Emphasised puddings should rise (8)
I believe the answer is:
stressed
'emphasised' is the definition.
('stress' can be a synonym of 'emphasize')
'puddings should rise' is the wordplay.
'puddings' becomes 'desserts' (I've seen this before).
'should rise' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'desserts' written backwards gives 'STRESSED'.
(Other definitions for stressed that I've seen before include "Subjected to strain or emphasised." , "Screwed up" , "Emphasised, underlined" , "Tense; highlighted" , "Singled out as important" .)