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70 Christmas dessert recipes

• Janine Ratcliffe

Published: December 1, 2025 at 10:08 AM

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Christmas isn't complete without a Christmas pudding, trifle or yule log. We have plenty of delicious Christmas desserts to make ahead for the festive season

Looking for the best Christmas dessert ideas? We've got everything from traditional Christmas pudding and Christmas trifle to an indulgent chocolate tart and a classic Christmas yule log. We also have plenty of Christmas baking ideas to make ahead for your Christmas desserts, including Christmas cookies recipes. For fun desserts which mash up festive flavours, check out our Christmas mash-up recipes.

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Best Christmas dessert ideas

Christmas Yule log

Need a show-stopping dessert for over the Christmas period? Check out our indulgent festive yule log with a boozy Baileys cream and crunchy hazelnut brittle.

Christmas crumble

Expand your Christmas repertoire with this festive take on your fave pud. Use up left-over mincemeat – jarred or homemade – for extra flavour.

White forest pandoro cake

This showstopper cake is really just an assembly job of beautiful ingredients but it looks so impressive you don’t need to tell anyone that. Pieces of classic star-shaped Italian sweet bread are brushed in kirsch liqueur and filled with a sweet white chocolate and vanilla cream and cherry jam.

Eggnog cheesecake

Eggnog is baker Edd Kimber’s ultimate festive tipple, and here he turns it into his dream dessert – a creamy, spiced cheesecake with a gingernut base and a whipped honey crème fraîche topping.

Date and ginger chocolate torte

This flourless chocolate torte is as delicious as it is spectacular. To finish, the cake is topped with a spiced whipped custard, chocolate shavings and candied hazelnuts. Perfect for those who aren't a fan of traditional Christmas pudding.

Mulled wine cherry pavlova

Easily adapted to whatever flavours take your fancy, pavlovas are also great for preparing ahead. This one is topped with mulled wine cherries for festive flavour.

Marmalade and ginger fool

These marmalade and ginger fools bring a cosy hit of autumn-winter flavour, with tangy orange, fiery ginger and creamy yogurt topped with crunchy gingernuts.

Chocolate and clementine torte

End your Christmas feast on a high with this indulgent chocolate and clementine torte. Rich, zesty and utterly irresistible – your guests won’t be able to say no.

Swedish baked rice pudding

A Swedish Christmas Eve classic that’s easy to make ahead and tastes just as good the next day. Don’t forget the hidden almond – legend says whoever finds it will have good luck for the year.

Baileys ice cream

This no-churn ice cream is perfect as an accompaniment for your Christmas puds, and requires just four ingredients to make.

Gingerbread cupcakes

These moreish spiced cupcakes are great fun to make over the festive season for the whole family.

Rum truffles

Get into the festive spirit with a batch of these homemade rum truffles decorated by hand – they make great last-minute gifts.

Classic Christmas trifle

Want a Christmas trifle recipe with a boozy twist? This indulgent sherry trifle uses Amaretti biscuits for a lovely texture and flavour. It's a perfect way to conclude your Christmas day meal.

We've got plenty of boozy cakes and bakes too.

Stollen bites

Make these pretty stollen bites for a fun Christmas baking project – you can use any mixed dried fruit, such as cranberries, sour cherries or apricots.

Bûche de Noël

Serve this bûche de noël for a Christmas dessert showpiece. This festive log features layers of chocolate sponge, chantilly cream and chocolate buttercream.

Classic mince pies

It's not Christmas without a mince pie. Making your own shortcrust pastry is easy and investing in decent shop-bought mincemeat makes all the difference.

Christmas tart

Fill a shop-bought tart case with brandy-soaked dried fruit and two types of almond for an effortless festive dessert, best eaten with brandy butter.

Classic Christmas cake

Sometimes, you can't beat a classic. Feed a crowd with this gently spiced fruit cake, enveloped in layers of smooth marzipan and fondant icing. The zingy flavours of ginger and orange balance perfectly with the richness of the sponge.

Raspberry trifle fridge cake

All the flavours of trifle but in a layered no-bake cake. This is a great one to make ahead as it needs overnight setting.

Christmas fudge

Check out this festive gingerbread fudge that takes just a few minutes to prepare. You can easily double the recipe to make two batches, so you have plenty for gifting.

Vegan raspberry and lemon trifle

Impress your guests with this classic layered dessert. The easy homemade custard uses vanilla-flavoured soya milk and gives a traditional flavour and colour to the custard.

Panettone and clementine tiramisu

Layers of coffee-soaked panettone, candied peel, Cointreau mascarpone and cocoa powder make for a showstopping dessert that's perfect for Christmas Day.

Vegan Christmas cake

Everyone will enjoy a slice of this Christmas cake, which can be baked and matured up to eight weeks before Christmas. Feed the cake weekly with your choice of brandy, rum or whisky for extra moisture and a warming flavour.

