Category: Dessert Recipes

Follow the links for simple dessert recipes.   Or have a look at the Recipe Index for lots of other brilliant easy recipes!

All my dessert recipes are simple and easy to make from scratch.  Many of them can be made in advance which takes off the pressure a bit when you are entertaining.  As with all my recipes, they are dishes that anyone can make which taste good and look attractive.

In this section you will find lots of traditional puddings and desserts plus loads of ideas for meringues and pavlova and for home-made ice cream and a few sweet tarts.

Puddings and desserts
Ice-cream and Sorbet

Strawberry Roulade

Strawberry Roulade

Strawberry Roulade

This Strawberry Roulade is an easy dessert recipe that consists of a light rolled sponge filled with strawberry jam and whipped cream. In this recipe, I have used my Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam for the filling which gives it a subtle flavour of rose. In essence, it is a posh strawberry Swiss Roll.

It is a good dessert for a party as it looks impressive on the table, can be made in advance and is easy to slice into  individual portions.   It is a bit retro but, in my view, is none the worse for that. If you are looking for another good roulade recipe, you might also like my Rhubarb Roulade.

What you need to know about this Strawberry Roulade recipe
  • You need a Swiss Roll tin – a shallow, flat tin (approximately 38 cm x 26 cm or 10 x 15 inches) to make this recipe. It also makes it much easier if you have a food-processor with a whisk attachment or an electric whisk as hand-whisking the mixture can take a while.
  • This is a very quick recipe. The sponge is thin so it cooks in 15 minutes which is much more quickly than a cake.
  • It is vital that you roll up the roulade (step 8) while it is still warm. If you leave it to cool before doing this, it will be very hard to roll.
  • It is good for a party as, in addition to looking good on the table, it is easy to slice into  individual portions.   
  • I use my Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam to add a hint of rose flavour. If you want to add a note of rose to your roulade, you can add a few drops of rosewater to a good home-made or shop-bought strawberry jam.
  • In this recipe, I used whipped cream and strawberry jam to fill the roulade. However, you could use another type of jam – raspberry or black cherry are good options – or honey as a substitute. You could also use fresh fruit, or a mixture of jam and fruit if you prefer. Any fresh berry, such as raspberries or blueberries, are good. You could also use a fruit compote, a simple mixture of fresh fruit and sugar which has been cooked very quickly, as a substitute. I have a recipe for Rhubarb Roulade which uses rhubarb compote.
Other easy dessert recipes

If you are looking for an easy, make-ahead dessert, you might also like some of my other recipes.

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Strawberry Roulade
Other strawberry recipes

In addition to my Strawberry Pavlova and Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam, you might also like my Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake or my Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream.

Strawberry Roulade recipe

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Strawberry Roulade

Strawberry Roulade

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

This easy Strawberry Roulade is filled with fresh strawberries and cream and enhanced with a hint of rose.  

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 eggs
  • 85 g (3 oz) caster sugar plus 1 tablespoon
  • 85 g (3 oz) plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Around 5 tablespoons of strawberry jam (such as my home-made Strawberry and Rose Geranium Jam)
  • 200 ml (700 fluid oz) double cream, whipped to form soft peaks
  • A little icing sugar

Instructions

  1. Set oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Line your Swiss roll tin with baking parchment or grease-proof paper.
  3. Combine the eggs and sugar and whisk until thick and foamy.  This can take up to 5 minutes.  This is one recipe where you really need a food processor with a whisk attachment or an electric whisk rather than attempting to do it with a hand whisk.
  4. Fold the flour and baking powder into the foamy egg and sugar mixture.
  5. Pour the combined mixture into your Swiss roll tin.
  6.  Put the tin in the oven and bake the sponge for 15 minutes until firm and golden.
  7. Turn the cooked sponge onto another  sheet of baking parchment or grease-proof paper on which you have sprinkled around a tablespoon of caster sugar.
  8. While the sponge is still warm, roll it up so it looks like a Swiss roll with the paper inside.   You need to roll it up while it is warm – you can’t do this when it has cooled off as the cake will crack!   Allow to cool completely.
  9. You need to construct your roulade a couple of hours before you are ready to eat it – otherwise, the cream and jam will make it soggy.  You need to unroll the sponge and remove the paper.   Spread your jam over the sponge and top it with the whipped double cream.    Don’t spread filling too thick and don’t take it quite up to the edge of the sponge (leave a gap of a couple of centimetres).  This will avoid too much squidging out when you roll the cake up again!
  10. Roll the filled cake up into a Swiss roll shape again.
  11. Dust with sieved icing sugar.

