Christmas time in the U.K. isn’t complete without serving up some delicious British desserts at the festive feast.
Whether making Christmas dinner at home or hosting friends and family at your favorite restaurant, don’t forget to order some British Christmas desserts to serve with your turkey and stuffing!
With so many wonderful dessert options, it can be hard to pick which ones to serve, but don’t worry.
This list of the best British Christmas desserts will help you decide what’s just right for your guests this holiday season!
1. Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake
A Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake is one of the best British Christmas desserts you can make this holiday season. The sponge cake is moist and light, and the caramel sauce is sweet enough.
Moreso, the cake is topped off with chopped walnuts for some added texture. And a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream would be perfect to go along with it. I recommend giving this dessert a try if you love dessert but also want something good for you!
2. English Walnut Date Cake
The second on this list of the best British Christmas desserts you can serve is English walnut date cake. With a rich, decadent taste and moist texture, it’s sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
To make this delicious cake, start by lining your loaf pan with parchment paper and greasing the sides with butter.
Next, whisk together the eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl until combined. Then, add in the flour and ground walnuts until well mixed. Add in the dates and pour into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
After that, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Finally, allow cooling before cutting into slices and serving with whipped cream!
3. Brandy Snap Baskets
Brandy snaps are a classic English winter dessert, but they are surprisingly easy to make. You can use a store-bought pie crust if you don’t have the time or patience to make your own.
To make one of the sumptuous British Christmas desserts, you’ll need butter, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and eggs.
First, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar and spices to the melted butter, stirring until it combines and thickens slightly. Then, remove from heat and let cool for about 5 minutes.
After that is done, stir in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Lastly, cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before using.
4. Favorite Old Fashioned Gingerbread
Gingerbread is one of the traditional British Christmas desserts that has been around for over 300 years.
Gingerbread men are usually made from dough and then decorated with icing, frosting, sprinkles, or candies.
They are typically served on a plate with tea or coffee. Moreover, there are many variations of gingerbread recipes.
Some include molasses and brown sugar, while others include ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and black pepper. The variation in spices gives these cookies different flavor profiles, which every palate can enjoy.
5. Scottish Shortbread III
Scottish Shortbread III is a recipe that will have you baking up batches of delicious buttery cookies for friends and family.
The recipe features all-purpose flour, confectioners sugar, salt, softened butter, vanilla extract, and an egg white. The shortbread is cooked on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350°F.
One unique step in this recipe is the final drizzling of milk over the top when you take it out of the oven. After cooling for about five minutes, sprinkle with granulated sugar before cutting into squares.
To make these particular British Christmas desserts tastier, melt chocolate chips or butterscotch chips in a microwave. Finally, drizzle over the top before baking them in the oven!
6. Banoffee Pavlova
Pavlova is a type of meringue dessert that originated in Australia but is now popular all over the world.
Traditionally, pavlovas are served with whipped cream and fresh fruit, usually strawberries. However, one variation on this theme is the banoffee pavlova which replaces whipped cream.
It replaces the cream with a layer of banana toffee (a mix of mashed bananas and butter with brown sugar). Banoffee pavlovas are generally topped off with grated dark chocolate or chocolate shavings.
This dessert can be enjoyed any time of year, but it’s especially perfect for the holiday season as one of the delicious British Christmas desserts it is!
7. Christmas Plum Pudding
Plum Pudding is an English dessert, traditionally eaten at the end of a traditional Christmas Dinner on or around the 24th of December.
It can be made with dried, fresh, or no fruit. The ingredients are flour, suet (or butter), dried fruit, sugar, and spices. The pudding is boiled for several hours before being served warm with brandy butter.
Many believe plum pudding originated in England because of its name and the fact that it became popular during Christmas. Above all, it is one of the delectable British Christmas desserts.
8. Yule Logs
Christmas is just around the corner, and it’s time for baking! Try some yule logs if you’re looking for traditional British Christmas desserts that aren’t too sweet. These light buttery pastries taste like a cross between puff pastry and shortbread.
What’s more? Yule logs are traditionally rolled in icing sugar before serving. So if you’re feeling adventurous, you can also make your flavor of icing sugar to top them with!
9. Christmas Trifle
As the name suggests, a Christmas Trifle is a dessert that combines different flavors to make one delicious final product.
With its origins dating back centuries, it’s no surprise that this dish has evolved into something much more than just layers of cake and cream.
Even though it’s not a traditional dessert in Britain, there are many variations throughout the country. It even has some of the best UK-inspired desserts to showcase how diverse this dish can be. All in all, it isn’t left out of our list of amazing British Christmas desserts!
10. Mini Christmas Cakes
Now, let’s talk about Mini Christmas Cakes as British Christmas desserts. They are a quintessential part of the holiday season in the UK.
These little cakes are usually flavored with brandy, dried fruit, and spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
Furthermore, they can be made from scratch or purchased pre-made from your local grocery store. The most popular choice for a filling is either marmalade or raspberry jam. However, cream cheese, lemon curd, and chocolate ganache work well too!
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can use different flavors in each layer of the cake to look like a tiered cake when they’re finished baking!
Serve them with tea or coffee as an afternoon pick-me-up. You can even enjoy one at breakfast after opening presents on Christmas morning.
11. Mincemeat Pie with Brandy Butter
Of all British Christmas desserts, Mincemeat pie is a traditional favorite. It’s made with a suet crust filled with chopped apples, currants, raisins, and beef suet. The outside of the pie is often covered in brandy butter.
Moreover, you can find mincemeat at most grocery stores around the holidays! If you have trouble finding it, you could also make your own.
I like making my own because I know that mine has no added preservatives or high-fructose corn syrup! We’ve come to the end of the best British Christmas desserts to serve your guests this coming season!
Conclusion
The holiday season can be stressful, to say the least. But you can take some of the burdens off your shoulders by preparing delicious desserts to share with family and friends.
Here are some of the most popular British Christmas desserts you can make at home; you don’t have to spend time hunting them down in crowded stores or restaurants this holiday season.
Most recipes are easy to make, some are even quicker, and all of them are sure to be crowd-pleasers! We are sure you are pleased with our list of delectable British Christmas desserts!
