I was thinking of donating a dessert for a charity fundraiser but I am not a baker so I don’t want to say “yes” and have it turn out like crap. What are some tasty, nice-looking desserts that also aren’t too tricky to make or require lots of special equipment. I’d really appreciate some ideas.
My mom always made the winning cake for our Cake Walk at the grade school fundraiser. Angelfood Cake with Whipped Cream and Strawberries.
You can probably get a decent one in a mix. It’s sooooo pretty! Our cake always brought in the most money. (Makes me miss my mom 
)
Wow…that sounds like a lot of work, but I’d eat the whole thing myself!
Caramel Meringue Tort
I’ve had a few offers for sex over this one.
It takes a couple of days to make. Caramel is best crumbled OG SMASH! when frozen. Meringue is best made with no yolk what so ever, and baked in a dry atmosphere of about 150F. Cream is best whipped when very cold.
Crumble some caramel into meringue, and then slow bake/dehydrate the meringue overnight in a couple of cake sized pieces.
Crumble some carmel into some whipping cream and whip it, whip it good, now whip it, into shape, shape it up, get straight, go forward, move ahead, try to detect it, it’s not too late, to whip it, whip it good.
Generously cover the meringues with the whipped cream and stack them, and then place the whole kit and kaboodle in a sealed container in the refridgerator overnight to let the cream infuse the meringue.
Profit!
Oatmeal often comes in bags that have recipes for oatmeal cookies. Yummy stuff, particularly if you add chocolate chips. Very easy to make.
When come back, bring pie.
If you make your own crust, be gentle when making the dough – the more you work it, the worse it will turn out.
Whether you make your own, or purchase crust and filling, you can wow the crowds by brushing egg yolk on the top of the crust before baking. That will result in a lovely golden brown colour.
I recommend the Bete Noir from Epicurious. Impressive and delicious, and surprisingly easy.
Trifle is impressive-looking, and not too hard, but it works best in a special trifle dish.
Which reminds me of a dessert my mom used to make, it’s kind of homey, but we loved it. First you line a shallow rectangular baking or casserole dish with whole vanilla wafers, a single layer, laid out neatly in rows. Also stand a row of wafers up around the sides of the dish. Spread a layer of vanilla pudding (preferably the kind you make on the stove, store-bought mix is fine). Refrigerate to set up a bit. Then, another layer of vanilla wafers, then a layer of chocolate pudding. Refrigerate until cold, and voilá! Of course, you could use any combination of pudding flavors, or fancy it up with bananas or raspberries, but I’m a traditionalist. I think we called it ice-box cake.
Tiramisu. One of my favourite desserts. And goes so ridiculously well with coffee.
sigh
Trader Joe’s carries good quality ladyfingers if you have one near you.
Preach it!
Mmmmmm…ladyfingers…
Chocolate Cheesecake.
Seriously, cheesecake is very simple.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
3 8 oz boxes of cream cheese. This is the regular sized box.
Add 1 cup sugar and mix until the sugar is combined.
Add 1 cup of plain sour youghurt.
Add 1/2 cup baking cocoa and mix gently.
Add 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla. Adding a couple splashes of Amaretto is good too.
Add 3 eggs. Add one egg at a time, again mixing gently until the entire egg is combined, then add the next. This is the stage when beating on too high a speed will incorporate air into the batter, the air will puff up during baking and collapse as the cake cools and crack the cake. So gentle mixing.
Pour the batter into your pan. You can leave it crustless, or make a simple crust of crushed chocolate cookies. Sprinkle chocolate chips and/or almonds on top. Bake for about 40 minutes. The center of the cake should still be a bit moist when you take it out of the oven, the cake will continue to set after removal. Of course, the exact amount of cooking time is a matter of taste, I prefer it a bit more soft and custardy.
If you want easy and impressive, I’ve always thought that fruit tarts along the lines of the so called “Fruit Pizza” are visually stunning and require no more skill than baking cookies and some time spent artistically arranging fruit.
Fresh Fruit Pizza
1 (18 oz.) package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
2 cups blackberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 Tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, melted
1 plum, sliced
¾ cup Lemon Curd
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups fresh raspberries
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Press dough into a 12-inch pizza pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack. Preheat broiler. Spread jam over crust. Spread Lemon Curd over jam; arrange all the fruit on top. Sprinkle sugar over fruit. Broil 3 minutes.
Serves 6 - 8.
Note: Try using kiwi, blueberries, grapes, peaches, and mangoes for variety. You can also replace the Lemon Curd with an 8 oz. block of cream cheese combined with a ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1 tsp milk for a change of pace.
(Tip: You could leave off the lemon curd and give it a nice finishing glaze of some heated apricot jam instead of the sugar broil. It would give it a much more impressive and beautiful sheen.)
Wow, nice job Muffin – I think you’ve just pulled ahead of Alton Brown in the 2007 standings for ‘Most Pop-Culture References in One Recipe’ !
How about a Sans Rival?
Try this:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/231017
Really very easy, impresses everyone (And makes them all gain ten pounds.)
I’m totally trying this one - Yum!!!