Published: by Jacqueline Bellefontaine ·
Choose from over 40 dinner party desserts in this ultimate collection of awesome dinner party dessert recipes from myself and some top UK food bloggers. There are so many to choose from, including free-from desserts, chocolate creations, cheesecakes and so much more!
The Ultimate dinner party dessert collection
My food blogging pals certainly came up trumps when I put the call out on FaceBook for dinner party dessert ideas. They certainly didn't let me down with the breadth of awesome and delicious dessert recipes they shared with me!
Every single one of the recipes listed below can be made well ahead of time (though one or two may perhaps need to be scattered with crumbled biscuits or perhaps dusted with cocoa powder at the last moment), even a day or two before in some cases, allowing you to be the perfect attentive host when your guests arrive.
So, whether you're after a rich chocolate dessert, a cheesecake, something free-from, or even a frozen creation, then look no further. There's sure to be something to whet you're appetite in this ultimate dinner party dessert recipe collection!
The difficulty comes when choosing which to make first!
Chocolate Dinner Party Desserts
Triple chocolate moussecake
Not sure what your favourite type of chocolate is? Then choose this triple chocolate mousse cake. It takes a little time to prepare but is easy and can be made in advance.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Chocolate Torte with Pear and Walnut
If chocolate is your thing then look no further than this chocolate torte. Doesn't it look fabulous?! Not only is it gluten-free and dairy-free but it is also made with reduced sugar, and yet it pushes all of the right buttons as far as flavour is concerned with her family singing its praises from the hilltops!
Recipe: Gluten free Alchemist
Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tarts
Chocolate ganache and salted caramel in a hazelnut pastry case. A rich and very chocolaty dessert, perfect for dinner parties, Easter and other special occasions.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Chocolate Meringue Crown
This chocolate meringue crown is made of layers of meringue, chocolate, fruit and cream. It makes a spectacular dessert fit for a queen (or king).
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Black Forest Pancakes
Chocolate pancakes, filled with black cherries and served with cream and grated chocolate.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Salted Caramel & Chocolate Mousse
Our salted caramel and chocolate mousse is easy to prepare and can be made ahead, ready to serve your guests straight from the fridge.
Recipe: Lost in Food
Classic French Silk Pie (Chocolate Tart)
French Silk Pie is an American classic but not known in the UK. A flaky pie crust is filled with a rich & decadent no-bake chocolate mousse then topped with freshly whipped cream & chocolate curls!
Recipe: Feast Glorious Feast
Cheesecakes
Fruity Mini Cheese Cake
Imagine creamy ‘cheese’ cake filling, topped with tangy fruit that burst with flavour, all whilst being dairy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, nut-free and egg-free too!
Recipe: The Intolerant Gourmand
No-bake blackcurrant Cheesecake
An easy no-bake cheesecake with a deliciously tangy blackcurrant topping.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Easy Baked Strawberry Cheesecake
A simple to make baked cheesecake topped with strawberries and cream.
The cheesecake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Allow several hours for the cheesecake to cool and chill.
Recipe
Healthy No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Pots
Delicious Healthy No Bake Chocolate cheesecake pots perfect for impressing the one you love this Valentine’s Day! 3.5 syns each on Slimming World.
Recipe Basem*nt Bake House
Baked lemon ricotta cheesecake
This baked lemon ricotta cheesecake is easy to make. Amaretto biscuits add extra crunch to the base and the sultanas have been soaked in sweet wine.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Meringue Based Dinner Party Desserts
Apple and Hazelnut Vacherin
A Vacherin is a cake made of layers of crisp meringue sandwiched together with layers of fruit and cream. Here Ive used autumnal apples with a crunchy hazelnut meringue.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Strawberry Baked Alaska
A Baked Alaska is perfect when you want to have some baking excitement in the kitchen! A dome of ice cream sits on a sponge cake which is encased in a layer of marshmallow-y meringue
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Summer Strawberry Roulade
Soft gooey merigue with a strawberry and mascarpone cream filling. A perfect summer dessert. Served with macerated strawberries.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Coconut and Pineapple Meringue Roll
Recipes Made Easy’s Coconut and Pineapple Meringue Roll a truly delicious dessert. This showstopper dessert is surprisingly easy to make.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Summer Berry Pavlova
The combination of crunchy meringue, soft whipped cream and scrummy berries make this summer berry pavlova is seriously hard to resist.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Pistachio Dacquoise with Raspberry and Pomegranate
This pistachio dacquoise is filled with raspberry whipped cream and topped with pomegranate seeds, for a showstopping dessert to share.
