The sweets stand, one said emphatically (8)
I believe the answer is:
stressed
'one said emphatically' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.
'the sweets stand' is the wordplay.
'the sweets' becomes 'desserts' (sweet can mean a dessert or pudding).
'stand' says the letters should be written backwards (I've seen 'standing' mean this (in a down clue, letters stand up)).
'desserts' backwards is 'STRESSED'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for stressed that I've seen before include "Harassed, strained" , "Insisted" , "exerted pressure" , "Screwed up" , "Emphasised, underlined" .)