Dessert: the pinnacle of the meal; the climax of proceedings; the pièce de résistance.
Sometimes you just can't beat a whacking great slice of cake, and Hollywood fully understands this. What it also understands is that the humble dessert can be used in a variety of creative methods.
Read on and discover the most memorable dessert scenes from the history of film.
(Images: YouTube, All Star)
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Matilda (1996): Bruce Bogtrotter's Chocolate Cake
Forget Rocky, or blowing up the Death Star, this is the greatest triumph in movie history, and it revolves around cake. The unlikely hero Bruce Bogtrotter, faced with a daunting task, at first looks scared, then grows in confidence as he realises he might just do it. We feel like Bruce every time we get through a 20 nugget box in McDonalds.
Home Alone 2 (1992): 3 Scoops of Ice Cream
You're alone in New York, you've got your Dad's credit card and a hotel room to yourself - what are you gonna do? No, not that, cleanse your dirty mind. You're going to get as much dessert as you possibly can and eat it until you're sick everywhere. You filthy animal.
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Strudel
A wonderfully memorable scene in Tarantino's epic film, this sees the dastardly Landa grill the poor Shoshanna, over a backdrop of the humble strudel. Landa's manic eating, and insistence on waiting for the luxurious cream topping merely adds to the tension and unease. Who knew a dessert could be so unsettling? If you fancy creating your own at home then click here.
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971): Sweets Everywhere
When you're making a list of memorable dessert moments, you can't really not include Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory: the king of all sweet (candy for you crazy Americans) movies. Let's just all agree to not ponder the ensuing dentist bills.
Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983): After-dinner Mint
Approach with caution: this is what could happen when you think, " one more piece of cake can't hurt". All it took was a mint....a wafer thin mint...
Hot Fuzz (2007): Cornetto
Nicholas Angel eats a cornetto, and has a eureka moment. Final, scientific proof that eating ice cream aids your mental capabilities. What are you waiting for? Get a 99 in immediately.
American Pie (1999): Apple Pie
Almost certainly the most notorious dessert scene of all time, this was surely not what the inventor of the apple pie had in mind when they first baked their tasty dish. You can love your dessert too much you know. If you want to make your own, for eating purposes, click here.
Bugsy Malone (1976): Custard Pies
As the previous clip showed, cinema seems to find no end of unusual uses for the humble dessert, and this is no exception. A final shoot-out, and lethal custard is fired everywhere, with the raiding gangsters getting their just desserts (sorry).
Drag Me To Hell (2009): Evil Cake
You'll never look at your cake in the same way again. Mind you, the cake will probably never look at you in the same way again either. You can make your very own evil harvest cake here.
Pulp Fiction (1994): $5 Milkshake
Is $5 a lot for a milkshake? It doesn't seem extortionate, but it's not cheap either. But it is a good milkshake. Quite how Tarantino manages to make this simple question into a compelling scene, we have no idea; but he can, and he does. You can make your own $5 milkshake here.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946): Chocolate Ice Cream (with coconuts)
A charming scene from Frank Capra's classic, as a young George explains, with unabashed excitement, the origin of coconuts. We love George too, you know.
Deuce Bigalow (1999): Wet Ice Cream
Not a classic film (well, not in the traditional sense at least), but a memorable moment for desserts nonetheless. Surely in a jacuzzi the ice cream would melt quickly if dropped in the water? Wouldn't it taste of chlorine? Why is Deuce wearing a t-shirt in the water? So many questions, so little time.
Singin' in the Rain (1952): Cake Surprise
Something we've always wondered about people jumping out of cakes: can you still eat the cake? Because if you can't, what a let down that would be: no matter how important the person inside, they wouldn't be as good as eating a massive person-sized cake.
Once Upon A Time In America (1984): Cherry Cake
Faced with a choice between the, ahem, "attentions" of a woman, or eating a nice cake, what would you choose? For little Noodles, there is only one winner.
Marie Antoinette (2006): Everything
She brought down the monarchy and was loathed by her people. But she is also commonly credited with uttering the famous phrase "let them eat cake", so she's alright by us.
The Matrix: Reloaded (2003): Chocolate Cake
We love chocolate cake, but we're not quite sure we've ever enjoyed one quite as much as this lady enjoys Merovingian's devilish dessert. Wonder what the trifle was like?
Knocked Up (2007): Ice Cream in Bed
Sometimes, ice cream is the only thing you need to sort your problems out. God knows, we've tried it. And if you're pregnant too, you don't even need to worry about getting fat, as no-one will notice. Double win.
Hall Pass (2011): Brownies (of the pot variety)
We're not against the sprucing up of desserts: maybe some cream here, a strawberry there, but approach this particular "flavouring" with caution, as the Hall Pass guys find out to their cost.
