Make hosting a breeze with our easy dinner party dessert recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the best dessert after dinner? ›

Step 1: Choose Your Dessert Buffet Menu

Even without a cake, there is a seemingly unlimited number of desserts to serve your guests. Your dessert buffet menu should emphasize easy-to-grab items. Bite-sized options like cupcakes, cookies, cake pops, macaroons and truffles are all easy to display.

There are a wide variety of desserts in western cultures, including cakes, cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, puddings, and candies. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its natural sweetness.

Apples and raspberries are full of vitamins, oats are great for heart health, and pistachios pack a protein punch. Add them together for a colorful and flavorful dessert. Simply cut back on the serving size or skip the ice cream if you're worried about the sugar.

It's a safe bet to count one serving per person. You're planning an event for 30 people? Order three dozen. That extra six is a good buffer.

Techniques for Plating Desserts

Balance variety and contrast with texture: Combine textures like chewy, crunchy, creamy, crispy, and cold to create harmony on the palate. Garnish appropriately: Add pops of color or exciting elements to enhance the presentation, such as fresh fruit or edible flowers.

Include desserts that make sense for your restaurant

Understanding what sweets pair well with your other menu items and also fall in a price window that matches the rest of the diners experience will help make dessert a success.

Create place cards for each dessert so guests know what they are eating — especially if anyone has allergies to specific ingredients. For dessert presentation, keep the guests' eyes moving. Consider serving platters with different heights and textures to make a visually pleasing table.

We recommend 2-4 items per guest, but don't worry, we'll help make sure you have enough servings to go around! To create your own estimate, please look through all the options below. Then, choose up to the maximum quantity of items/flavors based on your guest count.

A nice bottle of wine is standard and very welcome if it's a meal. Not a cheap bottle but no need to go overboard either. Feel free to add some flowers too if you like, and no it doesn't matter if the host is a single man. I usually ask if I can bring anything and they usually say no, or just your smile etc.

What baked goods do people buy most? ›

Believe it or not, researchers have found that eating chocolate, which is the number one most craved food in America, causes the brain to release endorphins. These hormones make you feel better almost immediately, so go take a bite of that candy bar if you are feeling down and under the weather.

Wedding Cake: a classic choice, and must-have dessert at many weddings; you can choose from various flavors, fillings, and designs to match your wedding style and theme. Cupcakes: if you want a fun and trendy alternative to wedding cake, consider serving cupcakes.