Easy Desserts (From Scratch) For Beginners

Female baking in kitchen wearing red apron

Assert your title as dessert connoisseur by impressing your family with these wonderfully delicious, yet surprisingly easy-to-make desserts. 

The training wheels are finally coming off.

No more box-kit desserts, no more pit stops at the petrol station to grab a pint of ice cream for an after-dinner treat and certainly no more midnight soft serves from McDonalds. 

Yes, tonight is the night you are taking the plunge and making dessert from scratch.

Here are 3 fool-proof dessert recipes from around the world which are a sure-fire way to impress your family with your new-found baking talents. 

Rustic French Apple Tart

Rustic French Apple Tart
Rustic French Apple Tart

Pastry Ingredients:

1 ½ cups plain flour

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

160g unsalted butter

¼ cold water

Filling Ingredients:

3 green apples

½ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp melted, unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

Assembling Ingredients:

Some plain flour

1 egg

¼ cup sugar

Method:

Making the Pastry:

  1. Using a food processor, combine flour, salt and sugar.
  2. Add butter and process until almost combined. 
  3. Add cold water and process until mixture is crumbly but moist.
  4. Transfer dough onto lightly floured counter.
  5. Using a rolling pin, flatten out dough until it is 20cm in diameter.
  6. Transfer dough to baking paper-lined tray and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Making the Filling:

  1. Peel, core and slice apples so that they are 2cm in width and place in large bowl.
  2. Mix in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, melted butter and salt.
  3. Take out dough from the fridge and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is 30 cm in diameter.
  4. Sprinkle flour over pastry.
  5. Arrange apple slice mix in centre of pastry leaving around 5cm of space from the edges.
  6. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples to create pleats.

Assembling the Tart:

  1. Beat 1 egg with a whisk.
  2. Brush egg mixture onto pastry.
  3. Sprinkle sugar over top.
  4. Chill the tart for 20 minutes in the fridge.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
  6. Bake the tart for 1 hour.
  7. Cool on rack and serve.

Traditional Sri Lankan Love Cake

Traditional Sri Lankan Love Cake
Traditional Sri Lankan Love Cake

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks

500 g sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp honey

185g raw cashews

250g semolina

125g unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp rosewater

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
  2. Lightly grease 20cm square pan with butter and line with baking paper.
  3. Combine butter and semolina in a bowl.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk yolks and sugar together until creamy.
  5. Combine both mixtures together and stir.
  6. Finely chop the cashews.
  7. Add in the cashew’s cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, honey and rosewater into the mixture and stir until well-combined.
  8. Pour mixture into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until the surface is golden brown.
  9. Serve.

Authentic Belgian Chocolate Mousse

Authentic Belgian Chocolate Mousse
Authentic Belgian Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients for Mousse:

125g dark Belgian chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)

2 tbsp sugar   

2 eggs

150g thickened cream

Ingredients for Assembly:

1 cup of raspberries

Method:

  1. Chop chocolate into evenly sized chunks.
  2. Melt the chocolate in a bowl placed over a boiling pot of water and stir intermittently.
  3. Once the chocolate is melted, take off the heat and put aside.
  4. Separate the yolks and eggs whites.
  5. Whisk together the egg yolks, slowly adding the sugar as you go.
  6. Once the mixture is pale and foamy, pour in the melted chocolate and gently fold the mixture together.
  7. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks begin to form.
  8. Gently fold your egg whites into the chocolate mixture.
  9. Finally fold in the thickened cream.
  10. Pour mousse into your desired serving dishes.
  11. Pop mousse into the fridge and let it set for 3 hours.
  12. Take out mousse and garnish with raspberries.
  13. Serve.

RELATED: Fluffy, Vegan, Chocolate Mousse Recipe

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