The 10 best British desserts – with recipes

British cuisine is famous for its hearty comfort food, and the nation’s desserts are no exception. Indeed, there’s nothing like coming in from a rainy walk to a cup of tea and a slab of Victoria sponge.

So, if you’re looking to recreate that well-known British baking show in the comfort of your own kitchen, here are 10 classic desserts you could try:

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1. Bread and butter pudding

Fewer desserts are more quintessentially British than the humble bread and butter pudding. This hearty delight consists of slices of buttered bread that are scattered with raisins and covered with egg custard before being baked in the oven until turning golden brown. Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices are also added to the mixture for extra flavor. Like most hearty British desserts, people typically serve it with custard or cream. There are also several recipe variations, some of which involve adding jam, marmalade, or lemon zest into the mix. Whatever ingredients you choose, though, it is always better to use stale or day-old bread. Cutting the slices into triangle shapes will also allow the pointy bits to turn crunchy in the oven, creating a beautiful contrast with the soft, creamy texture beneath.

Make your own bread and butter pudding

• Have a go at making this classic bread and butter pudding
• Follow this fun video recipe to make the popular British dessert
• Check out Phil Vickery’s creative recipe which uses almond croissants instead of bread

2. Sticky toffee pudding

This sticky, sweet British dessert is certainly not for the faint-hearted. In fact, the combination of black treacle, cream, and custard might even induce a coma! Those with a serious sweet tooth, on the other hand, will no doubt love it. Sticky toffee pudding essentially consists of a very moist sponge cake that is made with soaked, chopped dates and rich, black treacle. A thick toffee sauce is then drizzled over the steaming hot pudding which is typically served with custard or cream. Rich, gooey, and bursting with intensity, the iconic dessert remains a beloved British classic, alongside others such as bread and butter pudding, jam roly-poly, and spotted dick.

Make your own sticky toffee pudding

• Give Nigella Lawson’s devilish recipe a go
• Follow Jamie Oliver’s recipe with nutritional info (dare we look!)
• Or try this lighter vegan version which uses dates, spices, and pears 

3. Jam roly-poly

Another classic British dessert is jam roly-poly, a flat-rolled suet pudding, which is spread with fruity jam and then rolled up and steamed or baked. Similar to a Swiss roll, it is recognizable by its swirly pink appearance and light, spongey texture. This simple yet delicious dessert tends to evoke a lot of nostalgia among Brits who have fond memories of tucking into it as part of their school dinner back in the day. Historically, many families also enjoy sharing a jam roly-poly after eating a traditional Sunday roast.

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Like many British desserts, it is typically served with hot steaming custard, making it one of the nation’s favorite comfort foods; particularly during the colder winter months. If you’re feeling really naughty, though, you can always substitute jam with chocolate spread.

Make your own jam roly-poly

• Follow the Hairy Bikers’ recipe for traditional roly-poly
• Love chocolate? Try this jam and white chocolate roly-poly recipe
• Fancy a spicy kick? Check out this tasty variation with ground cinnamon and chopped walnuts

4. Victoria sponge

No sandwich is quite as delicious as the Victoria sponge. This quintessentially British dessert holds a very special place in the heart of the nation and will almost always be found at summer fêtes and afternoon tea parties throughout the country. In fact, it was one of Queen Victoria’s favorite cakes to enjoy on the occasion, hence its regal name. The light and fluffy cake is also one of the easiest British desserts to make, which makes it great for beginners. The basic ingredients include butter, caster sugar, eggs, and self-raising flour. The two halves of the cake are then fused together with a layer of buttercream and strawberry (or raspberry) jam. A sprinkling of icing sugar and some strawberries create the perfect finishing touch. However, there are countless recipe variations that cater to all preferences, making the iconic Victoria sponge an all-around crowd-pleaser.

Make your own Victoria sponge

• Just starting out? This fail-safe BBC Good Food recipe has got you covered
• Looking for a Victoria sponge with a twist? Try this orange and almond Victoria sponge recipe
• Or check out this tantalizing video on how to make a classic Victoria sponge

5. Lemon drizzle cake

Lemon drizzle cake is another popular British dessert and a staple of English afternoon tea. Similar to the Victoria sponge, the cake is made by mixing flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, and baking powder. However, to achieve a more refreshing and zingy citrus flavor, lemon juice and finely grated lemon zest are added to the mixture before baking. Fresh lemon juice is then added to icing sugar and drizzled – hence the name – over the cake to give it a tangy topping. For an extra lemony kick, you can also sprinkle some fresh lemon zest on top before enjoying it with a hot cup of tea. Easy to make and delicious to eat, it’s no wonder lemon drizzle cake remains one of Britain’s favorite desserts.

