Dessert Menu Template

When designing your dessert menu with Menuzen, you want to ensure your final product is visually appealing and thoughtfully crafted. To achieve this, you need to consider several variables.

Quick Tip*: You may glean insights from our pre-designed dessert food truck menu template if you’re confused about appealing items to add to your menu.*

First, let’s talk about colour. This singular design element can influence how your customers feel about your food — and their impression of your restaurant. If you serve comfort food or upscale cuisine, choose warm colours like red, orange and yellow. On the other hand, more fabulous colours like blue or green will complement a formal setting better if you serve a more sophisticated fare.

Design elements like typography also play a part in creating an engaging menu. For example, bold fonts can draw attention to specials or featured dishes. Icons and symbols denoting vegetarian and vegan dishes are also helpful for those who need to know how each dish is prepared or people with special dietary needs.

Finally, consider the psychology of selling food: when people are presented with pictures of delicious meals, they’re more likely to order them. So, when you design your dessert menu with Menuzen’s free menu templates, make sure it showcases delicious-looking dishes that highlight unique ingredients or flavours that make them stand out from the crowd.

Most people don’t feel their meal course is complete if it doesn’t feature a dessert. These tasty delights serve the primary function of treating that sweet tooth.

That said, the following are familiar dessert dishes you can include in your dessert menu design:‍

1. Molten Chocolate Cakes

Also known as chocolate lava cakes, these sweet confectioneries are small individual cakes with a warm, melted chocolate centre. To prepare a molten chocolate cake, start by mixing chocolate and butter. Then, mix in flour, sugar, eggs, and cocoa powder to form a batter. Pour batter into small ramekins and bake for a few minutes until the cakes are set outside but gooey in the centre. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream or a dusting of powdered sugar for a rich and indulgent dessert experience.

2. Treacle Tart

This classic British dessert is made with sweet, sticky treacle syrup and a crumbly pastry crust. The crust is made by mixing flour, sugar, butter, and a little cold water to prepare. The mixture is then rolled out and placed in a tart pan. Next, the treacle mixture—made by cooking sugar, golden syrup, lemon juice, and breadcrumbs—is poured into the crust. The tart is baked until the crust is golden and the filling is set. You may serve a slice of treacle tart warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

3. Peach Melba Pie

This sweet dessert combines juicy peaches and raspberry sauce. To prepare it, start by mixing pie crust dough and baking it in a pie dish. The filling is made by cooking fresh peaches in sugar and arranging them in the baked pie crust. You then pour a raspberry sauce on the pie and finish it with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate indulgence.

Authenticity depends on where in the world you are based. But, when outlining the content of your dessert menu template, you’ll want to consider some of the following delicious options:

1. Floating Islands

This dessert dish features a meringue base floating on a creamy custard sauce. The first step to prepare a floating island is whisking egg whites with sugar and baking powder until soft peaks form. Then, spoon the mixture into dollops on a baking sheet and bake until golden. While the meringue is cooking, prepare custard by mixing milk, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks. Serve the meringue on top of the custard for the ultimate indulgence.

2. Blackberry and Lemon Fool

As the name implies, this classic dessert dish comprises fresh blackberries and tart lemon juice folded into whipped cream. You first mix the blackberries and lemon juice with a fork. Then, whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks and folds in the blackberry mixture. Spoon the mixture into serving glasses and chill until ready to serve. Serve with a sprinkle of sugar or additional blackberries on top.

3. Damson Crumble

This dessert is made with juicy and tart damson plums and topped with a crunchy oatmeal crumble. To prepare a damson crumble, preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. In a mixing bowl, prepare the crumble by combining flour, sugar, oats, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Then, arrange the damson plums in a baking dish and sprinkle the crumble mixture. Bake until the crumble is golden brown and the plums are bubbly. And finally, serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

You can find the following flavours in a well-rounded dessert food menu:

• Sweet: Obtainable from sugar, honey, syrups, fruits, chocolate, caramel, and vanilla.
• Tart: Found in desserts containing citrus fruits, such as lemon, lime, and orange; berries, such as raspberries, strawberries, and cranberries; and other fruits, such as apples, plums, and rhubarb.
• Spicy: Introduced by cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, and allspice.
• Rich and creamy: A key characteristic of desserts comprising butter, cream, milk, eggs, and heavy cream.
• Chocolatey: Achieved from chocolate, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and dark chocolate.

Apart from the six dishes discussed so far, chocolate tiffin is another meal option that stands out as a typical dessert. This is a type of no-bake dessert that originated in the UK. It’s made with a mixture of crushed biscuits, melted chocolate, and dried fruits. Think of a rocky road, but not quite. The mixture is then pressed into a tin and refrigerated until set. The result is a rich, chocolatey, and crunchy treat that can be cut into slices or squares and served.

Chocolate tiffin is an ideal food to add to your dessert menu design because it requires no baking and is versatile in terms of ingredients. It can also be customised to suit individual tastes by adding different types of biscuits, chocolate, and dried fruits. Additionally, it’s an excellent option for those looking for a quick and simple dessert, as it only takes a few minutes to prepare and can be stored in the fridge for later use. Summarily, chocolate tiffin is a crowd-pleaser and a delicious way to end a meal.

If you're looking for dessert menu design ideas, consider the following tips:

• Start with a clear structure: Organise the menu into categories such as cakes, tarts, puddings, ice creams, and others to make it easy for the customers to determine what to order.
• Use appealing descriptions: Highlight the unique ingredients, flavours, and textures of each dessert item with descriptive language, to entice customers.
• Offer a range of options: Make available a plethora of options, including gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free options, to cater to different dietary needs.
• Price strategically: Place prices next to the menu items, and consider the cost of ingredients, overhead, and market demand when setting prices.
• Use limited space effectively: Menu real estate is often limited on dessert menus, so be strategic about which items to include and avoid clutter.

Once you've created your beautiful new menu, don't forget to show it off on social media to attract customers who may not have seen it otherwise!