Bake this festive fruit cake in advance of Christmas and feed it regularly with rum, brandy or whisky to build the flavour and keep it moist

This hot, gooey chocolate pud, with dark chocolate and canned pears, can be made ahead and frozen – a perfect no-fuss dinner party dessert

A mix of trend and tradition, this is one of the easiest Christmas cakes we've ever created, with a virtually all-in-one method that'll save you some stress

Cross a Christmas pudding with a cheesecake and what do you get? A fantastic alternative festive dessert with a crunchy ginger base and creamy filling

An easy-to-make alternative to traditional Christmas cakes which requires no beating

Paul Hollywood prefers melt-in-the-mouth pastry for his fruity mince pies, so this recipe is nice and short

A perfect match for cheese and cold meats, and delicious in turkey sandwiches

A soufflé to start always gives your dinner party a 'wow' factor and this make-ahead recipe gives you more time to be the perfect host

Love crinkle cookies? Try our extra-festive version for Christmas, with orange zest, mixed spice and cinnamon – and not forgetting the classic fudgy centre

Serve this vegetarian gravy as is, or use it as a base for a turkey gravy. If you don’t have any madeira, swap it out for the same quantity of dry sherry

This spectacular Christmas showstopper is covered in crunchy Maltesers and makes for an enticing alternative pudding to end your festive feast

This traditional Christmas cake is the perfect combination of fruit, nuts and spices

You can make this no-cook tiramisu ahead to save on time when hosting a party. Made with Irish cream liqueur, it's a truly grown-up dessert

This crowd-pleasing dessert is made ahead, so all you have to do on the night is take it out of the fridge and bask in the glory

Try this ultimate make-ahead dessert for Christmas: meringue, white chocolate, cream and cherries are combined to make a luscious centrepiece

A long-life Christmas cake that's bursting with flavours of spices and vanilla

A good glug of ginger wine makes this cake a little different from the norm. It's also lighter than its predecessors, so you can have two pieces!

This lighter version of the classic Christmas pud is still full of festive flavours - citrus zest and brandy are added to this nutty spiced fruitcake

Get a head start on Christmas with James Martin's make-ahead pudding

This make-ahead festive dessert is deliciously different and incredibly simple to make, with amaretti biscuits, fresh oranges and double cream

Mix up your festive main with this fabulous Christmas dinner Wellington. A make-ahead meal in one, it incorporates stuffing and cranberry sauce, so all you need to think about on the big day is the veg and gravy

Give the classic Christmas fruitcake a makeover with cinnamon, rose, orange blossom and tropical mango for a fruity and fragrant cake

Try this cross between dense chocolate cake, rich chocolate ice cream and Christmas tiffin. Best of all, it can be sliced straight from the freezer

Combine a few key Christmas flavours here to make a pie that both children and adults will adore

Substitute eggs for chia seeds in this vegan take on a traditional Christmas cake. The coconut oil adds a great background flavour and keeps the cake moist

This tangy dessert looks impressive but takes very little effort – most of the ingredients are ready-made, so it is simply a matter of construction

A classic that every Christmas table should have. Make ahead and simply steam the puds to reheat on the big day

This attractive frozen dessert can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months - perfect to get ahead for a Christmas dinner party

This elegant dessert is easy to slice straight from the freezer

A homemade Christmas pudding is easy to make, then it just needs time in the steamer to turn it into a glorious, rich, fruity dessert. A festive classic