Vegan gingerbread men

Enjoy some festive nostalgia with a batch of vegan gingerbread men. They're easy to bake and fun to decorate.

Pistachio and cherry nougat pandoro

Check out this impressive festive centrepiece: a traditional Italian sweet bread is stuffed with a decadent ricotta, almond and amaretto filling and covered in meringue.

Fruit and cream layer cake

Panettone and pandoro have become popular Christmas gifts – if you’ve got one you haven’t used yet, give this effortless bake a try.

Gingerbread pie

A pie singing with festive flavours – check out this marshmallow-crowned version by Asa Naiditch of Blame Butter.

Tiramis-choux tower

Treat guests to this hybrid centrepiece – half profiterole, half tiramisu – with balls of choux pastry stuffed with coffee-drenched ladyfingers and boozy pastry cream.

Christmas pavlova

Those who don’t like Christmas pudding don’t have to miss out – serve this showstopping Christmas pavlova with a passionfruit coulis instead.

Classic Christmas pudding

If you are a festive dessert traditionalist, then look no further than our classic homemade Christmas pudding. You can make this luxurious fruity pud a couple of months ahead.

Gluten-free chocolate fudge cake

Recreate this impressive woodland-inspired cake from The Little House Dorset. Coated in ganache and then chocolate buttercream, it makes the perfect festive showstopper for a Christmas party.

Cozonac

Add this sweet Christmas bread, studded with raisins, nuts, chocolate and Turkish delight and infused with rum, to your festive dessert repertoire.

Double chocolate and passion fruit tart

Wow your party guests with this zingy tart – it’s unbelievably quick to make, thanks to a few ready-made ingredients, plus it's easy to prepare ahead of time.

Panforte

This Italian dessert is popular during the festive season. Chewy, nutty and sweet, it's packed with pistachios, almonds and dried fruits.

Mexican chocoflan

This festive flan cake, featuring chocolate, caramel and cinnamon, is known as 'flan imposible' and combines two popular Mexican desserts.

Chocolate and hazelnut paris-brest

An indulgent Nutella filling takes this impressive French patisserie to the next level. Serve over the festive season for a showstopping dessert.

Croquembouche profiterole tower

Want an impressive Christmas dessert to serve family and friends? Check out this show-stopping chocolate and hazelnut profiterole stack. With creamy Nutella filling and crunchy hazelnut brittle, this stunning recipe is the perfect end to a dinner.

Check out our best choux pastry recipes and profiterole recipes.

Black Forest pavlova

Impress your family over the festive season with our stunning black forest meringue tower. This gorgeous Christmas dessert is filled with dark chocolate ganache, boozy cherries and mascarpone cream. Pure indulgence!

Christmas cheesecake with chocolate sauce

Not everyone loves Christmas pudding, but everyone's a fan of cheesecake! This festive take on a lemon cheesecake is sweet yet sharp. Pour the chocolate over just before you take it to the table for a glossy look.

Butterscotch self-saucing pudding

This rich pudding is best served with vanilla ice cream. It’s a very easy bake but looks impressive with its layers of soft sponge and sticky butterscotch sauce.

Gingerbread bûche de Noël

A beautiful rolled cake flavoured with warming ginger and cinnamon, Edd Kimber's bûche de Noël comes filled with a lemony Lotus Biscoff cream.

Cranberry tart with cinnamon cream

Fill a tart case with cranberry curd for the ultimate festive dessert this Christmas. Serve with sweet whipped cinnamon cream.

Christmas pudding ice cream

A clever way to use up left-over Christmas pudding – add it to ice cream! This four-ingredient, no-churn recipe also comes laced with brandy or rum – the perfect winter pud.

Baileys tiramisu trifle

Our stunning Christmas trifle recipe with boozy Baileys, chocolate swiss roll and lightly whipped cream with espresso makes for an impressive centrepiece at your festive feast.

Chocolate and hazelnut millefeuille cake

Sandwich crisp puff pastry circles together with homemade hazelnut ganache, then top with sweetened Frangelico whipped cream, crushed hazelnuts and a drizzle of warm Nutella for a decadent dessert.

White chocolate Baileys aux merveilleux

Aux merveilleux are a festive French treat – a simple affair of meringue discs sandwiched with a flavoured cream and rolled in chocolate shavings.

Biscoff cheesecake

Serve up to 16 decadent slices of this impressive Christmas Day dessert. Our indulgent Biscoff cheesecake recipe contains crunchy speculoos biscuits, creamy speculoos biscuit spread, and lightly whipped cream. Check out our best cheesecake recipes.

No-bake chocolate tart with PX sherry

Christmas puds need lots of chocolate, a healthy amount of alcohol and a lot of cream. Raisiny pedro ximénez sherry adds classic festive flavour to this delicious chocolate tart. It’s also a no-bake recipe so can be whipped up with little effort.

