Holidays & Occasions New Year's 25 New Year's Eve Desserts By Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani Alana Al-Hatlani is an Assistant Food Editor at Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on August 12, 2022 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Whether or not you plan to stay up until midnight, ring in the New Year with an impressive and delicious dessert. Indulge in a rich Chocolate Mousse Cake or try something a little boozy, like a Spiked Eggnog Bundt. You might be tired of cookies and pies from the holidays, but consider New Year's Eve your opportunity to make an impressive cake or one more big, beautiful dessert before the year is over and healthier eating commences. Celebrate the cranberries and citrus that are in season or lean into the chocolate desserts that pair perfectly with a glass of champagne and fireworks. 01 of 25 Sea Salt-Caramel Cake Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Sea Salt-Caramel Cake This is an impressive cake bound to wow guests. The rich caramel frosting is finished with a touch of flaky sea salt for the right balance of salty and sweet. We'll bet that once friends and family get a taste of this cake, you'll be making it on repeat in the New Year. 02 of 25 Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Chocolate-Coconut Pavlova If you're tried of icing cakes from the holidays, this dessert is for you. Layers of crispy baked meringue and coconut whipped cream make a dreamy dairy-free and gluten-free dessert that looks impressive with very little decorating. 03 of 25 Cappuccino Swirl Bars Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer Recipe: Cappuccino Swirl Bars These impressive looking coffee-flavored bars are easier than you would think to pull off. Store-bought chocolate wafer cookies make up the easy crust while chocolate-covered espresso beans are a sophisticated and delicious garnish. 04 of 25 Hot Buttered Rum Bread Pudding Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Hot Buttered Rum Bread Pudding Bread pudding gets an upgrade with the help of gold rum in this recipe. With the addition of all of the warm spices (don't skip the black pepper!), it's the perfect cozy winter dessert to eat while watching the fireworks. 05 of 25 Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Have the best of two desserts in one with this recipe. Thanks to a layer of torched granulated sugar, this rich and creamy classic cheesecake has a caramelized top just like crème brûlée. 06 of 25 Chocolate Mousse Cake Micah Leal Recipe: Chocolate Mousse Cake Three layers of chocolate combine in this cake for the ultimate chocolate-lover's dessert. Tart berries help cut through the richness of this cake, adding brightness that allows you to enjoy more of the dessert than you could on its own. 07 of 25 Chocolate Trifle Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Chocolate Trifle These beautiful individual trifles look like they would take hours to make, but thanks to a handful of grocery store shortcuts, they couldn't be easier. From brownie mix to boxed pudding, this dessert is breeze for those of us who by New Year's are exhausted from all the holiday baking. 08 of 25 Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Butter Pecan Layer Cake with Browned Butter Frosting Some say butter makes everything better, but browned butter tops the plain stuff, at least when it come to frosting. In this cake the nutty browned butter frosting is the perfect match for the butter pecan cake layers. 09 of 25 Chocolate Eclair Cake Micah A. Leal Recipe: Chocolate Eclair Cake This cake is a sight to behold and even more of a delight to eat. Inspired by the French dessert, it has chocolate ganache, crispy pastry, and cream filled layers. 10 of 25 Bushwacker Meredith Food Studios Recipe: Bushwacker A milkshake is dessert, right? And this one, spiked with dark rum, coffee liquor, and Irish cream, will help keep the spirits up long past midnight. 11 of 25 Chocolate Torte Micah Leal Recipe: Chocolate Torte A simple and elegant dessert with intense dark chocolate flavor. Feel free to get creative with how you serve it, from making freshly whipped cream to go with, to adding berries or fruit compotes on top of a slice. 12 of 25 Mexican Chocolate Pudding Cake Brian Woodcock Recipe: Mexican Chocolate Pudding Cake This ooey-gooey warm chocolate cake is a late-night dessert dream. Serve with vanilla ice cream, a creamy and cool contrast to the rich and slightly spicy cake. 13 of 25 Salted Caramel Cheesecake Will Dickey; Prop Styling: Christina Daley; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Salted Caramel Cheesecake From top to bottom, this cheesecake delivers on the caramel. The crust is made with crushed caramel cookies while the top gets a generous drizzle of thick dulce de leche so each bite is full of bittersweet caramel flavors. 