Your best Desserts.

Easiest 'make ahead' dessert I've ever come across is a "Three Milk's Cake" and guests will go for seconds while thinking you spent hours.

Basically, you bake any yellow cake in a large oblong pan (I use a cake mix). Allow cake to cool...do not remove from pan. In a large measuring cup or medium bowl with spout, mix 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can condensed milk and an equal amount of regular milk. Add teaspoon of vanilla and a 1/4 cup of spiced rum (rum is optional) and blend thoroughly. Skewer holes all over the cake and soak with milk mixture.

Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 4 to 24 hours (cake will soak up all the milk). Frost cold cake with Divinity Icing and sprinkle with cinnamon, chopped nuts, berries or whatever you fancy. I prefer yummy Divinity Icing but if frosting is not an option, serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Divinity Icing

Mix 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil (must reach 250 degrees F or medium ball stage). Set aside
Beat 2 or 3 egg whites until fluffy
Continue beating while drizzling the hot syrup into the egg whites
Add: 1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar and 1 tsp. Vanilla

Easy Lemon Cheese cake.
2xmascapone cheese
Tablespoon icing sugar
Juice and zest of 3 lemons
Mix all together
Pile onto biscuit base
More zest on top
Chill.

Jocelyn Dimbleby's Tarte Montmartre. It's probably a bit complicated for a quick dessert but it should be more widely circulated as it's sensational.

TARTE MONTMARTRE

For the pastry
175g S.R.Flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
75g icing sugar
100g butter
1 tbsp water

For the filling
3 eggs separated
1 tbsp caster sugar
juice of 2 lemons and finely grated rind of 1
4 tbsp cream
25g cornflour

For the icing
75g plain chocolate
4 tsp caster sugar
coarsely grated lemon rind or julienne strips of lemon rind

Sift the flour, cocoa and icing sugar. Melt butter with water then mix into the flour thoroughly with a spoon. Press the warm dough as evenly as you can over the base and sides of a 24cm loose bottomed flan tin. Neaten the edges with a rolling pin and press any scraps over pastry lining the base of the tin. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thickened. Gradually whisk in lemon juice and then cream. Whisk in cornflour and stir in lemon rind. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then fold gently into lemon batter. Pour into pastry case and bake in preheated oen 180 degree C for about 20-25 mins until golden brown.
Melt the chocolate and sugar with 1 1/2 tbs water over a very low heat. Stir until smooth then stir in another 2 tsp water. Pour over tart using a spoon to spread out to edges. Decorate with rind or julienne strips (perhaps blanched for several minutes in hot water). Serve cold but not straight from fridge. Serves 8.

A Christmas thing, but on Christmas day we had Christmas pud with hot toffee sauce, topped with double cream. It was absolutely scrumptious!

Has anybody else tried making Bread and Butter pudding with Hot Cross Buns (especially now they are in season) (ha ha) really delicious. I think it's the hint of spices that jazzes it up.

Pineapple upside down
Mary Berry rice pudding
Any crumble

Not desert - dessert. Too hot in a desert to make this pud.

Easy cheesecake is my best desert. Always well received.

Mix 6 ozcrumbed digestive biscuits with 3 oz melted butter and 2 tblsp icing sugar. Press into bottom and sides of flan dish, leave in fridge to set.

Mix 8 oz philadelphia cheese with half a tin of condensed milk, quarter pint of thick cream, 2 tblsp lemon juice.

Put into dish on top of base. Before serving decorate top with any fresh fruit. I like raspberries or strawberries and half slices of kiwi fruit. Make the day before. Delish!

Lemon Posset - cream heated through and sugar until dissolved and lemon juice to set - pour into individual glasses and refrigerate (make the day before) - jazz up with grated lemon / orange rind and other fruit (raspberries / strawberries) - serve with a shortbread biscuit (I buy those as I can't be asked!) - enjoy

Rude to gobble

Quick and easy. Brandy snap baskets, scoop of ice cream in the bottom, cover with raspberries, top with squirty cream. Delicious!

ps slice them up though, don't use whole or even in half.

This is a terrible, terrible thread.

Just when I was thinking of trying to lose a couple of pounds after Christmas.

By the way, leftover hot cross buns make a good bread and butter pudding too!

Nigellas chocolate tart so wicked you only need a small slice I put gold leaf on it at Christmas for decoration ?

Well, thanks very much - not, everyone!

Today was to be the first of yet another (sigh) 'new regime' and instead of recipes for 'tomato and cucumber main meal' I see all these scrummy ideas!

Perhaps you could have an 'assemble yourself' ice cream sundae for the youngsters with two or three ice cream flavours, choc drops,fruit, cake sprinkles, jelly, squirty cream etc the older ones could help the youngest.

MOnica I always thought the breadcrumb dessert recipe was something my sister brought back from living in South Africa. I used to make it a lot for parties and there were never any leftovers! My recipe which is in ozs has 4ozs brown breadcrumbs, 2 tblsp instant coffee, 8 tblsp drinking chocolate and 4ozs Demerara sugar mixed with the pint of whipped cream.

Oh boy what visions of fabulous desserts are in my head now. I used to help mum with sunday roast when a lass. She certainly had a way with pastry (cold hands she said) we'd do lemon meringues from scratch, apple pies, crumbles, fruit flans, and gooseberry fool not forgetting cakes decorated with butter cream, glace cherries & angelica.

Your life sounds sweet enough already. Give 'em apples!

M0nica please can you give us quantities for breadcrumbs etc?

Nigella's Nutella cheesecake. Even for a non cheesecake/chocolate fan, this is truly scrumptious. The recipe I am sure will be online.

Mary Berry’s Easy Lemon Meringue is a firm favourite here. Also Cathy’s Magic Lemon pudding. Don’t know who Cathy is though?
Apricot and Almond flan.

I have been searching for this recipe on and off for some time. Many thanks

My absolute favourites are pecan pie and sticky toffee pudding, a new favourite, which I made a few times over Christmas and New Year , is Jamie Oliver’s “ Bonkas bread and butter Panettone pie “ delicious , I recommend it !

There are some lovely ideas for puds here.

My two specials are:
Pear tarte tartin (made with ready made pastry)

Ginger cake (shop bought) & easy caramel sauce

Always go down a storm.