Recipe: Baking Queen 74
Traditional Desserts with a Twist
Lemon, Prosecco & Raspberry Shot Glass Trifle
These individual trifles really lift the family favourite to the nextlevel! They look incredibly inviting having been prepared in shot glasses, which results in the dessert being friendlier on the waistline than a family sized bowl! Helen’s dessert recipe marries together Prosecco, raspberries and lemon, three flavours which worktogether incredibly well.
Recipe The Crazy Kitchen
Tiramisu cake
Coffee soaked sponge and mascarpone filling rolled into one amazing tiramisu cake! As much as I like tiramisu (which means pick me up), I find it is often made with rather too much of the sweetened cream layer and not enough coffee kick. In this cake I have redressed the balance.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Raspberry Bakewell Tart
Frangipane, the delicious almond mixture found in Bakewell Tarts. Eb’s version, which was inspired by childhood memories, raises the traditional bake to new heights with whole fresh raspberries punctuating the surface alongside the flaked almonds.
Recipe: Easy Peasy Foodie
Blackberry Clafoutis
Delicious juicy blackberries baked in a light batter, Blackberry Clafoutis is an easy to make variation on a classic French dessert usually made with cherries.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Green Fruit Salad with Chilli Ginger Syrup
A fruit salad can make a perfect end to a meal and a Green Fruit Salad is visually so much more refined than a “chuck it all in” kinda fruit salad. To bring this recipe bang up to date, the green fruit salad with a chilli ginger syrup that really makes the flavour zing out.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Creamy Dinner Party Desserts
Baked Bengal Curds with Macerated Berries
Think of this dessert as an easy baked cheesecake. With creamy cheesecake like curds, colourful berries andcontrasting texture courtesy of the almond crumble, this traditional Indian dessert of Baked Bengal Curds is certainly one to try. It is naturally gluten free.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Orange Posset with Rhubarb Compote
This delicious and eye catching dessert is perfect when hosting a dinner party not least because it is super easy to make, looks and tastes amazing, but needs to be made a few hours ahead of time allowing you to be the attentive host. The luxurious orange posset is teamed with a naturally vibrant rhubarb and orange jam.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Gooseberry Fool
This classic English dessert from Recipes Made Easy is full of zingy fruit flavour. An optional splash of gin adds a little decadence which will have gin lovers coming back for more.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Raspberry Mousse
These raspberry mousse have a light texture and a delicious, not too sweet, flavour, making them a perfect end to a summer or autumn meal.
Recipe; Recipes Made Easy
Baked Desserts
Sticky Toffee Puddings
A modern classic made in individual pots. Rich indulgent sticky toffee pudding is one of those desserts that's hard to resist. To me these are the ultimate sticky toffee puddings made with dates and pecans.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Pear and mincemeat tart
This pear and mincemeat tart has a rich crumbly hazelnut and orange flavoured pastry which melts in the mouth. Serve hot or cold with custard cream or ice cream. It is also delicious with steaming hot custard.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Pear and almond tart
With a classic flavour combination, this Pear and Almond Tart not only looks inviting but also tastes amazing. Serve hot or cold with or without cream or ice cream.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Almond and Blackcurrant Roulade
Light moist gluten free almond sponge rolled with deliciously tangy blackcurrant curd. This cake explodes with flavour and while it may be a cake it makes a fabulous dessert too. Serve on its won or with ice cream or cream.
Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Blackberry and Almond Cake
This Blackberry Cake recipe is super easy. It makes great use of seasonal blackberries, teaming them with almonds to make a really great flavour combination.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Lemon and gin tart
Sweet crumbly pastry, tangy lemon and gin filling and a gin flavoured glazed this tart is surprisingly simple to make but the end result is out of this world.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Blackcurrant and Vanilla Cream Tart
Juicy blackcurrants set in a creamy vanilla custard and baked in a crisp almond pastry case.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Recipe
STRAWBERRY TART
The great thing about making a fruit tart, other than it being super yummy, of course, is that most fruits lend themselves beautifully to being used. So you can make this tart with strawberries or other berries such as raspberries, blackberries and blueberries work equally well. And don't forget stone fruits, like peaches, apricots & nectarines are also great too.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
Frozen Desserts
Blackcurrant sorbet
A very refreshing sorbet bursting with flavour. Serve as a palate cleanser between course, dessert of a treat in hot weather. Allow about 1 hour freezing time if using an ice cream maker or 3 to 4 hours without.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
No-Churn Mojito Ice Cream
Cool down this summer with this easy to make no-churn mojito ice cream flavoured with lime, mint and plenty of rum.
