There is a specific set of requirements that party desserts have to meet in summer that desserts in other seasons do not. They have to survive heat without becoming a structural disaster. They have to be portable enough to travel in a car without arriving as an abstract expressionist version of what you made.
They have to serve somewhere between twelve and forty people without requiring you to spend the day before the party exclusively in the kitchen. And they have to look like something someone would reach for twice, because at a summer party, the dessert table competes with the weather, the conversation, and the fact that the lawn is right there.
Winter desserts can be fussy. They can require plating and serving warm and precise timing. Summer party desserts are a different discipline. They need to be spectacular at room temperature or cold. They need to be easy to pick up and eat while standing. And they need to look abundant, because a summer table full of food is one of the genuinely good things in life.
These 20 desserts were built for summer parties. Some are classics done properly. Some are the kind of thing that gets people asking for the recipe between bites. All of them survive the heat, feed a crowd, and come home as an empty platter.
1. Strawberry Shortcake Bar
The strawberry shortcake bar is the party dessert concept that solves everything: it’s assembled by guests, it scales to any crowd size by simply increasing the components, it looks abundant and celebratory on the table, and it produces the specific combination of sweet-tart berries, fluffy cream, and buttery biscuit that is the definitive summer dessert. Set it up. Get out of the way. Let people build their own.
What You’ll Need (serves 16-20):
For the Biscuits (make two batches):
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Heavy cream for brushing
- Coarse sugar for tops
For the Strawberries:
- 3 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Toss together 1 hour ahead and refrigerate. The strawberries macerate and create their own syrup.
For the Whipped Cream:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whip to medium peaks just before serving
How to Make It:
Make the biscuits: pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a food processor. Add cold butter and pulse until pea-sized. Pour in buttermilk and vanilla and mix until just combined. Don’t overwork. Turn out, pat to 1-inch thickness, cut into rounds. Brush with cream and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 425°F for 14-16 minutes until golden.
Arrange the biscuits, macerated strawberries with their syrup, and whipped cream in separate serving dishes on the table. Let everyone build their own. The syrup that has accumulated in the strawberry bowl gets spooned over the biscuits, which is the best part.
2. Watermelon Popsicles
A watermelon popsicle served in its own rind requires no molds, no equipment, and produces the most visually striking summer dessert in existence. You cut watermelon into wedge-shaped “popsicle sticks,” insert a popsicle stick or skewer into the rind end, and serve them ice cold. That’s the whole recipe. The presentation does the rest.
What You’ll Need (serves 12-16):
- 1 large seedless watermelon
- Popsicle sticks or bamboo skewers
- Optional garnish: lime zest, Tajín seasoning, fresh mint, flaky sea salt, crumbled feta on the side
How to Make It:
Cut the watermelon into triangular wedges, about 1 inch thick, keeping the rind intact. Push a popsicle stick or skewer into the rind end of each wedge, about halfway up.
Arrange on a tray and freeze for at least 2 hours until the flesh is firm but not completely frozen solid.
At the party, serve directly from the freezer onto a platter of ice. Have small bowls of optional garnishes alongside for people to add their own.
Cold, sweet, and visually impossible to ignore. Every summer party table needs one thing that looks like this.
3. Lemon Bars (Big Batch)
The lemon bar is the summer party dessert that appears on more tables than almost any other because it solves the portability, flavor, and crowd-sizing requirements simultaneously. Sharp lemon curd on a buttery shortbread base, dusted with powdered sugar. Made in a full sheet pan for a crowd.
What You’ll Need (serves 24-30):
For the Crust:
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Lemon Curd:
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 8-10 lemons, fresh only, no bottled)
- Zest of 3 lemons
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar for finishing
How to Make It:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13×18-inch sheet pan.
Mix the crust ingredients until combined. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly golden.
Whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour until smooth. Pour over the hot crust.
Return to the oven for 22-25 minutes until the filling is set and doesn’t jiggle when shaken. Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Dust generously with powdered sugar just before cutting and serving. Cut into small squares. The first square is always slightly crumbly. Cut it, discard it or eat it as a tester, and then proceed. Every subsequent square will be perfect.
