10 Cruise Ship Dessert Recipes You Can Make With Your Family

Vanilla Cream Filling

• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 2 cups + 2 tbsp sugar
• 1¾ cups + 2 tsp heavy cream
• 15 med egg yolks
• 2¼ cups + 1 tbsp + 1½ tsp unsalted butter

Sliced Almonds

• 1 to 2 cups sliced almonds

Sponge

• 15 med egg whites
• 4¾ cups powdered sugar
• 6¼ cups extra fine almond flour

Directions:

Vanilla Cream Filling

Slice vanilla beans lengthwise; scrape out seeds. Add sugar, heavy cream and vanilla seeds to a pot, bring to boiling, strain over egg yolks, mix to combine; chill in refrigerator overnight. Whip in butter until smooth; set aside.

Sliced Almonds

Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Spread almonds on a dry cookie sheet, bake 4 minutes. Shake pan to shift almonds every minute to check for slight browning and fragrant aroma; when done, remove from oven and immediately pour onto a room temperature plate. Set aside, leaving oven on to bake sponge.

Sponge

Whip egg whites and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Sift in almond flour, mix carefully until just combined, place mixture in springform pan lined with parchment paper; bake 30 minutes. Let cool completely in pan before removing sides and slicing into three horizontal layers. Layer vanilla cream filling between sponge layers, then cover top and sides of cake with remaining filling and sliced almonds.

5. Peanut Butter Pie — Disney Cruise Line

Ingredients:

Pie

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped stiff
• 1 baked 8- inch pie shell

Ganache

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter

Directions:

With an electric mixer, blend the peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add the melted butter to peanut butter mixture, then fold in whipped cream. Pour into the baked pie shell and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the ganache: in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Remove from heat and fold in chocolate until no streaks of white remain. Cool unto lukewarm, then glaze pie. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

6. Grand Marnier Soufflé — Celebrity Cruises

Ingredients:

Pastry Cream

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 1/2 oz granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 2 oz cornstarch
• 4 oz Grand Marnier

Vanilla Creme Anglaise (Sauce)

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 oz granulated sugar
• 3 large egg yolks

Almond Tuile

• 1/2 oz granulated sugar
• 1/2 fluid oz fresh orange juice
• 1 oz all-purpose flour
• 1 oz unsalted butter
• 1/2 oz sliced almonds

Soufflé Mix

• 16 oz egg whites
• 3 oz granulated sugar
• As needed butter

Mango and Garnish

• 4 oz mango (diced 1/4 inch and marinated in Grand Marnier)
• 6 tsp candied orange zest
• As desired powdered sugar
• As desired mint leaves

Directions:

For the pastry cream, cut the vanilla bean lengthwise and remove the paste. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, vanilla bean paste, and half the granulated sugar to boiling. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the other half of the granulated sugar and the cornstarch, then add to the milk slowly, cooking and stirring continuously until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add Grand Marnier.

For the vanilla creme anglaise, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, vanilla bean, and half of the sugar to boiling. In a small mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the other half of the granulated sugar, then add to the milk slowly, cooking and stirring continuously for 1 minute.

For the almond tuile, grease the baking paper. In a medium mixing bowl, stir all the almond tuile ingredients together until the batter is well mixed. Place in the fridge. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

Spread the batter on the greased baking paper with a spatula. Bake until golden brown. Cut rectangular shapes 1/2 inch by 2 inches. When cool, put in an airtight container.

For the soufflé mix, preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Grease ceramic dishes with butter, and sprinkle with granulated sugar. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add to the warm pastry cream.

To serve, fill up half the height of the dish with the pastry cream mixture. Place the diced mango on top, then add more cream on top. Bake at 450 degrees fahrenheit for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and dust with powdered sugar. Decorate with mint leaves, candied orange zest, and almond tuile. Serve with vanilla creme anglaise.

READ MORE: How to Make Carnival’s Signature Spaghetti Carbonara [RECIPE]

7. Kahlua Crème Brûlée — Royal Caribbean

This recipe serves 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 shot Kahlua

Garnish

• Brown sugar
• Fresh berries
• Mint leaves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a saucepan over medium heat, slowly bring cream to a boil. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks and sugar and beat until mixture is lemon colored. Place over simmering water and beat until mixture has doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep whisking to cool it down. Slowly stir hot cream and Kahlua into egg mixture. Using a fine sieve, strain into a bowl set over ice to quickly chill the mixture.

