If you have a jam-packed schedule trying to juggle work, school, and family, the idea of having all your loved ones over for a sit-down meal can be a daunting task. Especially during the holiday months, when finding time to get together can feel more like a source of stress than celebration.
Enter: the harvest sweets table! This low-key dessert buffet offers plenty of opportunities for people to join together to celebrate (or just enjoy a bunch of delicious fall treats). You can host it yourself with our handy guide below, or outsource to friends and family with a potluck-style setup. With a mix of sweets found only at your local Farm Boy to desserts made from scratch, discover everything you need to build a top-notch harvest sweets table.
Blog Overview
- Create visual interest in your harvest sweets table with assorted serving ware, like cake stands, wooden boards, and tiered trays.
- Select easy-to-grab items like bars, squares, and pastries.
- Use fall flavours, like apple, pumpkin, pear, and maple as your guide to your dessert buffet.
- Choose a mix of ready-made store-bought treats as well as baking recipes from scratch.
- Fill in empty spaces with decorative elements like pumpkins, flowers, greenery, and electric candles.
Step 1: Arrange Your Space
For the most aesthetic harvest sweets table that also allows your guests easy access to all the goodies, incorporate a variety of height options. Cake stands, serving trays, and bread boards give each treat its own place. Building levels also adds some visual interest and highlights the starring sweets. These are also stable surfaces, ensuring none of those delicious treats slips to the floor.
Place a stack of plates, along with napkins and utensils, near the beginning of your dessert buffet so that guests can easily serve themselves without you having to play host. Set everything on a side table, counter, or area that guests can walk up and down the line and maintain the flow of the get-together without bumping into one another.
Step 2: Mix Up Ready-Made with Homemade
Saving time during the busy holiday season is never a bad thing. At your local Farm Boy, you’ll find plenty of freshly baked items that are made with wholesome ingredients and traditional recipes. For your harvest sweets table, consider offering a mix of treats that are already prepared as well as home-baked goodies.
In the spirit of fall, we’ve handpicked some of our favourite limited-time Farm Boy products, as well as seasonal recipes. Pumpkins, apples, maple, and warming spices are the stars of the season with some of the best flavours autumn has to offer.
Consider your guest list when you’re prepping and purchasing, too. Are any attendees coming with allergies or dietary restrictions? You’ll want to adjust your sweets table to offer some treats that can accommodate.
Farm Boy™ Pumpkin Pecan Crunch Pie
Two beloved fall pie flavours unite into one glorious super-dessert! Velvety smooth pumpkin pie filling is topped with a layer of caramelized brown sugar pecans for a tasty texture explosion. Baked in a flaky golden crust, serve with a scoop of handcrafted Farm Boy™ Vanilla Vanilla Ice Cream. For ease of serving, pre-slice this pie for your guests to grab and go.
Farm Boy™ Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Baked from scratch by us with simple ingredients like brown sugar, apples, oats, and butter, these pre-cut dessert squares are perfect for your harvest sweets table. Drizzled with rich salted caramel and pre-sliced, they’re a convenient choice for your seasonal spread. Delicious warm, room temperature, or cold, it’s a fresh twist on traditional apple crumble.
Farm Boy™ Pumpkin Spice Cruffies
Our signature croissant-meets-muffin pastry gets the full pumpkin spice treatment for fall. Deliciously flaky layers encase a creamy pumpkin spice custard before being finished with a sprinkle of sugar. Grab a pack—or two—before these fresh-baked faves disappear!
Farm Boy™ Maple Butter Tarts
Maple is a bit of a dark horse when it comes to fall flavours. These handmade Maple Butter Tarts are baked locally and do right by the classic Canadian treat. Deep pockets of gooey maple-flavoured butter tart filling are baked in crumbly shortcrust pastry for the most mouth-watering bite. (Also available in the seasonal Pumpkin Spice Pecan Butter Tarts.)
Farm Boy™ Pumpkin Spice Swiss Rolls
A nostalgic sweet treat, our sweet Swiss Rolls get a seasonal twist with this pumpkin version. These rolls get their signature swirl from soft pumpkin sponge cake and fluffy vanilla frosting. You can serve them as-is or slice them into rounds for guests to grab as many as they’d like.
Farm Boy™ Apple & Cinnamon Phyllo Bites
Most of our treats for your harvest sweets table can be found in our Bake Shop, but for these bites, you’ll want to visit our Frozen Department. Flaky phyllo pastry is stuffed with an apple filling for a taste that’s not too sweet but perfect for fall. For serving, you can plate them plain or, for a bit of added sweetness, dust with powdered sugar. Serve with a warm cup of salted caramel or our Banana Bread Caramel Sauce on the side for dipping.
Recipe: Old Fashioned Pear Spice Cake
A full cake on your sweets table can be a stunning visual. This Old Fashioned Pear Spice Cake is made with ripe pears (or apples, if you choose) and fall spices like cinnamon and ginger. As an added bonus, it tastes even better if it’s made the day before you serve it. Bake it ahead of time and glaze it just before serving for a dessert that’s convenient as well as delicious.
Recipe: Apple Frangipane Tarts
This rustic apple dessert may look fancy, but it’s actually quite easy with the help of our Butter Puff Pastry. An element you might be more unfamiliar with is frangipane. While the name sounds fancy, it’s really just a sweet almond custard that’s common in French desserts. When paired with crisp, juicy apples and flaky pastry, it’s a deliciously nutty, slightly sweet, and creamy addition.
Recipe: Mini Pumpkin Spice Cheesecakes
A regular-sized cheesecake can be a little intimidating for the inexperienced baker. Fortunately, these mini versions are both quick and easy. Made with pure pumpkin purée and packed with autumnal spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, these adorable desserts are perfect for the season. Decorate them with Thanksgiving candies if you’d like to add a little holiday flair. (You can also make this a fun activity for any pint-sized guests!)
Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cream Trifles
For a dessert that looks like you spent ages preparing but can be made the day before, try these trifles. Layers of delicious pumpkin flavour and a combination of creamy and crunchy textures make this treat a sweet winner. This recipe serves six but can easily be increased if you have a larger guest list. Feel free to garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin spice for added fall flavour.
Step 3: Decorate
Fall is a beautiful time of year, and we love incorporating natural elements into our harvest sweets table. Decorative gourds, greenery, and fall florals are all great ways to add some pizzazz to your setup. You can even take inspiration from the holidays, like Halloween, to help influence the vibe of your setup.
For an easier time setting up, decide on the theme of your décor. Do you want a minimalist palette with a few gentle touches of muted greens and white pumpkins? Would you prefer a floral explosion, complete with sunflowers and seasonal blooms? Or are you thinking harvest bounty, with plenty of decorative gourds, leaves, and other autumnal elements? Choose your colour palette and stick with it. That way, you won’t be tempted to pick up everything and get overwhelmed.
When decorating, skip any real flames. We like electric tealights or pillar candles for ambience, but guests shouldn’t have to worry about singeing a sleeve when reaching for a sweet treat. Place your chosen lighting elements in decorative candle holders or scatter them throughout your table.
Above all, remember to have fun! A harvest sweets table or dessert buffet is a chance to put a fresh twist on the standard autumnal celebration. Choose treats and recipes you love most and decorate in a way that makes you happy. At Farm Boy, we’re all about transforming grocery shopping from an errand into a fun, fresh-market experience. Visit us to find what ignites your inspiration, brings you joy, and more!
