I need a dessert recipe that is tasty, fairly easy to make and can be made in advance. I am bringing dessert to a book club dinner party on Saturday. I'm usually very good with dessert recipes, but I'm a little stumped this time because of the time demands on Saturday. My kids have two baseball games and a track meet that day so I won't have a lot of time to fuss. I might be going to the party straight from one of the games or the track meet so I need to make it in advance and although I could bring a cooler it can't be something with ice cream or whipped cream that needs refrigeration or a freezer. My one thought was tweaking a really good apple crisp recipe I have and making it with berries currently in season and picking up some frozen yogurt on the way. Any other ideas?
Thank you all. I'm leaning towards the carrot cake idea because it's a favorite of mine and I found a reduced fat recipe on line. I am also very intrigued by all of the suggestions containing various fruits. I need to stay away from the pudding, ice cream and whipped cream ideas because it sounds like it is going to be a warm day and I don't know how long it will be sitting in the cooler. I will save all of these suggestions though because I am hosting this same group at my house next month. For those of you suggesting healthier options, there is at least one person in our group who doesn't eat sweets so I always try to have fresh fruit available in addition to a more traditional dessert for those who don't want to indulge. Angel food was a great suggestion too, but our family tends to have a lot of it in the summer, including as a birthday cake.
Carrot cake or other dense cakes like that freeze well if you want to make it early and then the night before thaw and frost just before going ... if it is a creamcheese (traditional) frosting it will freeze well in the freezer too.
Debbie Downer here:
How about just bringing berries. With nothing else?
It's swimsuit season-- personally, the less temptation my friends put in front of me, the better. :)
I just saw one that is easy...by Cool whip
You get a frozen pound cake and cut into layers. Put Strawberries, Raspberries and blueberries in between the layers then a layer of vanilla pudding on top of the fruit cover with cake and repeat. Then top the cake with cool whip and fruit as garnish...The picture looked yummy and I will try it this summer
If you can bring a cooler, here's an easy one.
Get some instant pudding mix, make it according to the package directions (we like the Sugar Free Cheesecake flavor!).
We usually make it in custard cups for individual servings, but you could easily use a large serving container.
Use a variety of berries, blue, strawberries, raspberries, your choice. Crush up some graham crackers and lay in the bottom of the serving dish. Layer the pudding and berries into the serving dish. Top it with the berry combination and some mini chocolate chips for a beautiful look and taste. You could make it the night before and it still tastes great. Just store covered in the refrigerator. In total, it takes less than 15 minutes to make!
Good luck.
One thing I make that is always a hit is this pineapple marshmallow stuff. You just get a tub of cool whip, a can of pineapple chunks, a bag of mini marshmallows and I add in some chopped pecans or walnuts. Throw it all in a bowl and mix it up. That's it. My grandmother used to make this all the time and it is so simple yet people always love it. I've taken it to picnics and unless its really hot, it's fine if it's not in a cooler.
Why not a Angel Food cake with some fresh strawberries and some cool whip/whip cream? Its light and fresh and fat free (angel food cake is fat free.. not the whip cream, lol)
You could make or purchase an Angel Food Cake. Angel Food Cake Mixes purchased at the grocery store make this super easy to make. Take along a can of Cherry Pie filling and a can opener. Then either slice or break pieces of the Cake into cups or on a plate. Top with a spoonful of Cherry Pie filling. Frozen Yogurt would work great on this as well. Just layer the cake, yogurt and pie filling.
EASY Peach Cobbler
Ingredients:
Large bag of frozen peaches
stick of butter
sugar
cinnamon
3-4 frozen pie crusts
Dump the peaches in a 9x13 baking pan. Cover the peaches with a generous layer of sugar and cinnamon (you can't have too much). Cover with a stick of butter, cut into pats. Bake at 350 until peaches are tender, about 30 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven. Cut pie crusts into strips and layer on top of the peaches. Put back in the oven until crust is golden brown, about 20-30 minutes or so. Delicious!
margarita pie
2/3 cup margarita mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
Mix together and pour into graham cracker crust. bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes then chill for 2 hours before serving
Kind of tastes like a key lime type pie
Make a dump cake. Super tasty and really easy. Take 2 cans of fruit filling. We use cherry and pinapple. Then top it with a white cake mix (raw) and top it with butter. Then pop it in the oven and when it is done it is super good. Travels well and is good with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Here is a recipe. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/04/dump-cake-a-po...
7 layer bars are always popular and hold up really well made ahead of time.
Tastes better if made 24 hours prior to being served. Super easy.
Chocolate Éclair Dessert
1 ½ packages graham crackers
2 small packages instant French vanilla pudding
9 ounces non-dairy whipped topping (one container of cool whip)
3 cups milk
1 can chocolate frosting
Mix pudding and milk. Fold in non-dairy whipped topping.
Line a 9- by 13- in pan with graham crackers. Spread half the pudding mixture over crackers. Arrange another layer of graham crackers over this, spread with remaining pudding mixture. Arrange another layer of graham crackers over the top.
Spoon frosting out of the can and place in a small saucepan. Heat gently over low heat. Pour over the top of dessert. Chill 12 to 24 hours.
Always gone when I make it for a group and super easy. It does need to be kept cold but you can always put it on an ice pack or deliver it the day before.
If I were you, I will go to Sams Club and get a box of mini cheesecakes; There are 63 in the box and three different flavors. It costs $15.00 and is totally worth it!!
Just an idea if you are running out of time :)
strawberry rhubarb crisp is really good too, and in season now... :) Should be able to find a recipe online, I'd put it in, but can't find mine!
One that our family loves is very simple. 1 can cherry pie filling, 1 pkg. frozen strawberries, 2 bananas, 1 can mandarin oranges drained, 1 can chunk pineapple drained. Mix together then refrigerate. You can add different fruits if you like. This is always an easy one.
These bars are my go to quick and simple bars and I generally have all the ingredients. They are also a big hit and I'm asked to make them all the time.
Toffee Bars
1c. packed brown sugar
1c. butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1t. vanilla
-Mix together
2c. flour
1/4t. salt
-Stir in
Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake @ 350 until lightly brown (approx. 25 minutes). Remove from oven.
6oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2c. peanut butter
Melt and then spread on while hot over warm crust.
This is as easy as it gets, and it's delicious too!
Frozen Lemonade Pie
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (can also use pink lemonade)
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip
1 graham cracker pie crust (the larger 9 oz. size)
1 Let lemonade concentrate soften.
2 Add the ice cream and stir until smooth (like the consistency of Cool Whip).
3 Add the Cool Whip and stir until combined.
4 Pour into the pie shell and freeze at least 4 hours.
