• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

DessArts logo

  • About
    • About
    • Disclosures and Disclaimers
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Tutorials
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipe Index
    • Tutorials
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Plated Desserts

    Introduction to Dessert Sauces

    May 13, 2011 · 5 Comments

    Dessert sauces can be drizzled on top or used to make a plated dessert look more interesting. Find out what kinds of plating sauces you can make and impress your guests by elevating your dessert to the next level. 

    plated dessert sauce

    Why should I plate with dessert sauces?

    Sauces are an easy way to dress up your main item. They can influence both the taste and look of your plate. They can brighten up the appearance of an otherwise drab main item.

    For example, my post on plating tips explains how I turned a simple slice of Meyer lemon pound cake into a beautiful plated dessert by adding a sauce and garnish.

    There is one thing to be aware of when using a sauce. While it's tempting to choose a bright color for contrast, it's essential to make sure the flavor pairs well with the main item. No matter how cool it may look,  I wouldn't want a bright green kiwi sauce mixing in with say a caramel flavored pie.

    How can I  make dessert sauces?

    I've chosen four types to introduce that are fairly quick and easy to make.

    Creams...A basic creme anglaise can be flavored in a variety of ways such as with spices, herbs, coffee, nuts, or fruits. The basic cream is made by mixing yolks and sugar into heated milk and cream until it becomes thick.

    Chocolate sauce...Chocolate can easily be turned into a sauce by melting it and combining it with milk, cream, and butter. You can use dark, milk or white chocolate. You can also just melt pure chocolate and draw outlines with it and fill the shapes with a sauce as shown above.

    Caramel sauce...This sauce is made by caramelizing sugar and then adding cream and butter. Adding a little but of corn syrup keeps it soft and prevents crystallization.

    Fruit Coulis. A coulis is a thickened puree. Fruit purees offer a lot of flavor and there is a lot of color to choose from. Blend fresh fruit and then strain out the seeds and fibers by pressing it through a sieve. Sweeten it by stirring in confectioner's sugar and enhance with a liquor flavoring if you like.

    Raspberry sauce is one I use often because it's easy to make, bright and pairs well with chocolate, my favorite kind of dessert.

    How should I store the dessert sauces until serving time?

    None of these sauces take much time to actually make and are all fairly simple to prepare. You can prepare them in advance and store them in the refrigerator. If they become too thick to use, you just need to warm them slightly.

    I like to make and store them in these bottles until I'm ready to serve my guests. Squeeze bottles with smaller tips would work even better so you can control the flow when making a design.

    There's not a real spot for the main item. Just playing around here...

    Not ready to create your own pretty plates? Save this information now and PIN it for later!SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

    More Plated Desserts

    • Crustless Pumpkin Pie and How to Plate It
    • Chocolate Sauce Recipe
    • How to Plate a Dessert
    • Easy Raspberry Dessert Sauce (No Cook)

    Did you make one of our recipes? Be sure to leave us a review or comment below. 

    This post may contain affiliate links, to find out more information, please read my disclaimer.

    GET NEW RECIPES SENT TO YOUR INBOX!

    Signup to join my FREE newsletter for recipes, tips and more.

    Privacy Policy

    We don't send you spam. Unsubscribe at anytime.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Paula says

      May 14, 2011 at 9:28 pm

      I thoroughly enjoyed reading this post, quite informative for me. I'm looking forward to your future posts on how to plate. Love your first plate and love your *playing around* design on the last photo!

      Reply
    2. sheila @ Elements says

      May 16, 2011 at 12:35 pm

      I've never tried making dessert sauces like this before, but I'll bookmark this page so I can give it a try sometime. They sound wonderful, and I just love how they can not only dress up the plates, but all add a lovely, flavorful accent.

      Your pictures are fantastic by the way, and I wish I could decorate my plates pretty so I'm lookin' forward to your next post! :) Really love that last pic by the way! :)

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Footer

    MORE from dessarts

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Recipes

    Copyright © 2025 · Cravings Pro