Low Cost Easy Dessert

Welcome your ideas for a low cost Easy Dessert for 60 people.........Fruit Salad and something else???

Pavlova'sYou can get a tray of eggs cheap from the Fruit and vege shop... some cream and seasonal fruit... Cheap as chips.

Also I have a chocolate brownie recipe that uses oil not butter (From Winnie231 from memory)This is very cheap to make up, you could times the recipe by 4... make it in a square cake tin and the cut them into 16 (4 x 4) then make a really cool brownie stack sprinkled with icing sugar.I have done that and on a large white platter looks really impressive with a few berries sprinkled over it.

I make this alot and have tried lots of variations all of which were good. Thanks again Juliewn.

Hi.. this is my favourite.. posted here by Kiwigoldie.. no butter, eggs or oil needed - it's very moist and doesn't get a crunchy outer.. I've also made it using cold mashed pumpkin in place of the apple pulp in the recipe - and also with mashed cooked peaches - excellent result achieved with both.. Add some chunks of chocolate or a Jaffa lolly into the centre of where you'll cut each square, for a hidden treat inside.. :-)

Brownies (to die for) - no butter/marg/oil/eggs!
Ingredients
• 1 cup unsweetened apple purée/sauce
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (70g) walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 175°C and lightly spray or oil a 20x20cm baking dish.

Place apple purée in a medium-sized bowl. Sift in the cocoa, flour and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix as this will toughen the brownies. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for around 25-30 minutes or until the centre feels set and fudgy when a skewer is inserted.

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before slicing into squares. If desired, dust with sifted icing sugar before serving.

I had these yesterday at a friends...they are from the healthy food website...are divine, moist and you cannot tell they have apple in them either..

juliewn, fabulous recipe- making second batch this week- also added coconut and frozen cranberries- as you say, highly recommended and as it has no butter/oil, practically health food....... :)

It sure is delicious.. a must-make here now, and really nice with the mashed pumpkin or peaches too - I added cinnamon and mixed spice when using the pumpkin..

I was at a wedding where two desserts only were served, placed alternately around the tables.If you didn't like the look of yours, you swapped with a neighbour ;)Seemed to work...the two offered were Meringue Nests with berries and cream, and Pastry Stacks with apricots & custard (looked a bit like small Mille Feuilles).

Here's another idea:

APPLE SHORTCAKE
Cold stewed fruit
100 gms butter
100 gms sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1&1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 heaped tablespoon of EITHER custard powder OR cornflour
Pinch salt

Drain fruit in colander overnight
Cream butter and sugar
Add egg & vanilla and beat
Sift in flour, BP, custard powder & salt
Mix to a stiff dough and roll out on baking paper
Place on oven slide
Cover half with fruit
Fold over and seal edges
Prick top with fork
Bake 180*C 20 -30 mins
Cut and cool as soon as baked
Separate squares to allow steam to escape - helps crust stay crisp
Dust with icing sugar when cold (old-fashioned method used sugar crystals)

golden syrup dumplings .. yum

oops sorry didn't read about the 60 people part. forget the dumplings!

Hi Elliehen - how much cold stewed fruit do you use? Could it be done with over ripe bananas...???

Just enough to make a neat layer (not too wide) between the shortcake.You'll need to judge with the eye.

I stew a big pot of apples and what's left over is useful for other things - with cereal etc

No, bananas wouldn't work...stewed apricots would, drained like the apple.

Chocolate log with jam and cream is a easy one!Buy the ready made logs from the supermarket they only cost bout $6 each.Whip ya cream and spread the jam.Dust with icing sugar!I would probably make a fruitsald to go with it.Use tinned peaches as the base and add abit of fresh fruit to go with it!Watermelons are cheap at the moment and a few other different kinds.

If it's a party and you want it to look pretty, you can cut a watermelon in half to make two bowls...scoop out the flesh, zig-zag cut the edges and fill the empty bowls with fruit salad.

ambrosia, or bowls of jelly - different colours - bowls of whipped cream -fruit salad - maybe check some caterers options of cheese cakes etc that feed a crowd.

Thanks Ambrosia sounds pretty good and quick to me!!!