70 holiday dessert recipes

Chocolate pumpkin layer cake with a warm brown-sugar frosting that sets to a fudgy crust. Cocoa and pumpkin pie spice make this two-layer cake rich, moist, and irresistible for fall baking.

Spiced cranberry hazelnut bread with cinnamon, cloves, and orange juice baked into mini loaves. Wrapped in brandy-soaked cheesecloth, this holiday quick bread deepens in flavor for weeks.

Timing Tip: Can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Decorate up to 8 hours ahead. Calorie Trimmer: Use reduced-calorie margarine, vanilla nonfat frozen dessert instead of the ice cream and 2 cups thawed frozen reduced-calorie whipped topping for garnish.

Layered chocolate torte with a dried sour cherry and Marsala filling, coffee-soaked cake layers, and a cream cheese whipped cream. A multi-component holiday showpiece that tastes like Black Forest cake's sophisticated Italian cousin.

Homemade hot fudge sauce with unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate, butter, corn syrup, and vanilla. A thick, glossy ice cream topping ready in 20 minutes.

Pear and cranberry tart with a buttery oat crumble topping. Tart cranberries burst in a sweet corn syrup sauce with tender sliced pears underneath the crisp.

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No-bake holiday chocolate cake layered with orange juice-soaked macaroons, bittersweet ganache, chopped prunes, and toasted almonds. Dusted with cocoa and chilled overnight for deep, complex flavor.

A scrumptious cake made with raisins, glaced cherries and dark rum which makes it a popular Christmas favorite in the Caribbean.

Spiced gingerbread with cinnamon, mace and nutmeg, brightened with orange zest and brandy, studded with raisins. A moist, dense holiday loaf perfect for Christmas tea trays.

Christmas pudding steams grated carrot and potato with raisins, currants, suet, and warm spice blend into a moist holiday dessert. Serve with brown sugar sauce or custard.

Quebec apple dumplings wrap whole apples in cheddar pastry, each cored and stuffed with rum-spiked mincemeat. Brushed with a brown sugar and lemon cream glaze, baked golden, and served warm with rum cream.

Instead of rice, this Christmas pudding is made with pearl barley, cinnamon and sugar. Pearly barley makes the pudding taste delicious and creamy while provides lots of goodness. Serve it with some chopped nuts and rose water if needed.

Pear and ginger cheesecake bakes a granola crust around a filling of simmered pears, crystallized ginger, and a lightened cottage-and-cream-cheese base. A cozy holiday dessert with less heft than classic cheesecake.

Cranberry pear crisp with a brown rice base topped with oats, pecans, and coconut. A unique fall dessert with tart cranberries and sweet pears.

No-bake frozen fruitcake salad with sour cream, whipped topping, candied cherries, pineapple, bananas, and pecans. A retro holiday dessert that freezes into a creamy, fruity slice.