HomeArticlesHere Are some Creative Desserts inspired by Roald Dahl's Magical Literary world
Roald Dahl’s books are loved by children everywhere. Here are some dessert ideas for your next themed kids party.
Roald Dahl’s books are loved by children everywhere. Here are some dessert ideas for your next themed kids party.
Beloved British author Roald Dahl has gifted children the world over with a variety of whimsical tales that have captivated their imaginations and excited their senses. Dahl's fantastical worlds, populated by unique characters and magical undertones, have been a source of inspiration for many. While reading his books has been a cherished experience for many, equally fun is the process of making sweets inspired by his works. Through your desserts, you too can take part in the joy of storytelling, recreating his works in an edible format. So gear up for the next children’s party you have to throw with this handy list of desserts.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a mainstay of children's literature, inviting young readers into the quirky and mysterious Willy Wonka's magical chocolate factory. The vivid descriptions of delectable treats, from Eatable Marshmallow Pillows to Luminous Lollies for Eating in Bed at Night and from Squdgemallow Baby Food to Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight, offer a whimsical foundation to set forth and invent your own creations.
Set up a DIY dessert bar, offering cakes and frostings of different colors, a variety of molds to shape the cake, and a large selection of toppings, from chocolate shavings to rainbow sprinkles and from crushed cookies to marshmallows. Let the kids create their own wonky desserts, inspired by Willy Wonka’s several magical creations.
If you’re looking for something more literal, consider creating macarons, generously dusted with edible gold glitter, to recreate the excitement around the golden ticket. Tell the kids that there are golden macarons hiding in different places all over the house and the two lucky winners who find them will get a special gift to take home with them. For the rest, also create colorful macarons inspired by the Factory’s many rooms, from the Lickable Wallpaper Wall room to the Spotty Powder room and more.
To sit alongside your macarons, create themed fizzy drinks as well, referencing Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drinks. Essentially, all you have to do is make colorful sorbets, put them in glasses and fill the glasses with soda. The resultant bubbly and fizzy drink is sure to excite young kids.
Matilda
Another iconic work by Dahl is Matilda, which introduces readers to the brilliant Matilda Wormwood, a young girl with a love for books and reading and with a penchant for telekinesis. As a hat tip to Matilda’s reading, which, because of her parents’ displeasure, became an act of defiance, create a bookish dessert that she would have loved. Bake a cake, shape it like an open book, and with icing, write out a message for the person whose birthday it is on the open pages of the book.
Or you can create cupcakes and top them with mini books made of marzipan. Remember to top the books with the names of the books Matilda has read, from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist to Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury.
And if you're looking for something more literal, consider baking a chocolate cake, recalling the time when the school headmistress Miss Trunchbull punishes student Bruce Bogtrotter for eating some of her personal cake by forcing him to eat the entire cake in front of the entire school. It's a cruel punishment but a rather memorable part of the book. Remember to top it with a rich, creamy layer of chocolate frosting to really recreate the cake as it was. Remind the kids about how Bruce defiantly gobbles up the entire cake, warning them not to try such a feat themselves!
The BGF
In The BGF, which refers to the Big Friendly Giant, Dahl plays upon the element of dreaming and introduces giants. To reference this book, create a dessert that’s off scale. For instance, make a giant, cake sized cookie and place lots of mini cookies around it, resembling the giant and the humans.
And for something more literal, recreate the Frobscottle enjoyed by the giants. Do this by making a green dessert like a parfait, with layers of green colored sponge cake, a kiwi compote and a lime flavored mousse with green food coloring.