Dessert Recipes

Sometimes the craving arrives long before the patience does. These little easy desserts are ready in minutes, from warm mug cakes to baked apples and a cheesecake made for one.

There are days when even I cannot be persuaded to turn on the oven, Dear Reader. That is when the fridge earns its keep with wobbly jelly slices, creamy cheesecakes and tiramisu that look far more industrious than they really are.

These are the desserts I love for entertaining because they wait patiently in the fridge while you get on with everything else. My trifle recipes and creamy puddings are especially good at making a host look wonderfully organised.

Not every cake needs layers, piping and a special occasion. These are the dependable easy cakes I make for afternoon tea, unexpected visitors or simply because the cake tin looks lonely.

When the chocolate craving arrives it is rarely interested in compromise. These are the deeply chocolatey cakes, gooey brownies and silky mousses I turn to when only chocolate will do.

Cheesecake can be baked until burnished, chilled until beautifully creamy or turned into a clever three-ingredient dessert. These six cover everything from classic strawberry to maple, lemon and an ANZAC biscuit crust.

These are made for lunchboxes, cake stalls and stealing a square with a cup of tea. There are chewy slices, nostalgic biscuits and enough chocolate to make sharing entirely optional.

Apples, pears and quinces become their very best selves with butter, sugar and a little time in the oven. Start with a bubbling cobbler or baked pears, then work your way towards the towering pies and fragrant quince desserts.

Citrus is dessert's great wake-up call. Lemon gives tarts and cakes their lovely tang while orange, blood orange and yuzu bring perfume, colour and just enough sharpness to keep another slice tempting.

Berries rarely need much encouragement to become dessert. Fold them through cakes, pile them into pies or pair them with cream and chocolate and they will provide all the colour and sweet-sharp flavour you need.

Mango, passion fruit, coconut and pineapple make dessert taste like summer even when the weather refuses to cooperate. These cakes, popsicles and creamy puddings are sunny, tangy and very difficult to resist.

There are cold nights when the only proper ending to dinner is a warm pudding and a generous amount of sauce. These are for eating with a spoon on the sofa, ideally with custard or ice cream melting into every corner.

This is the silky, spoonable end of the dessert table: quivering panna cotta, layered trifles and old-fashioned custards. Most can be made ahead and all reward a little patience in the fridge.

A crisp pastry shell makes almost anything feel like an occasion. Fill it with lemon curd, silky custard, honey or wine-poached pears and you have the sort of dessert people remember long after the plates are cleared.

Crumbles and cobblers are gloriously forgiving. Fruit bubbles underneath while the topping turns crisp and golden, and nobody minds if the first spoonful looks a little untidy once the ice cream lands on top.

Homemade ice cream can be wonderfully simple or delightfully excessive. These range from pure Sicilian pistachio and classic vanilla to mochi, candy bars and an entire tiramisu cake from the freezer.

On a hot Sydney day, opening the freezer can feel like the best cooking decision you have made. These sharp, icy sorbets and granitas cool you down without asking for much work in return.

Some desserts arrive at the table quietly and others make the whole room stop and stare. Birthdays are my excuse for stained glass, towering layers and all the decorations that make cutting the first slice feel almost criminal.

Christmas dessert should make an entrance, whether it is a cherry trifle, a pavlova shaped like a tree or a cake covered in cream and festive decorations. Many of these can be prepared ahead so Christmas Day remains delicious rather than frantic.

Easter gives us chocolate eggs and hot cross buns while Halloween lets dessert become wonderfully gruesome. These are the playful recipes for anyone who believes a pudding is even better when it looks like a brain or hides an Easter egg inside.