I NOW HAVE A LOT A PRESSURE ON ME TO COME UP WITH A GREAT DESSERT TO TAKE TO A CHRISTMAS GATHERING. THEY ALL THINK I HAVE THIS GREAT CULINARY SKILL (I JUST STARTED DOING CAKES THIS YEAR). I AM TO BRING A DESSERT, THEY DON'T WANT A CAKE, BUT I NEED SOMETHING TO WOW THEM WITH. ANY IDEAS
How are you with cheesecakes??? Plenty of wow cheesecakes out there!
Paula Dean's "Not yo' mama' bananna pudding"... That'll wow 'em!! 
2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream
Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Chocolate eclair cake is good and not a real cake. Put a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a pan, make 2 sm or 1 lg box of french vanilla pudding(instant) using 3c. milk. mix the pudding with a container of cool whip, then put half the mixture on the graham crackers. Add another layerof graham crackers, the other half of the pudding mix, and a third layer of graham crackers. top this with a can of ready made chocolate frosting (heated in the microwave just enough to pour it on). Let sit in fridge at least 8 hours.
I have used several variations of this and all were well received. chocolate craham crackers, chocolate pudding and chocolate cool whip are all options too.
hope this helps
This recipe is delish!!! I made it for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it!! It says cake...but it is more like bars. I'm making it again for Christmas.
http://cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-481-Gooey-Butter-Cake-I.html
Hope that helps, ~Denise 
I made a really good recipe that I found at allrecipes.com
it's called Tiramisu Layer Cake..... it is to die for. I will be bringing this for my Christmas dinner.
Tiramisu is a cake, but absolutely a WOW dessert. Cheesecakes are always a welcome treat. Most people are used to the standard cheesecake and a new flavor would really be a special treat. Some in my family love banana pudding, but it doesn't have any WOW factor. It's standard summer bbq fare.
IDK Paula Deen's Banana Pudding is pretty wow....not your standard nilla wafer banana pudding.....its made with pepperidge farm chessmen cookies, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, pudding and i don't remember off the top of my head what else. Its personal preference what people will like and think wow too.
Oh duh!!!! I didn't read far enough to see they don't want a cake..... but it is soooooo good!!! You could also make a Tiramisu trifle.... you know.... layered in a trifle bowl and then it wouldn't be cake.
I love Paula Dean and her recipes.
My all time favorite recipe of her is "Pineapple biscuits"
It is easy to make and rich recipe.
Its not for dessert but you can try it.
My favorite dessert is Banana Coconut Pudding Saras Secrets
1 tablespoon small pearl tapioca (not quick-cooking)
1 (14-ounce) can light unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup sugar
3 firm, ripe bananas
Garnish if desired: 1 tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
In a small bowl soften tapioca in warm water to cover 1 hour.
While tapioca is soaking, in a small saucepan cook coconut milk, ginger, and sugar over moderate heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and let mixture stand 10 minutes.
Drain tapioca. Peel bananas and quarter lengthwise. Cut quarters into 1/2-inch pieces.
Heat coconut milk mixture over low heat and gently stir in tapioca and bananas. Cook pudding, stirring (be careful not to break up bananas), until thickened slightly and bananas are heated through, about 5 minutes, and cool. Divide pudding among 6 ramekins and chill, covered, until cold.
Garnish pudding with crystallized ginger.
I hope you will love it.
Thanks
Nitu
Another really easy thing that is usually a hit is the "Tiramisu" that I make. It is embarrasing simple and very good.
1 large Sara Lee frozen pound cake
1 8 ounce container cool whip
1 16 once container Ricotta cheese
1/2 cup sugar
double strength coffee, cooled to room temp (about 1/2 of a pot)
3 Tablespoons sugar
Add the 3 Tablespoons sugar to the coffee stir till it is dissolved.
Slice the pound cake into 1/4" slices.
Mix the cool whip, the 1/2 cup sugar and Ricotta cheese altogether.
To put it together, soak each of the pound cake slices in the coffee, then lay in whatever pretty see through dish you want to use. Put a layer of the cool whip/ricotta then another layer of dipped pound cake - ending with the cool whip mix. Sometimes I just use part of another container of the cool whip to use as the very top layer.
