
Make-ahead Christmas dessert recipes
Showing items 1 to 24 of 36
White forest Christmas tree traybake
Get ahead at Christmas with this showstopping cake boasting white chocolate, cherries and festive spice. You can bake the sponges, meringues and biscuits the day before assembling
White forest meringue roulade
Try this ultimate make-ahead dessert for Christmas: meringue, white chocolate, cream and cherries are combined to make a luscious centrepiece
Gingerbread tres leches cake
Give this Mexican-inspired cake a festive twist using ginger and cinnamon. The cake is soaked in a trio of sweetened milks, then topped with whipped cream
Pistachio nougat
Make some homemade nougat studded with pistachio chunks. Add in other festive goodies and wrap up in a presentation box for a thoughtful Christmas gift
Festive dessert board
Mix up your festive dessert course with an all-in-one sweet feast to share, with peppermint tiffin, gingerbread-spice doughnuts, mini meringues and more
Chocolate truffle & honeycomb torte
Try this easy no-bake dessert which uses just five ingredients. As well as looking great as a centrepiece, it's easy to carry to a gathering.
Pistachio tiramisu
Delight guests with a pistachio twist on tiramisu, with a pistachio cream filling and pistachio topping. It's a perfect dessert for a dinner party
Classic sherry trifle
Christmas celebrations are not complete without a classic trifle. This stunning dessert recipe features layers of madeira sponge, fruit jelly, custard and cream
Irish cream tiramisu
You can make this no-cook tiramisu ahead to save on time when hosting a party. Made with Irish cream liqueur, it's a truly grown-up dessert
No-bake PB&J cheesecake squares
Try these peanut butter and jam cheesecake squares. We’ve chosen a fruit topping, but you could opt for chocolate – turning it into a giant peanut butter cup.
App onlyMincemeat flapjacks. This is a premium piece of content available to registered users.
Make some Christmassy flapjacks using mincemeat. They make the perfect travel companion, and are great if you’re craving some festive flavours
White chocolate trifle. This is a premium piece of content available to registered users.
Love trifle? This white chocolate custard and passion fruit combination is really something special – the perfect dessert for a celebration
Stollen bites
Turn stollen into bite-size treats. With squidgy, sweet bread studded with fruit and wrapped in marzipan, it’s easy to see why this German bake is so popular.
Next level Christmas pudding
Update the traditional Christmas pud to include more of what you love - cherries, almonds and figs are a feature of this pudding and make it super special
App onlyBanoffee tirami-trifle. This is a premium piece of content available to registered users.
Combine bananas and custard with tiramisu in this sharing trifle, ideal for a celebration. You could also make individual trifles for a party, if you like.
No-cook meringue Christmas tree
Make a simplified version of our magical meringue Christmas tree, using shop-bought meringues assembled in a tree shape, then decorated with white chocolate
Chocolate hazelnut yule log with meringue mushrooms
Challenge budding little MasterChefs to create this chocolate hazelnut yule log decorated with meringue mushrooms. It's a perfect Christmas centrepiece.
Rocky road cheesecake pudding
We've blended two tempting sweet treats – rocky road and cheesecake – to create this irresistible make-ahead dessert.
Espresso martini cheesecake
Make this grown-up dessert for a celebration dinner, or as an alternative to Christmas pudding. Spiked with coffee liqueur, it’s sophisticated and luxurious
Retro trifle
Take trifle to the next level for the festive season. Make the jelly with raspberries and enrich the custard with clotted cream for ultra indulgence
Extra-fruity Christmas cake
Make this beautifully rich Christmas cake a month ahead of the big day. With brandy-soaked fruit in every bite, it's a taste of the season
Rum & raisin millionaire's chocolate pots. This is a premium piece of content available to registered users.
Pair dark chocolate and rum for this grown-up dessert. With raisins and a decadent, hidden layer of salted caramel, they're also completely make-ahead
Chocolate orange-tini trifle
Cross a Mississippi mud pie with a marmalade martini and the result is this grown-up Christmas trifle. It makes a wonderful indulgent end to a festive menu
Lime cheesecake
Make this stunning layered, citrussy dessert ahead of time if you're entertaining. It's a crowd-pleaser that's part key lime pie, part cheesecake, part trifle