4. Berry Pavlova
A pavlova is the summer party centerpiece: a dramatic cloud of meringue, crispy at the edges and marshmallowy in the center, topped with whipped cream and a cascading pile of fresh summer berries. It feeds twelve people from one platter. It looks like something that required professional training to make. It didn’t.
What You’ll Need (serves 12):
For the Meringue:
- 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 1.5 cups caster or superfine sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Topping:
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to medium peaks with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups mixed fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for the berries
- Fresh mint
How to Make It:
Preheat oven to 250°F. Draw a 10-inch circle on parchment, flip it over, and place on a sheet pan.
Beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating continuously until the meringue is glossy, thick, and holds very stiff peaks. This takes 8-10 minutes with a stand mixer. Fold in the cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla.
Spread the meringue onto the parchment circle, building the edges slightly higher than the center to create a well for the toppings.
Bake for 1.5 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside with the door closed for another hour. Remove and cool completely. The pavlova will crack slightly on the surface. This is correct. It is not a mistake.
Top with whipped cream and pile the berries on generously just before serving.
5. Mango Sorbet in Mango Shells
Fresh mango sorbet, made from the mango flesh and returned to the hollowed mango shell for serving, is the summer dessert that requires no special equipment, no ice cream maker, and produces something that looks like a resort dessert at a fraction of the effort.
What You’ll Need (serves 12):
- 6 ripe mangoes
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Juice of 2 limes
- Fresh mint for garnish
How to Make It:
Cut each mango by slicing down either side of the flat pit, creating two “cheeks.” Scoop the flesh from the cheeks into a blender, reserving the shells. Also peel and chop any flesh remaining around the pit.
Blend the mango flesh with sugar and lime juice until completely smooth. Taste and adjust lime and sugar.
Pour into a shallow freezer-safe container and freeze for 4-6 hours, stirring every hour for the first 3 hours to break up ice crystals. Alternatively, if you have an ice cream maker, churn for 20 minutes.
Scoop the sorbet back into the mango shells. Return to the freezer until serving time. Serve straight from the freezer on a platter with fresh mint tucked alongside.
6. S’mores Bar
The interactive summer dessert station. A table set with graham crackers, chocolate bars, and marshmallows, with a small fire or butane torch for toasting, is the summer party dessert that produces more joy per square foot of table space than any plated dessert could.
What You’ll Need (serves 20):
The Basics:
- 4 boxes graham crackers
- 6 large chocolate bars, broken into pieces (milk, dark, and white)
- 2 bags large marshmallows
The Upgrade Options (what separates a good s’mores bar from a great one):
- Peanut butter cups instead of plain chocolate
- Nutella spread on the graham crackers
- Sliced strawberries
- Caramel sauce for drizzling after assembly
- Sea salt for finishing
- Cookie butter as a spread
- Raspberry jam
- Toasted coconut flakes
The Equipment:
- A firepit, gas grill, or several small butane kitchen torches
- Long s’mores skewers or bamboo sticks
How to Make It:
Arrange everything on a large table. Label the upgrade options. Provide skewers. Let the crowd figure out the rest.
The s’mores bar works because it is inherently participatory. People gather around it and stay gathered. Conversations happen. The dessert course extends. This is the party outcome you were always hoping for.
7. Peach and Raspberry Galette (Make Two)
The rustic free-form galette is the summer party tart for people who don’t want to make a tart. A roughly shaped pastry crust folded around summer fruit doesn’t require a tart pan or precise crimping. It looks deliberately rustic and it tastes like summer in the most concentrated possible form.
What You’ll Need (serves 16, make 2 galettes):
For the Pastry (makes 2):
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water
For the Filling:
- 4 large ripe peaches, sliced
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons butter, cubed, dotted over the filling
For Finishing:
- 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- Coarse sugar for the crust
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving
How to Make It:
Make the pastry: pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until pea-sized. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just holds together. Form into two discs and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Toss peaches and raspberries with sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and lemon zest.
Roll each disc to a rough 12-inch circle on parchment. Mound half the fruit in the center of each, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the fruit, pleating as you go. Brush with egg wash. Scatter with coarse sugar. Dot with butter.
Bake at 400°F for 35-40 minutes until the pastry is deeply golden and the fruit is bubbling.
Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.
8. Tiramisu Sheet Cake
Tiramisu in sheet cake form is the party dessert that serves thirty people from one pan, holds perfectly in the refrigerator for two days, travels without incident, and produces the reaction of classic tiramisu in a format that actually makes sense for a crowd. No individual glasses, no precise plating. Just a pan of something deeply good.
What You’ll Need (serves 24-30):
- 2 packages (7 oz each) ladyfinger cookies
- 2 cups strong espresso, cooled
- 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur or dark rum
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 lb mascarpone cheese, softened
- 2 cups heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- 1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder for dusting
How to Make It:
Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl over a double boiler until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Beat in the mascarpone until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream in batches until fully incorporated and creamy.
Mix the cooled espresso with the coffee liqueur. Working quickly, dip each ladyfinger briefly (1-2 seconds each side, no longer) into the espresso mixture. They should be moistened but not saturated.
Layer the soaked ladyfingers in a single layer in a 13×18-inch sheet pan or two 9×13-inch pans. Spread half the mascarpone cream over the top. Add a second layer of dipped ladyfingers. Top with the remaining cream, spread evenly.
Dust generously with cocoa powder. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours (overnight is better).
Cut into squares and serve cold.
9. Coconut Lime Ice Cream Cake
An ice cream cake that requires no baking and no special equipment. A coconut lime no-bake crust layered with coconut ice cream, lime curd, and toasted coconut is the make-ahead summer party dessert that you assemble three days in advance, freeze, and slice into at the party.
What You’ll Need (serves 16):
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
Layers:
- 2 quarts good-quality coconut ice cream, softened slightly
- 1 cup lime curd (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 cup toasted coconut flakes for finishing
- Lime zest and fresh mint for garnish
- Whipped cream for serving
How to Make It:
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, toasted coconut, melted butter, and sugar. Press firmly into the bottom of a springform pan or a parchment-lined 9×13 pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Spread the slightly softened coconut ice cream over the crust in an even layer. Drizzle the lime curd over the ice cream and swirl it in gently. Top with toasted coconut flakes.
Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Remove from the freezer 5-10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with lime zest and fresh mint. Serve with whipped cream.
10. Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Cheesecake in bar form for a party: a buttery graham cracker base, creamy cheesecake filling, and a fresh strawberry topping that sets into a glossy, vibrant layer. Cut into small squares, these serve thirty from one sheet pan and travel perfectly.
What You’ll Need (serves 24-30):
For the Crust:
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup melted butter
For the Cheesecake:
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Topping:
- 1.5 lbs fresh strawberries, hulled
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
How to Make It:
Mix crust ingredients and press into a parchment-lined 13×18-inch sheet pan. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Add sour cream and vanilla. Pour over the crust. Bake at 325°F for 30-35 minutes until just barely set in the center. Cool completely, then refrigerate for 2 hours.
For the topping: cook strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice over medium heat until the strawberries break down and the mixture thickens into a glossy, jam-like sauce, about 10 minutes. Cool completely. Spread over the chilled cheesecake. Refrigerate for another hour.
Cut into squares with a clean knife wiped between each cut.
11. Tropical Fruit Skewers with Coconut Lime Dip
The easiest party dessert on the list. Pineapple, mango, kiwi, strawberries, and melon threaded onto skewers and served with a coconut lime yogurt dipping sauce. No cooking required. Takes thirty minutes to assemble. Looks beautiful on a table and provides a lighter option amid the richer desserts.
What You’ll Need (serves 16-20):
- 1/2 pineapple, cut into chunks
- 2 mangoes, cut into chunks
- 4 kiwis, cut into rounds
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled
- 1/2 honeydew melon, cut into cubes
- Small skewers
For the Coconut Lime Dip:
- 1.5 cups plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
How to Make It:
Thread the fruit onto skewers in alternating colors. Arrange on a long platter.
Whisk together the dip ingredients. Serve in a bowl alongside the fruit skewers.
These hold well in the refrigerator for several hours before the party. Remove 15 minutes before serving. The cold fruit is one of the most refreshing things on a summer party table.
