Delicious Christmas Day Dessert Ideas
November 26, 2014Aside from the religious aspect, there are several things that immediately come to mind whenever someone says “Christmas.” Decorations, presents, and family are just a few of them. But then there’s food and drink. If you can’t pig out at Christmas, when can you? It’s not long until the holidays, so it’s time to start thinking about all the lovely things you want to eat. There’s so much to choose from, with Christmas dinner to think about, Boxing Day, New Year’s, and all the snacks in between. Not forgetting what you’re going to do with the leftovers! One of the best parts of Christmas Day is the dessert. There’s never any room for it after dinner, but later on everyone’s ready to tuck into a piece of pudding or cake. If you’re not sure whether to stick with a traditional pudding this year or make something else, try these ideas for size.
Traditional Christmas Pudding
If you’ve never made a Christmas pudding before, perhaps this year could be your year. Traditionally made using suet and dried fruit, this flavourful pudding is a classic for a reason. To make a beautiful pudding, find a recipe that calls for you to steam it. It will take a long time, however – Delia Smith’s recipe calls for eight hours. This isn’t one to do last minute; you can do it in advance and store it in a cool place until it’s ready to heat up on Christmas Day.
Chocolate Yule Log
Another Christmas classic, the yule log or Buche de Noel, is a great alternative for anyone who doesn’t like Christmas pudding. It’s a good option for children and people often choose to do a pudding and a chocolate log. Use the best dark chocolate you can find to make an extra special cake. Be careful when you’re rolling your log that you don’t crack the sponge – but if you do, just cover it with chocolate ganache or plenty of icing sugar.
Panettone
This Italian classic is great fun to try if you’ve never made it. If you don’t fancy it for dessert, it makes a great breakfast when everyone’s opening their presents. Cherries, sultanas, and currants make this sweet bread a deliciously fruity affair. You could also try the Germanic stollen, a similar bread that often contains marzipan covered in sugar.
Christmas Trifle
Everyone loves a trifle, and there are so many ways you could make one. Kids and grownups alike love the combination of jelly, fruit, and cream. And if there aren’t any kids around, you can make your trifle indulgently boozy. Try a black forest trifle, with chocolate and cherries or use leftover Christmas pudding or cake to form the base of your trifle. For a boozy trifle, you can’t go amiss with bananas and Baileys – just replace the Baileys with toffee sauce for kids.
Remember that there’s no need to stick to just one dessert. Who says you can’t have several? After all, there’s Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day to cater for.
Image by Pete