Raspberry and Aperol baked alaska

It might not be snowing outside, but with these edible snow balls it won't matter! Your Christmas guests will be amazed at the raspberry centre when you crack the meringue. They're worth the effort for the 'wows' and 'ooohhhs' alone. Click here for our best ever standout meringue recipes.

Pavlova wreath

If you're looking for a beautiful Christmas dessert but want minimal effort, give this cassis meringue wreath a go. Topped with cassis, cherries and mint, it's full of festive colours. It's great to feed a crowd as you can slice it into as many or as few pieces as necessary.

Gingerbread trifle

Add a hit of ginger to your English trifle this Christmas with these gingerbread trees. This creamy trifle with rum cardamom custard is the perfect sweet hit to finish your Christmas Day feast.

Discover more trifle recipes

Pandoro semifreddo

Our easy yet standout semifreddo recipe with chocolate and amaretto encased in an Italian pandoro bread and topped with crunchy pistachios is the perfect dessert centre piece at a festive feast.

Eggnog custard tart

If you love egg custard tarts then you'll love Edd Kimber's Christmas inspired eggnog custard tart. Why not impress your guests with this dessert recipe, it may take a little time to make, but it's definitely worth it.

Mulled wine winter puddings

Looking for individual desserts that are easy to make? Check out our mini winter puddings with mulled wine for an easy individual Christmas dessert recipe.

Sticky toffee Christmas pudding

Sticky toffee pudding is a firm favourite with almost everyone. Adding ginger to the sponge adds even more warmth and spice, which everyone enjoys at Christmas time. Plus, the toffee sauce is just as delicious eaten with a spoon on its own!

Here are plenty of Christmas pudding recipes to try

Sherry trifle cheesecake

Impress guests during the festive season with this nostalgic pud with a modern twist.

Chocolate and salted caramel ice-cream bombe

Why not make our impressive frozen chocolate and ice cream dessert recipe? This easy chocolate bombe recipe uses chocolate Swiss roll cake and Maltesers for extra indulgence and crunch, an easy Christmas day dessert.

Check out more of our indulgent dessert recipes

Christmas rocky road

Too full for a big dessert after your Christmas lunch? Snack on these beautiful bite-sized chocolate treats instead. Traditional digestives are swapped for ginger biscuits, whilst cranberries and pistachios add some festive colour.

Nougat terrine with caramel

A Christmas dessert for all your sweet-toothed friends. It's full of cranberries, pistachios and candied peel...all the flavours of Christmas. It can be made in advance so it's one less thing to worry about over the festive season.

Salted caramel chocolate fondants

Our most indulgent, most beautiful chocolate fondant yet... just look at it ooze! These chocolate fondants make an impressive Christmas day dessert. You can buy the salted caramel sauce for a quick fix.

Check out our best chocolate pudding recipes

Baileys tiramisu

Got leftover Bailey's from the Christmas festivities? Make this tiramisu recipe with creamy Baileys, soft sponge fingers, strong coffee and sweet almond liqueur... an easy Baileys dessert to indulge in over the festive period.

We have many more Baileys recipes

Espresso panna cotta

Check out our recipe for silky smooth espresso panna cotta. This dessert is an ideal way to end your Christmas Day indulgence, it's gluten-free and looks impressive.

Click the link for more impressive gluten free recipes

Black forest cheesecakes

Cheesecake makes the best Christmas dessert. These black forest cheesecake bombs are fun and original. If you're looking for something different to serve after turkey and roasties, make a few of these. Diners will love the cherry surprise in the centre.

Vegan sticky toffee pudding

Let warming spices and a rich toffee sauce (made with homemade cashew cream) do the talking with this vegan sticky toffee pudding recipe.

Ginger ice cream bombes

If you're looking for a sophisticated yet fun dessert for Christmas Day, look no further. They use ginger biscuits, stem ginger and crystallised ginger meaning they're warm and spicy. They're quick to make so won't take away from preparing the turkey! Check out our best ginger recipes here.

White chocolate roulade with Baileys

Treat your loved ones to a great Baileys dessert with this luxurious festive bake made with white chocolate and Baileys. It's easy to make and requires very little effort, prepare it next time you're hosting.

Discover more roulade recipes

Salted caramel and chocolate tart

Everyone deserves some luxury at Christmas time and this salted caramel and chocolate tart recipe is the ultimate treat. Children will love it, but with the addition of sea salt flakes, adults will be obsessed with it too!

If you love chocolate, click the link for more chocolate tart recipes

Gluten-free mince pies

Just because you're gluten free doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the Christmas fun. These boozy mince pies don't compromise on flavour or texture, and they look impressive.

Clementine yoghurt cake

This delicate clementine cake is picture-perfect and great for sharing. The yogurt keeps the sponge deliciously squidgy and the fruity flavours are a guaranteed hit.

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Sour cherry stollen bars

Want an easy but impressive stollen recipe? This ingredients list may look lengthy but it’s all about building up the textures and flavours to make this the most moreish bar ever – way better than regular stollen.

Authors

Janine RatcliffeFood director

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