Enjoy Easy Picnic Dessert Ideas from our old recipe books... with new fresh ideas too!

These classic picnic dessert recipes will go down so well at the end of your delicious picnic lunch... then you can lie back with your hat over your face, knowing you have organized a great picnic... ah relax!

 ... But before relaxing there is a bit of work to do, so where possible I like to prepare these easy picnic dessert ideas in advance... makes life so much easier!

So if you know in advance that you have time to make a cake, or a slice, or to plan a special fruit platter that the kids will love, then gather these ideas and prepare to have a bit of fun!

TOP TIP... Prepare before if you can.

  • Cakes can be frozen
  • Slices and biscuits popped in an air tight container
  • Other ingredients can be gathered ready to make something special


Suggestions for your picnic dessert ideas...

Easy picnic cakes...

  • Chocolate cake... made with black beans and dates... see below
  • A very special sponge cake... from my Mum
  • Butterfly cakes... a bit of fun!
  • An easy banana cake... an old family favorite that my family has often made




An easy last minute suggestion for your picnic dessert ideas.

For a quick last minute dessert just remember to check picnic food ideas for the recipe. These little baskets are easy to put together and they will disappear in a flash! Use your favorite fruit.  Make extra!



I love it when our grandchildren help bake the cake, or the cookies, for our easy picnic dessert ideas.

It usually means flour and bits all over the kitchen, but I wouldn't miss out on the fun for anything.

... and essential for decorating a cake, is a yellow ribbon tied to your wrist, with balloon attached!

Precious moments!



Easy picnic cake... Chocolate cake, without sugar or flour... but very delicious!


This flourless and sugarless, delicious chocolate cake will bring great comments from friends and family when you bring this out for your contribution to the picnic dessert ideas.

I have made this cake from a couple of recipes I've used and have changed the fruit in it... and on it, depending on the time of year and what fruit is around.

As it is flourless and sugarless I don't use regular butter icing on it, but if that's what you like it would go well. A cream cheese topping would be really nice with it too. As you can see for this cake I sprinkled a little icing sugar over... looks good but not totally necessary. I did use plums in this cake because the trees were laden with the fruit... I just couldn't waste them!

Topping the cake...

Mixed berries are always a favorite, but bananas with sliced kiwi fruit, or freshly sliced apricots, plums or peaches would be great too. A sprinkle of pomegranate seeds would be very festive.

If you have access to small edible flowers like those on this cake, just make sure they are clean and free of any dangerous sprays and sprinkle between the fruit. You only need a few to look spectacular!

Other Suggestions...

This cake can be easier to cut when made in a log tin. I have also used the recipe to make individual cakes like muffins, in a mold/muffin tin.

To make this cake above... click here to follow the recipe.



Easy, Simple Trifle

A quick picnic dessert idea, using the sugarless chocolate cake with dates.

Not quite sure what to call this, non alcoholic, simple trifle?


Friends called... and we rushed out with large really tasty, sandwiches... and this dessert to follow. This was the picnic lunch with Mr Percival, the penguin at Clayton Bay.

From the chocolate cake, I made a really delectable last minute dessert using crumbed bits of the cake in the bottom of clear individual bowls... light weight bowls and not breakable of course!

To Make...

  • There was a small amount of chocolate cake left in the cake tin, so I crumbled a small amount (big crumbs) into the bottom of each container. Banana cake would have been good too.
  • To poach cherries... or any fruit.
  • Simmer a small amount of water in a saucepan, about 1/2 a cup... then add a tablespoon of sugar, or honey... and simmer until dissolved.
  • Add fruit and simmer over low heat, gently basting and turning until fruit is poached. It must be low heat to keep the shape of the fruit.
  • You can stew the fruit by cooking faster and it will still taste delicious, but it won't look as beautiful as gently poached fruit.

  • Then plain yogurt was mixed with a dash of honey and cinnamon and poured over the cake.
  • Stewed/poached cherries were loaded onto this and then it was all held together with biodegradable cling wrap.
  • Almost any fruit would be good with this. Poached peaches, Plumbs, apricots. Or raw bananas, grapes, berries  mango, or pawpaw... whatever is your favorite.
  • By the time we were ready to eat, the creamy yogurt had softened the cake and mixed with it... yum!

   We all loved this simple dessert sitting by the lake in Clayton Bay!

    Please warn people of cherry stones if they are still in the fruit!

   Just remember to take a spoon for each person.


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