12. Classic Banana Pudding (Big Batch)
The banana pudding that appears at every good Southern gathering because it is genuinely impossible to improve upon: vanilla wafers, fresh banana slices, and a creamy vanilla custard with a cloud of whipped cream on top. Made in a large trifle bowl or a full sheet pan, it serves a crowd and comes home empty every single time.
What You’ll Need (serves 20-24):
- 3 boxes (11 oz each) vanilla wafers
- 6 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds
- 2 tubs (8 oz each) whipped topping or 3 cups heavy cream whipped with 1/4 cup sugar
For the Pudding:
- 1.5 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups whole milk
- 4 large egg yolks, beaten
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
How to Make It:
Make the pudding: whisk sugar, flour, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Gradually whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and beginning to bubble, about 10-12 minutes. Beat some of the hot pudding into the egg yolks, then return the egg yolk mixture to the pot. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and cool.
In a large trifle bowl or sheet pan: layer vanilla wafers, banana slices, and pudding. Repeat layers. Top with whipped cream. Finish with crushed vanilla wafers and banana slices.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The wafers soften into the pudding overnight, which many people argue is the superior version.
13. Raspberry Mousse Cups
Individual raspberry mousse cups made in small glasses or cups are the elegant, make-ahead party dessert that requires no oven, travels well, looks sophisticated, and takes about thirty minutes of active work. Make them two days ahead.
What You’ll Need (makes 20 small cups):
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, plus extra for topping
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons gelatin dissolved in 3 tablespoons cold water
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fresh raspberries and mint for garnish
How to Make It:
Blend the raspberries with the sugar until smooth. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds.
Warm 1/2 cup of the raspberry puree gently. Dissolve the bloomed gelatin into the warm puree and stir until completely dissolved. Combine with the rest of the puree and let cool.
Whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to medium peaks. Fold the cooled raspberry puree gently into the whipped cream until fully incorporated and a uniform pink.
Divide among small glasses or cups. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours until set.
Top with fresh raspberries and mint just before serving.
14. Peach Cobbler (Large Baking Dish)
A summer peach cobbler made in a large baking dish is the party dessert that smells the way summer should smell. Fresh peaches in a sweet, slightly spiced filling, topped with a buttery, golden biscuit topping. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. There will be none left.
What You’ll Need (serves 16-20):
For the Filling:
- 6 lbs fresh peaches, peeled and sliced (about 12-14 medium peaches)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Biscuit Topping:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- Coarse sugar for the top
How to Make It:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the peaches with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and cinnamon. Spread in a large baking dish (at least 13×18 inches).
Make the biscuit topping: mix dry ingredients, cut in butter until pea-sized, stir in buttermilk until just combined. Drop spoonfuls over the peach filling, spacing slightly. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake for 45-55 minutes until the topping is deeply golden and the peach filling is bubbling aggressively around the edges. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.
15. Giant Cookie Cake
A single oversized cookie baked in a cast-iron skillet or sheet pan, served warm and cut into wedges, is the dessert that bridges the gap between impressive presentation and zero-fuss execution. A chocolate chip skillet cookie for twenty people requires one bowl, one pan, and about an hour.
What You’ll Need (serves 20):
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2.5 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Flaky sea salt for the top
- Vanilla ice cream for serving
How to Make It:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a 13×18-inch sheet pan.
Beat butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter extra chocolate chips on top. Finish with flaky sea salt.
Bake for 25-30 minutes for the skillet (20-22 for the sheet pan) until the edges are golden and set and the center is still very slightly underdone. It will firm up as it cools.
Serve warm, cut into wedges or squares, with vanilla ice cream. The warm cookie with melting ice cream is one of the best combinations on a summer party table.
16. Frozen Lemonade Pie
A cold, creamy, no-bake lemonade pie that lives in the freezer until the party and comes out ready to slice. Tart, sweet, creamy, and cool. The summer party dessert that requires no oven, no decorating, and no plating beyond cutting into slices.
What You’ll Need (serves 12 per pie, make 2):
- 2 pre-made graham cracker pie shells
- 2 cans (14 oz each) sweetened condensed milk
- 2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 2 cans (6 oz each) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed but cold
- 2 cups heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks
- Yellow food coloring (optional)
- Lemon slices and mint for garnish
How to Make It:
Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the condensed milk and lemonade concentrate and beat until completely smooth and creamy. Fold in the whipped cream.
