No matter where in South Africa you grew up, or where you find yourself right now, if you have ever experienced a Christmas meal here it means you have had your fill!

Christmas dessert is almost a dish on its own, today we share a few favourites for our readers to help them feel closer to home. Since Christmas is celebrated in the summer in South Africa, we are more inclined to serve cold desserts. We have however also added our favourite baked desserts into the mix, for those of you who expect another white Christmas this year.  

1. Koekstruif (“trifle”)

Trifle is an ever-popular festive season dessert. It is perfect for when you have a lot of guests (and little time).  

Trifle was passed down to us by the British, but as South Africans often do, we simply adapted it to suit our needs. Here is a mouth-watering modified Black Forest trifle recipe:  Resep-video: Swartwoud-koekstruif | Maroela Media

2. Baked dessert

When it comes to popular South African puddings, malva pudding and custard (or ice-cream) will probably always come out as the favourite. A few years ago we shared a unique malva pudding recipe where we added Amarula – you can find it here: ’n Unieke Kersfeesnagereg – Amarula-malvapoeding – Wêreldwyd (wereldwyd.co.za).

Sago pudding is also a very popular baked pudding, especially if you combine it with a swirl of home-made apricot jam. Maroela Media has another hit recipe, find it here: Resep: Gebakte sagopoeding | Maroela Media.

3. Ice-cream madness

Ice-cream is king on a hot summer Christmas Day! As South Africans we love this delight and even enjoy it with baked puddings. The most popular combination is probably ice-cream with chocolate sauce. This is a nice homemade ice-cream recipe that will have your guests coming back for more: Resep: Tuisgemaakte roomys met sjokoladesous | Maroela Media. You can substitute the Turkish sweets with Peppermint Crisp or something unique to add your own unique twist.

In South Africa fresh fruit salad is also served with ice-cream. With this you can also let your imagination run wild and play around with different combinations!

Christmas Cassata is an ice-cream dish with a Christmas twist. Let the creative juices flow and transform it into a trifle Christmas tree! Find out how here: Cassata-‘trifle’ | Sarie (netwerk24.com)

4. The best tarts

The Peppermint Crisp tart is probably one of South Africa’s tastiest creations ever! Enjoy this basic recipe with Maroela Media: Resep-video: Peppermint Crisp-tert | Maroela Media.

Spice it up with cherries for a Christmas colour feast.   You can also consider constructing a Christmas wreath out of pavlova to decorate your Christmas table. Get the recipe and some inspiration here: Pavlova-Kerskrans | Sarie (netwerk24.com)

5. Coffee-time snacks

Christmas visits last for a long time. After dessert guests usually enjoy a cup of coffee before departing.  

Consider making small fruit cakes to serve with the coffee for the last bit of Christmas flavour.   Milk tart is always a great, truly South African idea! Bake mini milk tarts to enjoy with coffee after the meal. This recipe is custom-made for your air fryer: Resep-video: Melktert in jou lugbraaier | Maroela Media

Share your photos and ideas

Make this Christmas a festival of food and gathering, and share your photos and ideas with us!