosemary, to make them look more festive.
Tip: Pop a squeeze of fresh lemon in the cream
Christmas Bundt Cake
Second to Stollen, Bundt cake is super popular in Germany at Christmas. It’s really easy to make and you can use any flavours you like.
I made a gingerbread and lemon version once and it was absolutely delicious.
Tip: If you shop at Asda, you can get this ring loaf cake for less than ยฃ3 and decorate it yourself! Asda Ring Loaf Cake
Mince Pies
Christmas isn’t Christmas without mince pies! Whether you like to make your own or just use shop bought, I think we can all agree that they are delicious.
Serve warm with a big dollop of thick cream for a tasty, indulgent dessert
Tip: Greggs and Morrisons bakery’s shortcrust Mince Pies (ยฃ1.50 for 6) can not be beaten in taste – Try them
Semifreddo
A chilly dessert for a chilly time of year. It may seem counterintuitive, but having a cold dessert can bring something unique to your Christmas menu, especially when almost every food item is warm or hot!
Semifreddo is not quite ice cream, it is more like a mousse. Serve sliced with a drizzle of coulis.
Tip: For a sumptuously smooth semifreddo, try not to overwhip your cream. It should be just holding itself together, but still loose.
Christmas Pudding
Who doesn’t enjoy the thrill of that warm blue glow when setting their Christmas pud’ on fire? It’s just so festive.
The chances are if you like Christmas fruitcake then you’re a fan of Christmas pudding, as they’re quite similar.
Tip: If you want to light your Christmas pudding before eating, for a post-dinner spectacle, warm your brandy or alcohol before drizzling over the pudding. This will help it to catch alight.
Christmas Mini Desserts Platter
This is a great option for fussy guests or those who like to try a bit of everything. You can jazz up your platter with a few candy canes and some sprigs of holly to make a gorgeous dessert centrepiece.
You can add things like Macaroons, Mini Cheesecakes, Mini Christmas Cupcakes, Mini Cranberry Jellys, chocolate star cookies, mini mince pies and more
Tip: You can get a huge array of affordable mini desserts including macaroons at Iceland here in their Christmas Party Platter Range
Cheese Board
For those who haven’t got a sweet tooth, a cheeseboard is a delicious dessert alternative.
I add grapes, pomegranate seeds and a pot of cranberry jam to sweeten mine up slightly. It always goes down well with the adults.
Tip: I get all my Christmas cheese from Aldi, they are not only affordable but they do some stunning Christmas cheese platters, boards and individuals such as cranberry cheese and Christmas cheese bakes. Check out Aldi’s 2024 Christmas cheese selection.
Supermarket Christmas Desserts
Now hear me out! I’m a huge fan of cooking Christmas dinner but if like me you have three courses and lots of guests (I have 20+) then I do have to compromise somewhere.
All of the UK’s major supermarkets bring out absolutely delicious ready-made christmas-themed fresh and frozen desserts that not only look great but taste amazing too.
Tip: Some of the supermarket’s more extravagant pieces need to be pre-ordered, so if you have your eye on a particular dessert, be sure to check how many days prior to your Christmas party or Christmas dinner it needs to be ordered.
The Best Supermarket Christmas Desserts 2024
Tesco – A huge selection of themed cakes, mince pies, festive specials and gateaus. Tesco does have a small selection of desserts to order, but their main festive offerings are in-store to buy from around two weeks prior to Christmas.
Iceland – Best for Frozen cakes and mini platter cakes. Although Iceland doesn’t have the most extravagant range of festive desserts, and some people prefer to opt for fresh over frozen, there’s no denying they are very affordable.
M&S – Online you can only order M&S ‘Food to Order’ range which are usually show-stopping cakes and desserts.
Ocado – At Ocado, you can get all M&S desserts (apart from food to order desserts) delivered to your door in your grocery shop.
Asda – A Huge selection of festive themed cakes, mince pies, festive specials and gateaus. Asda does have a small selection of desserts to order, but their main festive offerings are in-store to buy from around two weeks prior to Christmas.
Aldi – Affordable, creative and delicious. You can’t beat Aldi’s interesting range of festive desserts.
Morrisons – I would say Morrisons is one of the least desirable selections of Christmas desserts, they don’t seem to go as big on It as Asda, Aldi, Tesco & M&S but it’s still worth a look
Waitrose – If you’re looking for something extra special, then it has to be a Waitrose Christmas Dessert.
Sainsbury’s – A bit like Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s isn’t really a big player in the Supermarket dessert wars, but again, always worth a look.
What is the most popular dessert at Christmas?
A lot of people would argue it was Christmas Pudding, but even though millions are sold each year in the UK, most are used in hampers and gifts and actually go to waste.
Mince Pies are the highest selling cake during the festive season, with most households actually opting for shop bought Chocolate based Cakes and Gรขteaux’s such as Yule logs for their Christmas dinner dessert.
Check Out these Christmas Dinner Side Dish Ideas
Hopefully these Christmas Dinner Ideas have inspired you! If you know of any other desserts you think we should add to this list, please let us know in the comments below….
