Desserts recipes
Cakes, bakes, puddings and sweet treats, from easy no-bake desserts to showstoppers.
Most of these take about 1 hr from start to finish, and the quickest is Bananas Foster at 15 min. 24 of the 47 are rated easy, and 10 are vegetarian. Newest additions: Amaretti, Apple Crumble and Apple Dumplings.
Amaretti
Soft, chewy almond biscuits with a crackled, sugary top. Naturally gluten-free.
Apple Crumble
Tender, cinnamon-spiced Bramley apples under a golden, buttery oat crumble. The easiest and most comforting British pudding.
Apple Dumplings
Whole apples filled with sugar, raisins and cinnamon, wrapped in pastry and baked until golden.
Baci di Dama
'Lady's kisses': small hazelnut biscuits sandwiched together with dark chocolate.
Baked Vanilla Cheesecake
A rich, creamy baked vanilla cheesecake on a buttery biscuit base. Smooth, crack-free and wonderful with fresh berries.
Bakewell Pudding
The original from Bakewell: puff pastry with a layer of jam under a rich, set almond and egg custard.
Bananas Foster
Bananas cooked in butter, brown sugar and rum, flambéed and served over vanilla ice cream.
Biscotti
Crunchy, twice-baked Italian biscuits with almonds. Perfect for dunking in coffee or Vin Santo.
Bomboloni
Light Italian doughnuts rolled in sugar and filled with vanilla custard.
Boston Cream Pie
A light sponge cake filled with vanilla custard and topped with glossy chocolate glaze.
Bread and Butter Pudding
Buttery bread layered with sultanas and baked in a vanilla custard until golden and crisp on top. A thrifty British classic.
Bread Pudding
A dense, spiced fruit cake made from stale bread. A thrifty London classic, served warm or cold.
Buckeyes
Peanut butter fudge balls partly dipped in chocolate to look like the nut of the buckeye tree.
Chess Pie
A simple Southern pie with a rich, sweet custard filling of butter, sugar, eggs and a little cornmeal.
Chocolate Brownies
Fudgy, chewy chocolate brownies with a crackly top. Made with real dark chocolate and ready in under an hour.
Chocolate Concrete
The crunchy chocolate traybake from school dinners, served with pink or mint custard.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
A deeply chocolatey, moist fudge cake with thick, glossy chocolate frosting. The birthday cake everyone asks for.
Clootie Dumpling
A rich, spiced Scottish fruit pudding boiled in a cloth until it forms its famous dark skin.
Coconut Cream Pie
A crisp pastry shell filled with creamy coconut custard and topped with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
Cranachan
Toasted oats, whipped cream, whisky, honey and fresh raspberries layered in glasses. Scotland's favourite pudding.
Crostata di Marmellata
A crumbly Italian jam tart with a lattice top, made with lemon-scented pastry.
Dundee Cake
A rich Scottish fruit cake with orange zest and a pattern of whole almonds on top.
Eton Mess
Crushed meringue, juicy strawberries and softly whipped cream folded together. The easiest, prettiest British summer pudding.
German Chocolate Cake
Layers of chocolate cake filled and topped with a sticky coconut and pecan caramel.
Grasmere Gingerbread
A chewy, crumbly ginger shortbread from the Lake District, made with oats and a sticky, sugary top.
Hong Kong Egg Tarts
Crisp, buttery pastry cases filled with a smooth, lightly sweet egg custard.
Lardy Cake
A rich, sticky Wiltshire tea bread layered with lard, sugar and dried fruit.
Lemon Ricotta Cake
A moist, light cake made with ricotta and lemon. Simple and not too sweet.
Magic Cookie Bars
Layers of biscuit base, chocolate chips, coconut and nuts baked with condensed milk until gooey.
Mississippi Mud Pie
A crunchy chocolate biscuit base with a rich, gooey chocolate filling and a thick layer of whipped cream.
Peanut Butter Pie
A creamy, no-bake peanut butter filling in a chocolate biscuit crust, topped with chocolate.
Pound Cake
A dense, buttery loaf cake with a fine crumb. Delicious on its own or with berries and cream.
Rhubarb and Custard Tart
Roasted pink rhubarb set in a smooth vanilla custard in a crisp pastry case.
Semifreddo
A light frozen dessert of whipped cream, eggs and sugar, served in slices with berries.
Sussex Pond Pudding
A steamed suet pudding with a whole lemon, butter and sugar inside that melt into a buttery lemon sauce.
Sweet Potato Pie
A smooth, spiced sweet potato filling in a crisp pastry case. A Southern Thanksgiving classic.
Texas Sheet Cake
A thin, moist chocolate cake baked in a large tray and topped with warm fudgy icing and pecans.
Toffee Bananas
Battered banana pieces coated in crackly caramel and sesame seeds. A Chinese restaurant classic.
Torta Caprese
A rich, flourless chocolate and almond cake from Capri, with a crisp top and fudgy middle.
Torta della Nonna
'Grandmother's cake': a lemony custard tart topped with pine nuts and icing sugar.
Treacle Toffee
Dark, glossy, brittle toffee made with black treacle. Traditional for Bonfire Night.
Victoria Sponge
Two light, buttery vanilla sponges sandwiched with raspberry jam and fluffy buttercream. The quintessential British teatime cake.
Yorkshire Curd Tart
A crisp pastry case filled with a lightly spiced curd cheese, currant and lemon filling.
Zeppole
Light, puffy Italian fried doughnuts dusted with icing sugar. Best eaten warm.
Raspberry & Cream Layer Cake
Light vanilla sponge layered with whipped cream and fresh raspberries — a summery showstopper.
Classic Strawberry Shortcake
Tender, buttery shortcake biscuits split and filled with sweet strawberries and whipped cream.
Apple Crumble Traybake
A buttery shortbread base, cinnamon apples and a crunchy oat crumble — the classic pudding you can eat by hand.