How to Make Desserts More Interesting
Do you love baking and looking to bring your desserts to the next level? Or are you bored with the usual cakes, pies, and cookies and want something with a little more wow factor? Then, keep reading to hear my tips on how to make desserts more interesting and creating that uniqueness.
How to Make Desserts More Interesting: Add Different Flavors
We’ve all seen and had a cherry pie or vanilla ice cream or a slice chocolate cake, and don’t get me wrong, I love snacking on all of that, but wouldn’t it provide so much more intrigue with an additional flavor? All of sudden it’s orange, cherry pie or smoked vanilla ice cream or mocha chocolate cake. Regular coffee cake is great, however, which would leave a lasting impression: coffee cake or cardamom and plum coffee cake?
Adding different and unique flavors can help set your desserts apart from the rest and elevate your desserts to the next level. These added flavors can be LOUD and another primary flavor or they can be soft and enhance one of the primary flavors. I usually like a mixture of both so that my tasters are left wondering what that flavor is. Learning how to pair flavors will open up your baking and cooking world to whole new heights and feed and creative mind.
How Can I Add Different Flavors?
- Steeping: Steeping is a great way to let liquids soak up another flavor. This is best used for herbs, whole spices, teas, and anything you wouldn’t just add in whole. You can hot or cold steep depending on the application. If your recipe already calls for heating up a liquid, add in some flavoring to steep before using it.
- With a sauce or topping: Sauces and toppings give a great opportunity to add in something extra. For a sauce, I’ll usually steep in my liquid in another flavor.
- Just adding it in: Fold in fruit or chocolate chips or nuts. Mix in powdered spices or citrus zest. If it’s not weird to eat on it’s own, then throw it in!
- Use a different extract: There are many different extracts at the grocery stores nowadays, so change it up to a citrus, mint, or anything else!
- Macerating: Macerating is a technique used to soften fruit and strengthen their flavor. Add in a spice or herb or other flavor in with your fruit to infuse with your fruit.
What are some flavors i can add?
- Citrus juice, zest, or extract
- Teas, coffee, or alcohols
- Nuts and seeds or chocolate chips/chunks
- Fruit in general, dried, fresh, or frozen
- Different sweeteners like caramel, butterscotch, or honey
- If you don’t know what flavors to pair together to make desserts more interesting, experiment! Or you can use a book that helps break it down like The Flavor Bible or The Flavor Matrix.
How to Make Desserts More Interesting: Add Different Textures
Texture plays a big part in all food. No one likes to eat something that is all mushy or all creamy, so it’s important to give textural contrast which is more pleasing to the taster. And, it’s easy to add different textures. Think about your dessert. Is it mushy with cooked fruit? Add some crunch. Is it creamy? Add something light and airy or chewy. Is it super crunchy like a cookie? Add something creamy, chewy or mushy.
How Do I Add Different Textures?
- With something crunchy like nuts, uncooked, crisp fruit like apples or dragonfruit, or a crumble topping. Tart shells, pie dough, crunchy fix ins like pretzels all add in that crunch component.
- With something creamy like pastry cream, pudding, sauce, or panna cotta. Curd or diplomat cream fillings for cakes or cupcakes are a great way to add something creamy and dreamy.
- With something light and airy like a mousse or or whipped cream. Unbaked meringue is a wonderful option too.
- For a beginner to make your desserts more interesting, I would start with combining non crunch and crunch into a dessert before diving into what is light and airy vs creamy and dreamy or what is crunchy or chewy vs spongey or mushy.
Some examples:
- For a crunchy cookie like a shortbread have a nice creme anglaise or chocolate sauce.
- With a creamy panna cotta, top with toasted nuts, toasted crumble, or some fresh, non-mushy fruit.
- If you’re making cakes or cupcakes, fill with a something creamy like a curd or something mushy like a fruit compote then top with something light and airy like meringue or whipped cream. Bonus if you garnish with a crunch component like cocoa nibs or crunchy pearls.
Need help or ideas giving your dessert a glow up? Then, reach out and I’ll work on it with you!