Keywords: strawberry roulade, rose

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Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet

Elderflower Sorbet

Elderflower and Gooseberry Sorbet

Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet

This Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet uses my home-made Muscat Syrup as a base.   I make the Muscat Syrup to accompany desserts, such as  Elderflower Pannacotta,  but often have some left over.

On the basis of “waste not, want not”, I thought I would try making the left over Muscat Syrup into a sorbet and the result was fantastic – a balance of tart and sweet with a lovely gooseberry flavour  enhanced by the fragrance of elderflowers.   Now I will sometimes make the syrup specifically to create the sorbet!

In order to make the Muscat Syrup into a sorbet, you need to dilute it with some water and add some lemon juice, otherwise it will be too sweet.   That is all you need to do to make the syrup into a sorbet – except freezing it, of course.

Latest posts from tastebotanical

Elderflower and Gooseberry Sorbet
Gooseberries
Other Elderflower Recipes

I am a big fan of elderflower and love its distinctive floral flavour. I have lots of recipes, some using fresh elderflowers and some which can be made with shop-bought elderflower cordial.

  • Elderflower Cordial – classic floral cordial that can be used to make summer drinks and to flavour baked goods and desserts
  • Elderflower Vinegar – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and brings a brilliant floral taste to summer salad dressings.
  • Home-made Elderflower Gin – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and great drunk on its own or as the basis for floral cocktails.
  • Elderflower Cupcakes – quick and easy and can be made using shop-bought cordial.
  • Simple Elderflower Ice Cream – delicious floral ice cream which can be made using shop-bought elderflower cordial.
  • Elderflower Pannacotta – light and creamy summer dessert

Recipe for Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet

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Gooseberry Sorbet

Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: for 6 people 1x
  • Category: Ice-cream
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

This cooling Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet is sweet and refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

Ingredients

Scale

Ingredients:  For the Muscat Syrup

  • 250 g  (8 oz) green gooseberries
  • 250 g (8 oz)  caster sugar
  • 4 tbs water
  • 4 elderflower blooms

Ingredients:  To make the Muscat Syrup into  Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet

  • For 600 ml  (1 pint) of Syrup, an additional 200 ml (35 fl oz) of water (that is, add one third quantity of water to syrup)
  • Juice of half a lemon

Instructions

Method – Muscat Syrup

  1. Put the gooseberries in a saucepan – there is no need to “top and tail” them.  Add the sugar and water and cook over a low heat until the gooseberries are soft.
  2. Take the pan off the heat and add the elderflower blooms.
  3. Allow the syrup to cool.  The flavour of the elderflower blooms will diffuse into the syrup.
  4. When cool, strain the syrup through a sieve into a jug or bowl.

Method – To make the Muscat Syrup into Gooseberry and Elderflower Sorbet

  1. Dilute the syrup with water – one third water to two thirds syrup.
  2. Add juice of half a lemon.
  3. Transfer the sorbet mixture to the fridge to become thoroughly chilled.
  4. When you are ready to make the sorbet, transfer to your ice-cream maker and use according to your machine’s instructions.  If you do not have an ice-cream maker, you can place the mixture in a freezer-proof container, put in the freezer for several hours until half-frozen.  Whisk the mixture and then return to the container and replace in the freezer until totally frozen.

Keywords: gooseberry and elderflower sorbet, gooseberry, elderflower, sorbet

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Meringues

Meringues

I am sure that there are  recipes for meringues in hundreds of cookery books and blogs.  However, I’m posting this one, for convenience, as an accompaniment to my recipes for home-made ice cream.   Most of my ice cream recipes needs four egg yolks and my meringue recipe needs four egg whites.  Therefore, when I make ice-cream, I generally make meringues too. 

The home-made version, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, is so much better than dry and powdery ready-made meringues. They keep for around a week in a tin so you don’t need to gorge on both ice-cream and meringues at the same time (although admittedly that is what sometimes happens in my house..)

We generally eat meringues sandwiched together with unsweetened whipped cream and accompanied by a few berries – strawberries, blueberries or, my favourite, raspberries.   

What you need to know about this recipe

  • You need to grease your baking tray to stop the meringues sticking. However, do not overdo it with the grease of you will have greasy meringues. Make sure you remove the meringues from the tray as soon as they are out of the oven. If you leave them to cool on the baking tray, it might be difficult to remove them from it.
  • It is really important to cook the meringues at a very low heat. Check towards the end of the cooking time to make sure that they are not starting to turn light brown. If so, reduce the temperature further or, if they look done, remove them from the oven.
  • I simply spoon the meringue mixture onto the baking tray. I use either a teaspoon, a dessert spoon or a tablespoon depending on how large I want my meringues (step 6).
  • I generally serve each of my guests two meringues, sandwiched together with some whipped cream, accompanied by some fresh berries. However, they are fine just with the cream! You can use any berries that you like. I will use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. Sometimes, I will use a mix of berries.
  • It is important to allow your meringues to cool completely before adding cream or berries. I generally make mine the day before I serve them. They keep very well at room temperature in a sealed container.
  • You should assemble the meringues, adding any cream or berries, just before you are ready to serve them. If you add them a long time in advance, they will make the meringues soggy.

