12 best show-stopping Christmas desserts to buy for the big day (2024)

Score: 87/100

Create some festive theatre at the table with this show-stopping centrepiece. Lift the top section and watch a river of chocolate sauce cascade all over the light and airy semifreddo. We think it’s the perfect way to round off your feast.

Score: 84/100

Our runner-up dessert is not your average cheesecake. Tesco has combined sweet orange with creamy mascarpone and encased it within a wall of ginger biscuit, finished with a scattering of orange glitter (which catches the light beautifully). Not too heavy or too sweet, it’s exactly what you’d want after a turkey and all the trimmings.

Score: 80/100

Pronounced “jan du yah”, Melt’s simple, yet elegant dessert is comprised of decadent chocolate ganache and crunchy hazelnuts. A must for chocolate lovers, it’s sweet but not sugary, with salt crystals providing balance. It’s also incredibly rich, so a little will go a long way...

Score: 79/100

This cute row of white chocolate cottages not only looks the part but will be easy to portion on the big day. Inside, you’ll find thick caramel, crunchy biscuit and creamy milk chocolate mousse, a combination that reminded testers of millionaire’s shortbread. Delicious!

Available 20th December 2023

Score: 76/100

Proving you needn’t spend a fortune for a festive feast to remember, Co-op’s simple cheesecake will appeal to those with a sweet tooth. With three contrasting layers — chocolate ganache topping, cream cheese middle and cinnamon-spiced golden biscuit base — the sweet caramel flavour is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Score: 75/100

Chococo’s show-stopping Christmas wreath may look like a classic dessert but delve deeper and you’ll discover it’s one kilo of dense chocolate tiffin. Packed with dates, apricots, dried cranberries and drizzled with white chocolate, it’s designed to serve 12 people. You could save it for dessert; however, we can see us dipping into this throughout the festive period.

Score: 75/100

Back for another year, Morrisons has combined zingy passionfruit with creamy, wibbly wobbly pannacotta in a simple festive star shape, ready for your Christmas day table. It's a lighter option, making it a top choice after a heavy main meal.

Score: 75/100

This festive dessert from Sainsbury’s is designed to look like an idyllic village in the Cotswolds, albeit one made with indulgent Belgian chocolate. Crack into the shell and you’ll find fluffy chocolate mousse, salted caramel and soft biscuit balls. A good, family-friendly way to round off your feast.

Score: 74/100

Iceland’s spruced up sticky toffee pudding looks ultra-Christmassy with its star-shaped design. Like traditional sticky toffee pudding, you’ll enjoy a similar flavour profile, with brown sugar sponge, molasses, toffee and caramel. We’ll be serving this with a strong espresso on the side.

Score: 74/100

For this year’s show-stopping dessert, Waitrose has taken inspiration from the classic yule log, giving it a glow-up with blonde chocolate mousse, salted caramel and caramelised biscuit. It’s finished with an eye-catching golden shimmer and comes with a sachet to make your own caramel bark topping. Decadent, yes, but light enough that everyone will find room for a slice.

Available 15th December 2023

Score: 74/100

Described as a “beautiful and bold” centrepiece, this stunning cake from modern patisserie Cutter & Squidge has multiple layers of light vanilla sponge, buttercream, custard and cranberry curd. It’s topped with a generous assortment of dried cranberries, candied orange and white chocolate pearls for good measure — so be sure to get a snap before you demolish it!

Score: 70/100

Decorated with buttercream trees and chocolate candy canes, this white, red and green cake is unmistakably Christmassy. Ideal for larger gatherings, it serves 14. Flavour-wise, the light chocolate sponge and fresh mint cream was an appealing combination, reminding some of After Eight mints.