Recipe: Charlotte's Lively Kitchen
Basil ice-cream
Trust me basil ice-cream is so good. slightly sweet floral and aromatic it is delicious on its own or serve with other desserts to give an unusual twist.
Recipe: Recipes Made Easy
Salted Caramel Crunchie Ice Cream
Salted Caramel Crunchie Ice Cream is made with double cream, eggs, salt flakes and Crunchie bars. A truly heavenly dessert that you have to try!
Recipe: Fab Food 4 All
White chocolate parfait
White Chocolate Parfait hearts are a rich and indulgent treat for two. Parfait is an iced dessert which can be made without churning. This makes an ideal iced dessert to make in small quantities.
Stem ginger ice cream
A delicious all-year-round ice cream. Easy to make no-churn stem ginger ice cream has gentle warming tones of ginger will that pair well with so many desserts.
Recipe: Only Crumbs Remain
Recipe
More Recipe collections
- Recipes For Using Up Egg Yolks
- Easter bakes, The ultimate collection!
- Brilliant Blackberry Recipes
- 30+ Sensational Strawberry Recipes
About Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Jacqueline is a member of the Guild of Food Writers and has been a cookery writer and food stylist for over 25 years. She has written over 15 cookery books, in addition to writing for several major magazines. She likes to champion good basic home cooking and as the daughter of a master baker, she is passionate about home baking.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Chloe
Such a lovely selection. I love spending time making a nice dessert for friends - its always the piece de resistance of any party!
Reply
-
Jacqueline Bellefontaine
Dessert is the best part!
Reply
-
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, I know just what you mean Charlotte, i had exactly the same 'problem' when I pulled the post together! They all look amazingly delicious!
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Isn't the colour of that sorbet just amazing! And the fact that it could have been in the freezer for a week before your guests come for dinner really does make life an awful lot easier! I know, I think we do need to have a dinner party a week with all of these scrummy and easy ideas,
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
It certainly is a lot more fun if you can atleast enjoy your own dinner party isn't it. There's nothing worse than designing a menu for when guests come around only to realise that there is a lot of things to do at the last minute - not much fun at all!
Thanks for hosting a great linky with Kirsty Eb,
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
I know, where would you start with them! My mouth was seriously watering looking aat the pictures and reading all about the recipes when out the pist together Midge! I agree, those meringues are briliant aren't they! Have you tried aquafaba yet?
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Don't they all just look amazing! You're welcome Jacqueline, it's a great recipe and I just love that wonderful purple colour courtesy of the blackberries - beautiful 🙂
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Caroline, they all look amazing doesn't they (with thanks to my food blogging pals). Ooh yes, the mini trifle in a shot glass really would be perfect after a large main course - just enough of a sweet treat to keep the taste buds happy.
Thanks for popping round and commenting Caroline,
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thankyou Chonnie, but it's all down to you guys for being happy to link into it 🙂 Chocolate pav certainly does sound a lot more exciting than porridge doesn't it (not that I have anything against porridge you understand!) I'm with you there Chonnie about the frozen chocolate caramel cake - it looks seriously amazing doesn't it - and so blinking easy to make too!
You're more than welcome, I love lemon desserts including roulades and they were great tips you shared too, I shall have to employ them next time I made a one 🙂
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Don't they just look fab, I'd be more than happy to have any of those desserts if I was at a dinner party Louise. I completely agree, I love working with food but can't it when I'm stuck in the kitchen when we have guests, it can become a bit stressful can't it!?
Thanks for pinning,
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Hahaha, i know just what you mean - those cheesecakes and pavlovas look fabulous don't they!
You're more than welcome Helen, they were two gorgeous recipes,
Angela xReply
-
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Isn't it just, my mouth was watering all the time whilst pulling the post together Rebecca! I'd say it's definitely not extreme at all....as long as we all get an invite 😉
You're more than welcome, and thanlyou for allowing me to link into your fab chocolate recipe,
Angela xReply