14 of 25 Pecan Spice Cake with Caramel-Rum Glaze Jennifer Davick; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Pecan Spice Cake with Caramel-Rum Glaze Would you believe this cake only requires 30-minutes of hands-on cooking? It does! But you wouldn't know that looking at it. Pop this cake in the oven. put your feet up, and relax with some New Year's Eve re-runs while it bakes. 15 of 25 Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream Photo: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas Recipe: Coconut-Carrot Cake with Coconut Buttercream In charge of bringing dessert to the party? This sheet cake carrot cake not only feeds a crowd, but travels well. Carrot curls and coconut flakes are easy flourishes that make this cake look great without too much extra effort. 16 of 25 Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies David Malosh; Prop Styling: Robyn Glaser; Food Styling: Maggie Ruggiero Recipe: Mini Cranberry-Cheesecake Pies Sometimes just a few bites of dessert are all you really need and these mini cranberry cheesecake pies are a satisfying two-bite treat for those times. Plus, you won't need a springform pan or water bath for these mini cheesecake desserts to turn out perfect every time. 17 of 25 Death by Chocolate Micah A. Leal Recipe: Death by Chocolate This dessert might not seem like a special occasion treat but just one bite and everyone will understand why you brought it to the party. Layers of moist chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, and slightly salty chocolate crumbles, topped off with freshly whipped cream combine for a dessert that is more than the sum of its parts. 18 of 25 Pink Champagne Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Kelly Recipe: Pink Champagne Cake If you're already pulling out the flute glasses for a midnight toast, then maybe this Pink Champagne Cake is the dessert for you. You'll definitely want to pop some champagne for this recipe; we included it in both the cake and icing. 19 of 25 Spiked Eggnog Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Spiked Eggnog Bundt Cake While you might be done with eggnog for the year, this ultra-rich bundt made with the flavors of the holiday drink is a fun new way to enjoy the seasonal treat. With both nutmeg and bourbon in the batter, this cake is a cozy winter delight. 20 of 25 Caramel Apple Cake Photo: Hector Sanchez Recipe: Caramel Apple Cake This is a showstopper dessert that nobody will be able to resist. To make it extra decadent, we even topped it with a delicious Apple Brandy-Caramel Sauce, but don't worry this cake comes together easily. 21 of 25 Old-Fashioned Trifle Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Old-Fashioned Trifle We've taken all the flavors of the classic cocktail and folded them into a beautifully layered trifle. Our favorite part are the tipsy cherries, soaked in whiskey for a sweet and boozy bite. 22 of 25 Lane Cake Hector Sanchez Recipe: Lane Cake This classic isn't the easiest to make, but it's the kind of recipe you break out for big celebration. Packed with Southern flavors like toasted pecans, coconut flakes, and dried peaches, it's the perfect way to end the year with a bang! 23 of 25 7UP Bundt Cake Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner Recipe: 7UP Bundt Cake Add a little pop to your New Year's dessert with 7UP. Topped with a lemon-lime cream cheese frosting and sugared citrus peels, this cake might not look like the 7UP bundts your mom made, but we promise it's a delicious update. 24 of 25 Coconut Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Granita Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Giulietta Pinna; Food Styling: Ali Ramee Recipe: Coconut Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Granita This Ambrosia-inspired dessert is perfect for entertaining—it requires no baking (freeing up the oven) and can be made in advance! Just make sure to grab unsweetened coconut cream at the store, not coconut milk, which isn't as thick. 25 of 25 Cranberry-Orange Cake with Orange Buttercream Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Emily Neighbors Hall Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Recipe: Cranberry-Orange Cake with Orange Buttercream Cranberry and orange are a classic flavor pairing for a reason. Here they come together for a moist layer cake that is perfectly sweet and tart. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit