A dessert buffet is the sweetest way to gather friends together, a party for all seasons and times of the day. While holiday dessert buffets are common, you can host your sweet-toothed friends any time of the year.
Put on your baking apron, whip up something decadent and delicious, and get ready to enjoy and share the best desserts.
Dessert Presentation
A table full of desserts should be varied and three-dimensional. Use tiered and multi-level serving plates, or create tiers of different heights by placing stacks of books under a tablecloth overlay. Vary platters and plates with baskets and bowls.
Some of the better paper and plastic partyware is nice, but real plates and flatware are better. Unless you have an overwhelming number of guests, use china or everyday dessert plates.
Away from the main dessert buffet table, set out some chocolate covered pretzels and candies, for guests to help themselves as they mingle.
Serve a Variety of Desserts for All Tastes
Offer a wide variety of desserts - something chocolate, something gooey, cookies or other finger foods, a cake, truffles or fudge, a pie or tart, something crisp, and something fruity or lemony and light. A platter of cheeses and fruit is always nice to round out a dessert buffet.
Try to serve something your guests have never had before – Scottish Tipsy Laird or Bananas Foster – and some old standbys – chocolate chip cookies, angel food cake, apple pie.
Cut cakes and pies into smaller-than-normal pieces, so that guests can try lots of different desserts.
Beverage Accompaniments
Offer coffee, tea and something cold for non-caffeine drinkers. Lemonade, punch, or - depending on the time of day - mimosas or daiquiris are good accompaniments to dessert. For tea drinkers, offer different tea bags displayed in a basket.
An easy punch is to mix equal parts ginger ale and fruit juice (half orange juice and half pineapple juice is delicious) with optional scoops of raspberry sherbet.
Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Chip Brownies
These brownies are good enough to not need frosting!
1½ cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups chocolate chips
Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix well. Add chips and stir. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Cut into squares.
Lemon Pound Cake
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1¾ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add 1½ cups sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Fold in flour mixture in 3 additions. Fold in lemon zest. Spoon batter into a greased and floured bread pan. Bake in a 325-degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70-75 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make lemon glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk 3 tablespoons lemon juice and ¼ cup sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove cake from pan and brush with lemon glaze.
Fox Hunters Pie
1 ready-made pie crust
¼ cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cups light corn syrup
1½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold edges under and crimp. Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake pie crust in a 425-degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown; cool on a wire rack. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and bourbon; beat well until blended. Sprinkle chocolate morsels and pecans in the prepared pie crust and pour in filling on top. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack.
Also on the Web
Real Simple has tips for hosting a dessert buffet that include setting up a brownie station with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and other toppings.
Fine Living suggests a quick and easy dessert buffet by mixing up homemade treats with store-bought.
Bon Apetit offers a menu and recipes for a dessert buffet that includes strawberry cream puffs with strawberry sauce.
China tiered serving plates can be found at Tea With Grace, along with other serving pieces.
Put on your baking apron, whip up something decadent and delicious, and get ready to enjoy and share the best desserts.
Dessert Presentation
A table full of desserts should be varied and three-dimensional. Use tiered and multi-level serving plates, or create tiers of different heights by placing stacks of books under a tablecloth overlay. Vary platters and plates with baskets and bowls.
Some of the better paper and plastic partyware is nice, but real plates and flatware are better. Unless you have an overwhelming number of guests, use china or everyday dessert plates.
Away from the main dessert buffet table, set out some chocolate covered pretzels and candies, for guests to help themselves as they mingle.
Serve a Variety of Desserts for All Tastes
Offer a wide variety of desserts - something chocolate, something gooey, cookies or other finger foods, a cake, truffles or fudge, a pie or tart, something crisp, and something fruity or lemony and light. A platter of cheeses and fruit is always nice to round out a dessert buffet.
Try to serve something your guests have never had before – Scottish Tipsy Laird or Bananas Foster – and some old standbys – chocolate chip cookies, angel food cake, apple pie.
Cut cakes and pies into smaller-than-normal pieces, so that guests can try lots of different desserts.
Beverage Accompaniments
Offer coffee, tea and something cold for non-caffeine drinkers. Lemonade, punch, or - depending on the time of day - mimosas or daiquiris are good accompaniments to dessert. For tea drinkers, offer different tea bags displayed in a basket.
An easy punch is to mix equal parts ginger ale and fruit juice (half orange juice and half pineapple juice is delicious) with optional scoops of raspberry sherbet.
Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Chip Brownies
These brownies are good enough to not need frosting!
1½ cups flour
2 cups sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups chocolate chips
Combine all ingredients except the chocolate chips and mix well. Add chips and stir. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. Cut into squares.
Lemon Pound Cake
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces cream cheese
1¾ cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until creamy. Gradually add 1½ cups sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Fold in flour mixture in 3 additions. Fold in lemon zest. Spoon batter into a greased and floured bread pan. Bake in a 325-degree oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 70-75 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make lemon glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk 3 tablespoons lemon juice and ¼ cup sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove cake from pan and brush with lemon glaze.
Fox Hunters Pie
1 ready-made pie crust
¼ cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cups light corn syrup
1½ teaspoons vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
Fit pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold edges under and crimp. Freeze for 15 minutes. Bake pie crust in a 425-degree oven for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown; cool on a wire rack. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, corn syrup, vanilla, salt and bourbon; beat well until blended. Sprinkle chocolate morsels and pecans in the prepared pie crust and pour in filling on top. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack.
Also on the Web
Real Simple has tips for hosting a dessert buffet that include setting up a brownie station with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and other toppings.
Fine Living suggests a quick and easy dessert buffet by mixing up homemade treats with store-bought.
Bon Apetit offers a menu and recipes for a dessert buffet that includes strawberry cream puffs with strawberry sauce.
China tiered serving plates can be found at Tea With Grace, along with other serving pieces.
