Traditional Christmas Desserts For Your Festive Celebration

Christmas is finally here again and with it, the best part of the festive season - eating lots of desserts!

There are thousands of recipes out there for all kinds of Christmas desserts - but in our view, you can’t beat a classic.

We’ve got the ultimate list of traditional Christmas desserts to end your festivities with a show-stopping sweet treat, complete with tips and tricks to add your own personalised twist and make these desserts your own.

Let’s take a look.

Traditional desserts to make this Christmas

Christmas pudding

We had to start off with an absolute classic. Christmas pudding has a rich blend of spices and fruit baked inside a dense, sticky cake. Soak with brandy and set alight (be careful!) for a theatrical end to your Christmas dinner.

If you want a twist on this classic, you could try topping your Christmas pudding with a chocolate sauce or melted chocolate to add an extra layer of indulgence.

Yule log

Another festive classic dessert is the Yule log, a Swiss roll coated in a thin layer of chocolate to imitate a log from the fire. This is a real crowd pleaser for the chocolate lovers you have over for the festive season.

We love how versatile a dessert this can be for adding unusual flavours, like sweet jams in the middle or even warming chilli for the cake mix. A Yule log is ripe for decorating, too - try dusting with icing sugar and adding some paper trees for a nice wintry scene.

Mince pies

Too full after Christmas dinner, but still want something to satisfy that sweet tooth? Look to mince pies, a blend of spices and fruit encased in sweet pastry for a bite-sized, festive delight.

More modern versions of the mince pie have emerged onto the scene in recent years with flavours like chocolate orange, sticky toffee apple and even lemon meringue to satisfy the curious.

Not a fan of mince pies? Try out our mince pie-flavoured fudge instead to get that Christmassy feel.

Christmas wreath pavlova

Traditionally the reserve of summer puddings, the pavlova is easily updated for Christmas. Shaped like that of a Christmas wreath, the light and fluffy meringue is spiced with cinnamon and topped with winter fruits like clementines, blackberries and spiced apples alongside lashings of cream.

You could take it a step further by topping your Christmas wreath pavlova with Christmas chocolates or fudge - take a look at our range of chocolates and sweets to get inspired.

Trifle

Who doesn’t enjoy a trifle at Christmas? With layers of fruit, cream and jelly, there are dozens of different flavour combinations to choose from for your festive gathering.

Chocolate and sherry trifle is a popular flavour for Christmas gatherings, along with Black Forest’s cherry and chocolate pairing. You can even go for orange and cranberry jelly for a tart, yet sweet take on the classic trifle.

We’d recommend going all out for the trifle toppings to take your dessert into real show-stopper territory. Why not add some of our chocolate liqueurs for a more sophisticated finish?

Sticky toffee pudding

There’s nothing more comforting and warming than a good sticky toffee pudding. How a set of humble ingredients can be transformed into something so spectacular, we’ll never know - but we’ll certainly enjoy eating!

Crystallised ginger is a great addition to any Christmas-themed sticky toffee pudding to bring a fiery, yet sweet kick to the dessert. We’d also add cinnamon to the batter and spiced rum for the sauce to bring all of the Christmassy vibes to this fantastic sweet treat.

Panettone

An Italian classic, panettone is traditionally served after a festive feast with coffee or hot chocolate. This rich cross between cake and sweet bread often includes almonds, orange and raisins to create the ultimate Christmas feel in one sweet package.

Updated versions of the panettone in recent years have included fabulous alternative pairings like cherry and almond or chocolate orange.

Panettone can be baked in a variety of moulds, so if you’re feeling fancy you could spring for a bundt-style cake or a novelty cake tin. Drizzle with melted chocolate for that extra bit of indulgence.

Poached pears

This upmarket dessert can elevate any festive dinner. Poached pears are great for any time of the year, but using mulled wine for the liquid and serving alongside brandy cream adds a Christmassy feel to the dish.

Poached pears also pair delightfully well with melted chocolate. Our range of festive chocolates are a great starting point if you’re looking to bring your poached pear desserts to new heights.

Gingerbread

This warming biscuit dessert is one of the hallmarks of the Christmas season. Complete with cinnamon, nutmeg and of course ground ginger, gingerbread is a great snack for those who are too full after the Christmas meal but still want something sweet to snack on.

Making gingerbread houses or people is a great activity to do with children during the holidays. Our range of Christmas sweets will make great additions to your gingerbread creations if you’re looking to decorate with the kids.

Steamed pudding

This iconic dessert has a long history with the festive season, with this cake steamed in an oven or on a stove until it’s cooked to perfection.

A truly traditional steamed pudding is made with golden syrup flavouring and served with delicious vanilla custard or ice cream, but our personal favourite for Christmas is the chocolate version of this classic.

You could also add some orange zest to the mixture for a festive, yet contemporary twist on the dessert. Try serving it with brandy cream for more refined paletes.

Wrapping up

We hope you enjoyed our run through the most classic Christmas desserts you can find to buy or make yourself for your guests to enjoy. Whatever you decide on, your guests are sure to enjoy these wonderful festive treats.

If you’re on the hunt for Christmas treats to buy in bulk for decorating your desserts or just enjoying, then our range of wholesale Christmas sweets is just the ticket.