Pour into the pie shells. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before slicing. Garnish with lemon slices and mint.
17. Summer Berry Trifle
A trifle is the most forgiving party dessert in existence. Layers of whatever cake you like (pound cake, ladyfingers, angel food cake), pastry cream or whipped cream, and fresh summer berries in a glass bowl creates something that looks theatrical and elaborate while being essentially unkillable as a concept.
What You’ll Need (serves 20-24):
- 1 pound cake (homemade or store-bought, cubed)
- 3 cups mixed fresh berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice for macerating the berries
For the Cream:
- 3 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese
For the Syrup (optional but recommended):
- 1/4 cup orange juice mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar, brushed over the cake
How to Make It:
Macerate the berries with sugar and lemon juice for at least 30 minutes.
Beat the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to medium peaks. Fold in the softened mascarpone.
Layer in a large trifle bowl: cake, a drizzle of orange syrup, cream, berries. Repeat twice. Top with cream and scatter remaining berries decoratively across the surface. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
18. Churro Bites with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
Freshly fried churro bites, tossed in cinnamon sugar and served with a warm chocolate dipping sauce, are the party dessert that creates a crowd. People gather around the warm churros. Conversations happen. The dessert table becomes the center of the party. You made this happen with hot oil and flour.
What You’ll Need (serves 20):
For the Churros:
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- 1 cup sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons cinnamon
For the Chocolate Sauce:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Pinch of salt
How to Make It:
For the chocolate sauce: heat cream until simmering. Pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes. Add butter and stir until glossy and smooth. Keep warm.
For the churros: bring water, butter, sugar, and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until a smooth dough forms and pulls from the sides of the pan. Cool for 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth and pipeable.
Heat 3 inches of oil to 375°F. Pipe the dough through a star tip into the hot oil, cutting into 2-inch pieces with scissors. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply golden. Drain briefly, then toss in cinnamon sugar.
Serve immediately with warm chocolate sauce for dipping. They are best within 30 minutes of frying.
19. No-Bake Chocolate Mousse Cups
Individual chocolate mousse cups that set in the refrigerator overnight, topped with fresh whipped cream and a raspberry, is the party dessert that looks and tastes like a professional pastry when it is in fact a fifteen-minute no-bake project. Make twenty-four cups two days ahead.
What You’ll Need (makes 24 small cups):
- 12 oz good dark chocolate (70% cocoa), finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Fresh whipped cream and raspberries for topping
How to Make It:
Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Cool to room temperature.
Whip the cream with vanilla to medium peaks. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt to soft peaks. Add the sugar and beat to stiff peaks.
Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate, then fold in the egg whites in two batches, keeping as much air as possible.
Divide among small glasses or cups. Refrigerate overnight.
Top with fresh whipped cream and a raspberry just before serving.
20. Grilled Pound Cake with Berries and Cream
The final entry: the simplest and arguably the most impressive. Slices of pound cake placed cut-side down on a hot grill for two minutes per side. The grill creates caramelized grill marks, a slightly toasted, warm exterior, and a softened warm center. Topped with macerated berries and whipped cream, it becomes the summer party dessert that gets people asking what you did differently.
You grilled the cake. That’s what you did differently. It takes two minutes and changes everything.
What You’ll Need (serves 20):
- 2 pound cakes, store-bought or homemade, sliced 3/4 inch thick
- 2 lbs mixed berries, macerated with 1/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups heavy cream, whipped with 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Butter for brushing the grill grates
- Fresh mint
How to Make It:
Heat the grill to medium-high. Brush the grates with butter.
Grill the pound cake slices for 1.5-2 minutes per side until golden grill marks appear and the cake smells warm and toasted. Work in batches. Keep the grilled slices warm.
Serve each slice topped with a spoonful of macerated berries and their accumulated syrup, a generous cloud of whipped cream, and a sprig of fresh mint.
The combination of warm, slightly caramelized cake with cold cream and fresh berries is the summer party dessert that people are still talking about on the way home.