Make your own lemon drizzle cake

• Follow this recipe to bake “the world’s best drizzle cake“
• You can’t go wrong with this simple BBC Good Food recipe
• Prefer a loaf? Check out this easy-to-follow recipe

6. Spotted dick

No list of Britain’s best desserts would be complete without mentioning spotted dick. The amusingly named dish, which has sparked many sniggers from cheeky kids (and big kids), is a traditional steamed pudding served with lashings of creamy vanilla custard. If you’re curious about the name, the term ‘spotted’ refers to the dried fruits, which are usually raisins or currants, scattered throughout the pudding. The word ‘dick’, meanwhile, is an old-fashioned term for ‘dough’. Funnily enough, this name has been such a source of double entendres, that restaurant staff in the Houses of Parliament reportedly renamed it ‘Spotted Richard’ (referring to the nickname of someone called Richard) to “spare the blushes of MPs”. Whatever you call it, though, it has remained one of Britain’s favorite desserts since the mid-19th century, to such an extent that you can even buy it in cans at supermarkets in the UK.

Make your own spotted dick

• Have a go at making a traditional spotted dick
• Add a twist on a classic with this tropical spotted dick with coconut custard recipe
• Fancy a kick? Follow this BBC Good Food recipe that uses chopped stem ginger and orange 

7. Apple crumble

Many European countries are fond of apple pie, but when it comes to Britain, it’s all about the crumble. Although these come in many different forms and include various seasonal fruit, apple is the most traditional ingredient for making the humble crumble. After all, apples are the most diverse fruit in the UK, where more than 2,500 varieties are grown. And the Brits love nothing more than showing them off with a delicious homemade dessert. That said, most people consider Bramley apples to be the best for cooking, as they strike a perfect balance between sweetness and acidity.

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The popular dessert consists of warm layers of stewed apple and spices topped with a crumbly topping made of butter, flour, and brown sugar which is rolled together to create breadcrumbs. It is traditionally served warm with custard or vanilla ice cream after a meal. Popular substitutes for apples include pears, rhubarb, and a mixture of summer berries.

Make your own apple crumble

• Give Jamie Oliver’s “humblest crumble ever” a whirl
• Feeling indulgent? Try this Hello Fresh recipe which uses dark chocolate
• Let Gordon Ramsay guide you with his tasty video recipe for apple and cranberry crumble

8. Banoffee pie

Those with a sweet tooth will likely go bananas for this sugary British dessert. The classic banoffee pie consists of a combination of bananas, cream, and thick caramel sauce spread across a crumbled buttery biscuit base. Depending on how sweet you want it, you can also throw dark chocolate into the mix. Adding a teaspoon of salt into the caramel, on the other hand, will help tone down the sweetness. The fun part of the recipe, though, involves using a rolling pin to crush a freezer bag full of biscuits to create the crumbly base. Making the thick caramel sauce filling, however, requires boiling an unopened can of condensed milk for several hours. While this makes it longer to prepare than most other British desserts, it’s certainly worth the wait when you finally get to delve into all that gooey banana goodness.

Make your own banoffee pie

• Try Mary Berry’s recipe for banoffee pie with dark chocolate
• Follow this video recipe which comes with detailed written instructions
• Check out this recipe which uses banana, coffee, and toffee

9. Rice pudding

This good, old-fashioned British dessert often evokes nostalgia among Brits who remember tucking into bowls of it as a kid. Rice pudding simply consists of rice which is mixed with water and milk and flavored with ingredients such as vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon. To create a thick and creamy texture, it is gently cooked in a saucepan over medium heat and then left to cool down. Once the pudding is nice and thick, vanilla extract is added for extra flavor. After cooling it further in the fridge, you can then stir in a little more milk to loosen it up before serving it with raisins, a sprinkling of cinnamon, or sugar for extra sweetness. Easy to make and filling to eat, this classic British dessert is a winner in our book.

Make your own rice pudding

• Follow this simple recipe to make the creamy dessert
• Looking for extra creaminess? This delicious recipe will sort that out
• Add some extra flavor with Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for fragrant spiced rice pudding

10. Treacle tart

Treacle tart is another deliciously sweet British dessert. It consists of a shortcrust pastry with a thick filling made of golden syrup, breadcrumbs, and lemon juice. Although the exact origin of this popular dish is unknown, some historians believe that peasants invented it as a way to use up their leftover bread. The rich and sugary tart is almost always served warm with a generous dollop of custard, a dash of cream, or a scoop of ice cream. And like most British desserts, there are several recipe variations, some of which replace breadcrumbs with ground almonds. Others, meanwhile, suggest adding cream or eggs into the filling to make it softer. However you choose to make it, though, the classic dish makes for a delicious way to round off dinner or indulge in a cheeky afternoon snack with a hot cup of tea.

Make your own treacle tart

• Follow this simple recipe to make a traditional treacle tart
• Give this Harry Potter inspired recipe a go
• This delicious video recipe will show you how it’s done