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Other meringue recipes

I love meringues and pavlovas and make a lot of them all year around. Here are some my other favourites.

If you are not in the mood for meringue, I also have lots of other easy dessert recipes.

Easy Meringue Recipe

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Swiss meringues

Meringues

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 90
  • Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Yield: 24 medium sized meringues 1x
  • Category: Meringues
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

Crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside, these delicious home-made Meringues are the ultimate light summer dessert.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 egg whites
  • Pinch of salt
  • 225 g caster sugar

Instructions

  1. Set the oven to 140 C/275F or Gas Mark 1.
  2. Cover two baking sheets with baking parchment. Spread a very thin film of flavourless oil, such as rapeseed oil, on the baking parchment (the best way is to rub it over the parchment with your fingers and then remove the excess with a piece of kitchen towel).
  3. Whisk the egg whites with the salt until they form soft peaks.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons of the sugar to the egg whites and whisk again until very stiff and shiny.
  5. Fold in the rest of the sugar.
  6. Spoon the mixture onto the baking parchment.  You can make your meringues small, medium or large depending on the size spoon you use – teaspoon, dessert spoon or tablespoon.
  7. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake until they are hard on the outside but still gooey in the middle.  This will take between an hour and an hour and a half.
  8. Remove the meringues from the oven and place on a cooling rack.

Keywords: meringues

Elderflower Ice-cream

Easy homemade Elderflower Ice Cream recipe

I make Elderflower Ice Cream using my standard ice cream recipe.  I use this to make many different flavours of ice cream but  Elderflower Ice Cream is one of my favourites.  It has a wonderful floral creaminess which is perfect eaten in the garden on a sunny English summer day. I think my Lemon Biscuits go very well with my Elderflower Ice-cream but you could serve it with fresh berries – or just on its own!

To make my Elderflower Ice-cream, I use Elderflower Cordial to add the flavour, rather than fresh elderflowers, which means that you can make this recipe at any time of the year.  However, for me, this is an early summer recipe.  I make my own home-made Elderflower Cordial and you can find the link to the recipe here.   However, there are lots of great ready-made versions available  in supermarkets now.

You only need the egg yolks for this recipe which means you will have spare egg whites.  As I hate waste, I pretty much always make Meringues when I make ice-cream as, very conveniently, my Meringue recipe requires four egg whites.

Other Elderflower Recipes

I am a big fan of elderflower and love its distinctive floral flavour. I have lots of recipes, some using fresh elderflowers and some which can be made with shop-bought elderflower cordial.

  • Fresh Elderflower Cordial – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and can be diluted as a drink and also used as a flavouring in other recipes.
  • Home-made Elderflower Gin – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and great drunk on its own or as the basis for floral cocktails.
  • Elderflower Cupcakes – quick and easy and can be made using shop-bought cordial.
  • Easy Elderflower Vinegar – floral flavoured vinegar which is brilliant in summer salad dressings or drizzled over fresh strawberries.
  • Elderflower and Gooseberry Sorbet – a refreshing floral sorbet that celebrates the brilliant flavour match of elderflower and gooseberry.
  • Elderflower Pannacotta – light and creamy summer dessert.
Other home-made ice cream recipes

I am a great home-made ice cream enthusiast. I make it in the summer, of course, but am happy to eat it in winter too! There are some brilliant, shop-bought ice creams available but it is so easy to make your own. I like to experiment with flavours and some of my other ice cream recipes are listed below.

Easy homemade Elderflower Ice Cream recipe

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Elderflower Ice-cream

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Ice Cream
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

This quick and easy homemade Elderflower Ice Cream recipe is the perfect summer dessert.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 85 g (3 oz) caster sugar
  • 425 ml (15 fl oz) double cream
  • 4 tablespoons Elderflower Cordial

Instructions

  1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl until the mixture looks paler and resembles a mousse.
  2. Put the cream in a saucepan and heat gently. Do not allow to boil – it will be the right temperature when you are just about able to bear to dip a finger in it!
  3. Add the Elderflower Cordial to the cream.
  4. Pour the cream into the bowl containing the egg yolks and sugar, whisking all the time.
  5. Transfer the combined mixture into a bowl set over a pan of simmering water or, ideally a double-boiler, as you need to reheat it very gently.
  6. The mixture will gradually thicken until it looks like a custard (which is what it is).  Stir regularly to make sure it does not stick while it is thickening.
  7. Remove the thick custard from the heat and transfer into a bowl.  Allow to cool to room temperature and then transfer to the fridge to become thoroughly chilled.
  8. When you are ready to make the ice-cream, transfer to your ice-cream maker and use according to your machine’s instructions.  If you do not have an ice-cream maker, you can place the mixture in a freezer-proof container, put in the freezer for several hours until half-frozen.  Whisk the mixture and then return to the container and replace in the freezer until totally frozen.

Keywords: elderflower, ice cream

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Elderflower Pannacotta with Muscat Syrup

Elderflower and pannacotta

Elderflower Pannacotta with Muscat Syrup

Elderflower Pannacotta

This recipe for Elderflower Pannacotta is based on one by Stevie Parle  although I make it without the addition of eau de vie and make individual pannacotta moulds rather than one big one.  Parle’s recipe suggests an accompaniment of strawberries, which do go very well with it, but I prefer to serve it with Muscat Syrup.

Creamy and light Pannacotta is a lovely summer dessert.  It is great for dinner parties as it looks beautiful, can be made in individual portions and can be made the day before.    This recipe uses fresh elderflowers to flavour the pannacotta.  If you don’t have access to these, you can make it using 2 tablespoons Elderflower Cordial instead and halving the amount of sugar to 50 g.  If you do not reduce the amount of sugar, your pannacotta will be too sweet.

Muscat Syrup

Muscat Syrup

Muscat Syrup is a beautiful summer syrup, flavoured with gooseberries and elderflowers, which are a classic combination – both because they are in season at around the same time and because their tastes compliment and enhance each other.   

My recipe also uses fresh elderflowers.  Again, if you don’t have access to these, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of Elderflower Cordial and reduce the sugar to 200 g.

Latest posts from tastebotanical

Muscat Syrup and Pannacotta

Other Elderflower Recipes

I am a big fan of elderflower and love its distinctive floral flavour. I have lots of recipes, some using fresh elderflowers and some which can be made with shop-bought elderflower cordial.

  • Elderflower Cordial – classic floral cordial that can be used to make summer drinks and to flavour baked goods and desserts
  • Elderflower Vinegar – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and brings a brilliant floral taste to summer salad dressings.
  • Home-made Elderflower Gin – very easy to make with fresh elderflowers and great drunk on its own or as the basis for floral cocktails.
  • Elderflower Cupcakes – quick and easy and can be made using shop-bought cordial.
  • Simple Elderflower Ice Cream – delicious floral ice cream which can be made using shop-bought elderflower cordial.
Muscat Syrup and Pannacotta

Recipe for Elderflower Pannacotta with Muscat Syrup

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Elderflowers and gooseberries

Elderflower Pannacotta with Muscat Syrup

  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: for 4 people 1x
  • Category: Pannacotta
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

This Elderflower Pannacotta, with gooseberry-flavoured Muscat Syrup is a fantastic show-stopping dessert for an early summer dinner party.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Elderflower Pannacotta:

  • 4 sheets gelatin
  • 200 ml milk
  • 400 ml double cream
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 20 elderflowers

For the Muscat Syrup:

  • 250 g green gooseberries
  • 250 g  caster sugar
  • 4 tbs water
  • 4 elderflower blooms

Instructions

Method –   Elderflower Pannacotta

  1. Put the milk and cream into a saucepan and heat to simmering point.  Add the sugar and the elderflowers and cook gently for 10 minutes.
  2. Strain the mixture through a sieve lined with muslin or kitchen paper to remove the elderflowers.
  3. Soak the sheets of gelatin in warm water until soft.
  4. Add the softened sheets of gelatin to the infused milk and cream mixture and stir until dissolved.
  5. Pour the mixture into four dariole moulds.
  6. Put the moulds in the the fridge for at least 4 hours or, ideally, overnight until set.
  7. When ready to eat, dip the moulds briefly in a bowl of warm water,  making sure the pannacotta does not get wet.  Up-turn each of the moulds over a serving plate to release the pannacotta.
  8. I serve Elderflower Pannacotta with a puddle of Muscat Syrup on the plate (and more in a jug on the table) but any fresh summer berries such as  strawberries or raspberries are also a good accompaniment.

Method – Muscat Syrup

  1. Put the gooseberries in a saucepan – there is no need to “top and tail” them.  Add the sugar and water and cook over a low heat until the gooseberries are soft.
  2. Take the pan off the heat and add the elderflower blooms.
  3. Allow the syrup to cool.  The flavour of the elderflower blooms will diffuse into the syrup.
  4. When cool, strain the syrup through a sieve into a jug or bowl.

Keywords: elderflower pannacotta, muscat syrup, gooseberries

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