35+ dinner party dessert recipes to finish any meal in style
From simple to spectacular, your dinner party needs one of these sweet treats as its finale.
If you’re planning a dinner party and want to end on a high note, this collection of dessert recipes has you covered.
From show-stopping centrepieces to easy crowd-pleasers, there’s something here for every vibe, whether it's a cosy night in with mates or a full-on celebration. Think rich chocolate puds, elegant tarts, fruity finales and everything in between. Whatever the occasion or guest list, you’ll find the perfect sweet treat to impress (without the stress!).
Peach Negroni Eton Mess
Your new favourite low-effort show off pud, sorted.
Recipe: Peach Negroni Eton Mess
Salted Caramel, Miso and Chocolate Tart
It doesn’t get more indulgent than this easy, oozy, chocolate tart. Assembled in just 10min, it will soon become your go-to dinner party dessert.
Pistachio, Raspberry and White Chocolate Pavlova
Nutty meringue, boozy cream and tangy seasonal fruit is a combination that’s hard to beat.
Blackcurrant Mousse Cake
This cake is a real centrepiece for a special occasion, one that shows off the uniquely tart blackcurrants at their best.
Recipe: Blackcurrant Mousse Cake
Fig, Honey and Marsala Tart
This is an easy tart recipe using ready made shortcrust pastry. Filled with figs, fresh raspberries and topped with pistachios, it's a sophisticated dessert for a dinner party but low on effort.
Recipe: Fig, Honey and Marsala Tart
Cherry, Cardamom and Rose Semi-freddo
The British cherry season is in full swing, so make the most of them while they’re cheap and plentiful. Here they are complemented by subtle cardamom and rose to create a light and fragrant parfait.
Tiramisu Crêpe Cake
This layered crepe cake couldn’t be easier to throw together. If you want to make it alcohol-free then simply omit the coffee liqueur, or replace with cooled espresso.
Recipe: Tiramisu Crêpe Cake
Tropical Granita with Coconut Tuilles
This recipe makes more tuilles than you need, but they store well and are a perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
Molten Chocolate Parcels
This indulgent, restaurant-style pudding is simple to make and will look to all like you’ve been slaving for hours. The crispy filo hides a secret oozing chocolate centre
Recipe: Molten Chocolate Parcels
Lemon and Almond Meringue Roulade
If you don’t want to make lemon curd, use 150g (5oz) bought curd
Glazed Chocolate Mousse Tart
This glazed chocolate tart recipe is as simple as it gets. A decadent dessert.
Recipe: Glazed Chocolate Mousse Tart
Three-Ingredient Self-saucing Biscoff Pudding
When combined with a couple of basic ingredients, you won’t believe that Biscoff spread turns into this gloriously gooey and fluffy pudding, but it really works!
Chocolate Hazelnut Millefeuille
This showstopper is much easier to make than it looks, and tastes every bit as good.
Recipe: Chocolate Hazelnut Millefeuille
Clementine and Prosecco Trifle
The retro mix of almonds and sugar sprinkles gives much needed crunch to the topping on this fruity but rich pud, but you could use some pared orange zest instead – clementines are generally too fragile for paring!
Recipe: Clementine and Prosecco Trifle
Rhubarb and Jelly Custard with Ginger Honeycomb
Choose the pinkest rhubarb you can find to give the jelly its beautiful colour. If your rhubarb is green, you can mix a little red or pink food colouring into the syrup. If you don’t fancy making the honeycomb, some crumbled ginger biscuits also add lovely crunch.
Salted Dark Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding
Our version of this classic pud is rich with dark chocolate, whisky and sea salt. Begin the recipe at least a day ahead of serving.
Angel bundt Cake with White Chocolate Drizzle
This Angel bundt cake has a heavenly texture - don't add the chocolate icing to make this treat totally fat free!
Pomegranate and Coconut Pannacotta
The low fat coconut milk in this panacotta recipe adds creaminess, without piling on the calories.
White Chocolate, Caramel & Rum Self-Saucing Pudding
A cosy, low effort pud, where - like magic - a plentiful sauce appears under the sponge during baking.
Espresso Martini Meringue Tart
All of the rich, dark flavours of an espresso martini in a showstopper tart! Wow your guests with this decadent centre piece.
Recipe: Espresso Martini Meringue Tart
A crack team of highly skilled food content producers, the GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time.
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