Showstopper desserts to rival Christmas pudding, from ritzy brownies to a boozy fruit cake. Story by Diana Henry • 3d. M aking puddings and cakes is a particular kind of Christmas cooking.

After the main event on Christmas Day, keep the show rolling on with one of these stunning Christmas dessert recipes. From a boozy trifle to a cool frozen treat or a pavlova crowned with summer fruit, ...

Then we begin to bake. Out comes the big stand mixer. This tool means business. No beating by hand could ever do what its robust motor can: whisk egg whites into mounds of white clouds, transform ...

These delicious little boozy mini-Bundt fruitcakes are soaked with dark spiced rum, packed full of candied fruit and dipped in a boozy icing. This is the perfect way to celebrate the holidays ...

Prunes and Armagnac . Hear me out on this one. First, prunes are delicious. Secondly, Armagnac-soaked prunes taste divine. This combination is actually a classic French pairing — in Agen, known ...

Thumbprint cookies, the little hollow in the middle filled with crimson jam, look like the buttons on a toy soldier’s coat, and a towering layer cake filled with spiced fruit is gasp-worthy.