Super easy, and coffee lovers absolutely love it. (and it is real pretty in a see through dish)
I make this for a lot of gatherings when they don't want cake and it gets RAVE reviews. It's easy, rich, and you can't eat just a little bit...it's very addictive! It's also not a cake, despite the name, it's a true dessert.
BANANA SPLIT CAKE
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 stick margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas
1 large can crushed pineapple, well drained
small container cool whip
maraschino cherries
½ cup chopped pecans
Mix graham cracker crumbs and 1 stick margarine and press in bottom and sides of 9 x 13 inch dish. Mix remaining margarine, powdered sugar and eggs until smooth and fluffy. Spread evenly over graham cracker crust. Slice bananas over filling; spread pineapple over bananas. Top cool whip and top with chopped maraschino cherries and pecans. Chill and serve.
IDK Paula Deen's Banana Pudding is pretty wow....not your standard nilla wafer banana pudding.....its made with pepperidge farm chessmen cookies, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, pudding and i don't remember off the top of my head what else. Its personal preference what people will like and think wow too.
Some of my best friends like banana pudding. 
I took the WOW factor to mean a dessert that people wouldn't often see at the family pitch-in and a dessert that would generate a bit of excitement. People just get all giddy when they see a tiramisu or a flavored cheesecake.
This is a dessert I made for Thanksgiving and got rave reviews for it. I really thought it would be twoo sweet and rich, but it really wasn't. It was just right! 
It's from the KraftFoods site.
German Chocolate Cheesecake
Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 4 hr 20 min
Makes: 14 servings
1 cup finely crushed NABISCO FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers
1 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup flour
1 pkg. (4 oz.) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet Chocolate, melted
2-1/2 tsp. vanilla, divided
4 eggs, divided
1/3 cup canned evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut
1/2 cup PLANTERS Chopped Pecans
PREHEAT oven to 350°F if using a silver 9-inch springform pan (or to 325°F if using a dark nonstick 9-inch springform pan). Mix chocolate wafer crumbs, 2 Tbsp. of the sugar and 3 Tbsp. butter; press firmly onto bottom of pan. Bake 10 min.
BEAT cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the sugar and the flour in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add chocolate and 2 tsp. of the vanilla; mix well. Add 3 of the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
BAKE 45 to 50 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
PLACE milk, remaining sugar, the 1/4 cup butter, remaining egg and remaining 1/2 tsp. vanilla in small saucepan; cook on medium-low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in coconut and pecans. Cool. Spread over cheesecake just before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS
Size It Up
Since this indulgent special-occasion dessert makes 14 servings, it is a perfect dessert to serve at your next party.
This is another recipe I got from KraftFood's website. Made it also for Thanksgiving and got tons of wonderful comments on it. It was easy to do and turned out very very good!
Almond Pear Cream Cheese Torte
Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 4 hr 5 min
Makes: 12 servings
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
BEAT cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.
BAKE 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.
KRAFT KITCHENS TIPS
Great Substitute
Prepare as directed, using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese.
Great Substitute
Try finely chopped pecans instead of sliced almonds.
What about Pavlova? The recipe is on this site. It is very easy, just put fruit on top. YUMMY!!
This one is quick...but really good.
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
Make a devils food cake in a 9x13" pan.
When cool, poke holes in the top with a fork and pour 1/2c of Kahlua over the cake. Cover and let sit overnight.
You will need chocolate mousse,(you can use the packaged kind or make your own) and whipped cream(I admit to using cool whip in this dessert)
Take your serving dish(I use a clear trifle bowl) cut a good chunk of your cake and crumble into the dish, top with mousse, then a layer of whipped cream. Keep layering, ending with the whipped cream. Garnish with shaved chocolate.
Obviously the amount of ingredients you will need depends upon the size of the dish you are using. For the trifle dish I use 3 packages of the mousse mix and one large and one small container of cool whip. I like to be generous with the layers.
Trifles seem to really draw a lot of attention whenever I've made them. They seem to look elegant just because they're in a big fancy bowl. Or, there's Baked Alaska, that's always cool! ('scuse the pun) Fruit dishes like Bananas Foster or Pears au Chocolat make a good show too.
Hmmm... for some reason I'm getting hungry now!
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