Pour mixture into individual molds set in a shallow pan or baking dish. Pour water into the pan until it is halfway up the sides of the molds and bake for 40 minutes. Evenly sprinkle top with brown sugar and place under broiler or use a pastry blow torch to heat sugar until it turns brown and bubbles. Let set for a few minutes, then garnish with berries and mint.

Tip: Set the crème brûlée molds in a shallow pan or baking dish and place in the oven. Then pour warm water around the molds. This helps avoid spilling water on the floor or into the custard when placing the pan in the oven.

8. Flourless Chocolate Cake — Viking Cruises

Viking’s website says that “this dense moist cake is like a giant chocolate truffle—crunchy on top with a deliciously fudgy center.” I have actually eaten this on a Viking cruise myself, and to me it was like a cross between a chocolate bar and a cake. VERY dense but it was delicious and if I hadn’t had it at the end of the cruise for the first time, I definitely would have ordered it more than once. This recipe makes 8 servings.

Garnish

• ¾ cup heavy cream, whipped
• ¼ cup chocolate shavings
• 1 cup raspberries or raspberry sauce

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan with a small amount of butter. Melt chocolate in a microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is fully melted and smooth; set aside.

Combine cocoa, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, beat together butter and sugar; add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and continue beating until mixture is pale and creamy, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add chocolate; beat until just blended. Fold in ground walnuts, chopped walnuts and cocoa mixture.

Pour into prepared pan and bake until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Run a small knife around edges of springform pan before releasing cake. Serve at room temperature, topping with one or more garnishes to taste.

9. Bread and Butter Pudding — Holland America

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds good-quality day-old sliced white bread, crust trimmed and slices cut into cubes
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 quart whole milk
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 3 egg yolks, beaten
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup raisins
• confectioner’s sugar for sprinkling

Note: Try soaking the raisins in a little rum or cognac for 30 minutes before adding them. Or instead of raisins, substitute dried cherries or chocolate chips.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8 12-ounce ramekins or a 9×13-inch baking dish. Have on hand a roasting pan large enough to hold the ramekins or baking dish, and line it with a folded kitchen towel.

Place bread cubes in a bowl. Drizzle and toss with the melted butter. Spread out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven, stirring once, until lightly golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Custard sauce: In a saucepan, bring milk to simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar until blended. Gradually whisk in hot milk. Stir in vanilla.

Divide half the bread cubes among prepared ramekins or layer in prepared baking dish. Top with half the raisins. Cover with remaining bread cubes and raisins. Ladle custard evenly over bread cubes and raisins. Let stand until some custard is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Bring a large kettle of water to boil. Place ramekins or baking dish in roasting pan and transfer to oven. Add enough boiling water to reach halfway up the side of ramekins or baking dish. Bake pudding in over for 45 minutes or until puffed and just set.

Carefully remove roasting pan from oven and remove cooking dish(es). Let cool slightly and serve while still warm, sprinkled with confectioner’s sugar.

10. Cotton Candy Milkshake — Disney Cruise Line

Ingredients:

Milkshake

• 3 scoops Cotton Candy Explosion ice cream from Bruster’s (or substitute with your favorite sweet flavored gelato or ice cream like Bubble Gum or Blueberry and add a handful of Nerds candy)
• 2 cups liquid vanilla shake mix (can also just use milk with a dash of vanilla extract — play around with amounts of milk)

Toppings

• Strawberry jam
• Whipped cream
• Sprinkles
• Cotton candy

Directions:

• Prepare the cup with strawberry jam inside.
• Blend ice cream and shake mix (or milk and vanilla) until smooth.
• Pour milkshake into cup and top with whipped cream, sprinkles and cotton candy.

BONUS: Warm Chocolate Melting Cake — Carnival Cruise Line

We’ve actually done an entire post on this recipe, which you can find here.

We also have a video on how to make it — watch below!

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