Traditional Vs Modern: Christmas Eve Dessert Recipes In 2025
Written by jheelum basu | December 8, 2025
While desserts complete the festive fervor of Christmas like nothing else, they also paint a picture where tradition meets contemporary. While the plum porridge represents the traditional Christmas Eve dessert recipes, the desserts have evolved a lot over the centuries. Be it the puddings and cakes or the cheesecakes and truffles, the modern party menus have a place for all.
Based on the cultural influences and the availability of ingredients, dessert recipes have changed over the centuries. While the traditional ones still rely on spices and flavors, the modern Christmas Eve dessert recipes also focus on flavor innovation, texture, and the visual appeal of a dessert.
Christmas Desserts: From Traditional Plum Porridge To Modern Desserts
Chronologically, it all started from a medieval dried fruit and meat-containing dish called plum porridge. Ancient Rome was the first place where the early versions of the Christmas cake were made for the first time. They used ingredients like barley, honey, dried fruits, and nuts. Later, England designed a recipe with oats, dry fruits, and spices to break the pre-Christmas fasts. It was the 16th century when the baked versions were introduced with flour, sugar, and eggs in the recipe. To make sure both the traditional and contemporary dessert recipes win every dessert lover’s heart this year, explore the following recipes.
1. Christmas Pudding
The rich and dense pudding is a traditional Christmas dessert with a British origin. Made with dried fruits, fall spices, citrusy zest, and alcohol, this dish carries the quintessential Christmassy vibe. While it often looks like a cake, the soft and moist pudding is prepared by steaming in a water bath. Baking is not part of this recipe.
Here’s the detailed recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups mixed dried fruits (raisins, currants, and dates),
- 1 cup of chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans)
- 1/2 cup of orange juice
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Step-by-Step Guide:
Step 1:
Prepare the dry fruit mix by soaking the dried fruits in orange juice and alcohol (rum or wine) for at least a few hours. To prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the pudding, consider adding a little flour to them before soaking.
Step 2:
Use an electric hand mixer to cream the softened butter with dark brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Next, beat in eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract as well.
Step 3:
Once the wet ingredients are mixed well, add the dry ingredients such as all-purpose flour, salt, and spices. Mix all of them to form the pudding batter.
Step 4:
Combine the prepared fruit mixture with the pudding batter and give it a good mix before pouring it into the prepared baking pan.
Step 5:
Now, take a pudding basin and grease it with butter.Line the base with a circle of baking paper.
Step 6:
Add the mixture to the basin and cover it with a layer of baking paper. Secure it tightly with a kitchen string. It also creates a handle for easy lifting.
Step 7:
Now place the pudding basin in a large saucepan on a trivet. Add simmering water to fill half of the saucepan around the sides of the pudding basin. Cover the saucepan with a lid and steam for 6-8 hours. Keep adding water to the saucepan as and when needed.
Step 8:
Once ready, poke holes in its surface and brush some more orange syrup and wine while the pudding is still warm. Allow it to absorb the juice for some time before serving.
2. Yule Log (Bûche de Noël)
With the name tracing back to the age-old tradition of burning a large log during the winter solstice, Yule Log, also known as Bûche de Noël, is a traditional Christmas dessert. As the name suggests, the cake looks like a miniature log. The shape of the cake often resembles Swiss rolls.
It is made of a chocolate sponge cake often baked in a sheet pan using flour, sugar, butter, eggs, cocoa powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Next, the cake is rolled up with creamy, chocolatey filling and is covered with rich chocolate and buttercream ganache to create the woody, brown look for the Yule log. To create the bark-like texture, the knife or fork is dragged on the surface. For garnishing, often powdered sugar and meringue mushrooms are used to make it look like a snowy wood.
3. Christmas-Themed Chocolate Truffle
Some celebrations deserve extra indulgence. And Christmas indeed is one of them. These bite-sized delights are everyone’s favorites due to their richness, melt-in-the-mouth texture, and smooth exterior. While it sounds lavish, these sweet chocolate desserts are actually quite simple to assemble at home.
The recipe needs some cocoa powder, chocolate, vanilla essence, and condensed milk. To make these little balls of chocolatey goodness, start by mixing cocoa powder with a tablespoon of vanilla essence. Next, stir in the condensed milk and mix until smooth and glossy. Chill the mixture well before rolling it into balls. Now, give the bite-sized balls a good bath in rich, melted chocolate. To add the Christmassy vibe, add holiday-themed colorful sprinkles or red and green decorations on top of the truffles.
4. Peppermint Mocha Cupcake
This recipe features a chocolate base cupcake with peppermint-flavored cream cheese frosting. While the basic ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, baking soda, and vanilla extract) remain the same, this recipe includes rich chocolate, instant coffee, and peppermint extract. Here, the moist chocolate cake includes hot instant espresso for that signature flavor.
Once the baking is done at 180°C and the cupcakes have adjusted to the room temperature, they are topped with creamy peppermint or peppermint vanilla buttercream frosting. For garnishing, one may use some chocolate drizzle and crushed candy canes or peppermint candies. To create the winter wonderland look, one may sprinkle some icing sugar on top.
5. Christmas No-Bake Cheesecake
With its smooth and creamy filling, a no-bake cheesecake can easily turn out to be the star dessert of any party. However, this version includes a Christmassy makeover. The classic no-bake recipe heavily relies on ingredients like heavy cream, sour cream, and cream cheese to make the filling. The other ingredients include Graham cracker crust, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Some variations also include gelatin for a lighter yet firmer texture. To prepare the dessert, start by beating the filling ingredients together. Next, take the Graham cracker crust and spread it evenly across the bottom of a springform pan. Refrigerate the pan until set properly. Now, add the mixture of filling ingredients to the pan and allow it to chill.
To make it even more interesting for Christmas, one may consider topping it with raspberry sauce or edible decorations carrying flavors like peppermint, cranberry, and chocolate. Often, red and green sprinkles are added on top as well.
Conclusion
This year, make sure the traditional meets the contemporary on the dessert palette. While cakes and puddings always rule the Christmas dessert menu, let the modern sweet treats win hearts as well.