8 Tips And Tricks For Beautifully Plated Desserts
For any special occasion, the grand finale after a superb dinner really has to be something impressive. Professional chefs know exactly how to dress up desserts using just few simple steps, but trying to recreate that magic at home is another story. Believe it or not, elevating your desserts from delicious afterthoughts to elegant work of food art isn't actually as difficult as it might seem. These 8 easy tips & tricks for beautifully plated desserts will show you how to make your perfect dinner end on a deliciously high note. Show off how creative you can be in the kitchen, and let the plate be your canvas!
1. Lovely Heart Border
Yield: 1
Total Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
- vanilla pudding
- raspberry syrup
- 1 pastry
- 1 strawberry, sliced
- whipped cream
- fresh mint
- 1 vanilla bean pod
- 2 squeeze dispenser bottles
- wooden skewer
Here's How:
1.1 Fill 1 squeeze dispenser bottle with vanilla pudding and 1 with raspberry syrup. Squeeze out evenly spaced dots around the edge of the plate, alternating between vanilla pudding and raspberry syrup, making sure to leave ¼ of the circumference of the plate uncovered. Gently drag a wooden skewer through the center of dots so that they run into one another slightly, forming a continuous row of little hearts.
1.2 Place the pastry you're serving in the unaccented area of the plate and top it off with whipped cream, a slice of strawberry, and a vanilla bean pod. Fan 1 sliced strawberry next to the heart border and place 1 sprig of fresh mint next to the strawberry.
2. Fun Fruit Handprint
Yield: 1
Total Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
- fruit pie filling or sauce
- blackberry mousse
- fresh berries (e.g. blackberries, raspberries & cranberries)
- fresh mint
- 1 Raffaello chocolate
- 1 coconut pastry
- piping bag
Here's How:
2.1 Remove the pieces of fruit from the fruit pie filling and place the fruit sauce on a large plate. Wash your hand thoroughly and firmly press it down into the fruit sauce. Press the hand covered in fruit sauce down onto a clean serving plate and carefully remove it, leaving a neat handprint made out of fruit sauce.
2.2 Spoon a dollop of blackberry mousse between the thumb and index fingers of the handprint and transfer the remainder of the blackberry mousse to a piping bag. Pipe 5 small dots of blackberry mousse to the right of the handprint. Position the Raffaello chocolate and coconut pastry on the plate and top off the dots of blackberry mousse with fresh berries and mint leaves.
3. Bright Sun Accent
Yield: 1
Total Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
You'll Need:
- mango syrup
- raspberry syrup
- 1 chocolate pastry
- fresh fruit (e.g. cranberries, gooseberries & raspberries)
- fresh mint
- whipped cream
- 2 squeeze dispenser bottles
- piping bag
- fork
Here's How:
3.1 Fill the 2 squeeze dispenser bottles, 1 with mango syrup and 1 with raspberry syrup. Drizzle a few circles of raspberry syrup around the edge of the plate, then follow with a few circles of mango syrup closer to the center of the plate.
3.2 Brush the tongs of a fork through the rings of sauce, starting alternately from the exterior and interior of the rings.
3.3 Place the chocolate pastry near the edge of the mango sauce on 1 side of the plate. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag and pipe several small dots of whipped cream on both the chocolate pastry and the plate. Place fresh mint leaves and pieces of fruit on top of the whipped cream dots.
4. Making Chocolate Waves
Yield: 1
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You'll Need:
- melted chocolate
- 1 chocolate cupcake
- vanilla frosting or whipped cream
- fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, cranberries, raspberries & blackberries)
- fresh mint
- serrated cake icing scraper
Here's How:
4.1 Spoon the melted chocolate diagonally onto 1 corner of the serving plate, as shown in the video.
4.2 Drag a serrated cake icing scraper through the melted chocolate, making a wave pattern moving from left to right.
4.3 Place the chocolate cupcake in the corner of the plate without any chocolate, top the cupcake with vanilla frosting or whipped cream, and garnish with fresh fruit and mint leaves.
5. Decorative Tape Technique
Yield: 1
Total Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You'll Need:
- melted white chocolate
- 1 chocolate pastry
- 1 tbsp blackberry mousse
- fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, kiwi & raspberries)
- fresh mint
- transparent tape
- new paint brush
- piping bag
Here's How:
5.1 Position 2 pieces of transparent tape parallel to one another on the left-hand side of the plate. Position 2 more parallel pieces of tape on the plate so that they intersect the first set at an angle. Make sure there's an even gap left between the 2 sets of parallel pieces of tape.
5.2 Use a new, thoroughly cleaned paint brush to paint melted white chocolate over the gaps between the pieces of tape.
5.3 Let the white chocolate set, then remove the pieces of tape. Transfer the blackberry mousse to a piping bag, place the chocolate pastry at the intersection between the 2 lines of white chocolate, and pipe squiggles of blackberry mousse near the pastry. Garnish with fresh fruit and voilà – edible modern art!
6. Minimalist Spiral
Yield: 1
Total Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You'll Need:
- vanilla pudding
- mint sauce
- 1 chocolate pastry
- fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, cranberries, raspberries & blackberries)
- nut topping
- 1 squeeze dispenser bottle
Here's How:
6.1 Transfer the vanilla pudding to a squeeze dispenser bottle and squirt the pudding onto a brightly colored plate in a spiral pattern. Carefully spoon the mint sauce between the lines of the spiral. Position the chocolate pastry to 1 side of the plate and garnish with fresh fruit and nut topping.
7. Striking Meringue Lightning
Yield: 1
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You'll Need:
- 1–2 egg whites
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 coconut pastries
- fresh fruit (e.g. strawberries, cranberries, raspberries & blackberries)
- fresh mint
- pie dish
- culinary torch
Here's How:
7.1 Beat the egg whites until they become light and airy, then add in the sugar, beating continuously until the meringue becomes stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue onto a serving platter or slate plate and flatten it with the bottom pie dish.
7.2 Carefully remove the pie dish from the meringue and use a culinary torch to heat the individual branches of meringue until golden brown.
7.3 Garnish the plate with coconut pastries, fresh fruit, and mint leaves.
8. Flashy Fruit Design
Yield: 1
Total Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You'll Need:
- raspberry or strawberry syrup
- mango syrup
- mint sauce
- mini pastries
- fresh fruit (e.g. gooseberries, cranberries, kiwis & blackberries)
- 2 squeeze dispenser bottles
- Lazy Susan
Here's How:
8.1 Transfer the fruit syrups to squeeze dispenser bottles. Place the serving plate on a Lazy Susan, spin it, and squeeze the strawberry or raspberry syrup onto the plate in a circular grid-like pattern.
8.2 Spoon some mint sauce and squeeze some mango syrup into some of the gaps left in the grid.
8.3 Place the mini pastries on top of the grid and garnish with fresh fruit.
Once you use these tips & tricks for serving desserts, you won't know what looks more appealing, the decoration or the dessert! Amaze your dinner guests and leave a lasting impression with any one of these beautifully arranged sweets – they're truly works of edible art!
Get the instructions for the Cool Chocolate Decorations featured in the bonus video.