Every country has its own specialty desserts. Luckily, you don't have to fly around the world just to experience each unique sweet. We have 22 amazing dessert recipes for you to try, each one from a country known for its flawless sweets. From Italian tiramisu to Japanese cheesecake, you need to try all of these exciting, global desserts!
Mille Feuille
Mille Feuille means "a thousand leaves" in French, and it gets its name from the compacted layers of puff pastry that form this incredibly French dessert. Puff pastry normally rises as it bakes, but here we weigh it down so that it forms crisp, thin pieces of delicious buttery pastry instead.
Go to the recipe: Mille Feuille
Fraisier Cake
Elegant Fraisier cake is often seen in Patisserie windows and revered as a famous French pastry dessert. Buttery, fluffy sponge layers, decadent vanilla bean créme mousseline, and fresh strawberries are all you need.
Go to the recipe: Fraisier cake
Sacher Cake
Austrian Sacher torte is a Viennese specialty, and it's a European cake recipe that defines elegance. Two layers of chocolate sponge cakes, a fine layer of apricot jam, and a smooth chocolate glaze make this dessert a must-try European cake, one of the best European chocolate desserts for sure.
Go to the recipe: Sacher Torte
Floating Island
Floating Island is a classic French dessert that resembles an island, hence the name! The dessert is effectively a Crème Anglaise custard with poached meringue floating on top, which sounds complicated but it is a lot easier to make than it sounds.
Get the recipe: Floating island
Rum Baba
Rum baba (baba au rum), this classic yeast French bundt cake soaked in delicious rum syrup, decorated with a light vanilla bean whipped mascarpone frosting is the ultimate brioche-like boozy dessert!
Go to the recipe: Rum Baba
Pistachio Financiers
These easy-to-make Pistachio Financiers are delicious teacakes that come loaded with pistachio flavor. From the pistachio flour in the batter all the way to the chopped roasted pistachios on top, the strong nutty flavor and the subtle green color make this the perfect recipe to enjoy all year round.
Go to the recipe: Pistachio Financiers
Victoria Sponge Cake
Victoria sponge cake is a classic British cake named after the famous British queen, so it is certainly one of the most famous European cakes. Bake moist layers of sponge cake and sandwich them together with strawberry jam and lashings of whipped cream. I decorate my Victoria sponge cake with more piped whipped cream and fresh fruit, and it looks so decadent and regal.
Go to the recipe: Victoria Sponge Cake
Croquembouche
Croquembouche is a very famous sight in French patisserie windows. Have you ever seen a tower of profiteroles wrapped in a delicate cobweb of spun sugar? It's certainly a showstopper! A beautiful and impressive croquembouche is traditionally served at weddings as a grand centerpiece; it isn't hard to see why.
Go to the recipe: Croquembouche
Basque Burnt Cheesecake
This Basque burnt cheesecake recipe comes together in just five minutes and only uses five simple ingredients, yet it has such an unbelievable texture and taste. Basque Burnt Cheesecake, or San Sebastian Cheesecake, is the easiest cheesecake of all; honestly, it's a must-try! There is no water bath, but the result is still the creamiest, most amazing custard-like texture with a caramelized top.
Go to the recipe: Basque Burnt Cheesecake
Paris-Brest
Imagine a ring of choux pastry filled with hazelnut praline crème mousseline filling. Certainly, it sounds delicious, one of my favorite French desserts! This classic French Paris-Brest recipe has it all. Crispy pâte à choux, silky, nutty creme mousseline filling, extra praline paste, and roasted hazelnuts make Paris-Brest one of the most impressive European desserts of all! This fancy-looking dish is a great dessert for a dinner party as it feeds a crowd and looks so impressive.
Go to the recipe: Paris-Brest
Ricotta pie
This easy Sicilian Ricotta pie with a hint of lemon is one of the creamiest, most delicious European desserts you will ever make! Classic Ricotta Pie is traditionally a Spring dessert associated with Easter, but I think you can enjoy it at any time of year. The fresh lemon flavor, creamy filling, and crispy pie crust us the most amazing flavor and texture combination.
Go to the recipe: Ricotta pie
Lussekatter
Traditional Swedish saffron buns called Lussekatter (named after Lucia cats) are the ultimate saffron-infused fluffy yeasted brioche to bake before the holidays! These buns are crazy moist and delicious, and primarily made for St. Lucia Day (December 13th) but enjoyed throughout November and December in Sweden.
Go to the recipe: Lussekatter
Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta means "cooked cream" in Italian, and this European dessert is incredibly versatile. It is a molded dessert of sweetened cream thickened and set with gelatin to make the texture stable yet still jiggly. It can be flavored in so many ways, from coffee, coconut, vanilla, or other fruit. This particular Panna cotta recipe is made with coconut milk, so it is, in fact, a dairy-free European dessert.
Go to the recipe: Panna Cotta
Japanese Cheesecake
This jiggly Japanese cheesecake recipe is the ultimate fluffy, souffle-like cheesecake that some refer to as Japanese Cotton cheesecake due to its unique texture. The jiggly cheesecake consists of a few basic ingredients you probably already have at home, the most important part of the recipe is the actual technique that I will teach you!
Go to the recipe: Jiggly Japanese Cheesecake
Tiramisu Cookies
These delicious, coffee-flavored tiramisu cookies are the perfect after-dinner treat, dessert table addition, or compliment to your morning cup of coffee. A delightful twist on the classic Italian dessert, this easy tiramisu cookie recipe combines espresso powder and sweet mascarpone frosting topped with cocoa powder. No matter how or where you eat them, it is sure to be something that everyone will love!
Go to the recipe: Tiramisu cookies
Bavarian Cream
Bavarian cream or Crème Bavarois is a classic French dessert made with just six simple ingredients: Milk, sugar, egg, vanilla, gelatin, and heavy cream. This light and creamy treat is super flavorful and perfect for your donuts, cakes, and pastries as a topping or filling. It is so versatile and delicious that you can even enjoy it as a dessert on its own!
Go to the recipe: Bavarian Cream
White Chocolate Matcha Cookies
White chocolate matcha cookies made with matcha powder (Japanese green tea) and white chocolate chips are the ultimate chewy, gooey, and buttery cookies for matcha tea fans, in fact, they can easily turn matcha haters into matcha lovers!
Go to the recipe: Matcah Cookies
Mochi Donuts
Go to the recipe: Mochi donuts
Mochi donuts, well known as Pon-de-ring In Japan, are delicious mochi-like ring-shaped donuts with a signature bouncy and chewy texture and colorful chocolate ganache glazings on top.
Go to the recipe: Mochi donuts
Beignets
Popular in French cuisine and a staple in the Louisiana city of New Orleans, these New Orleans-style homemade beignets are fun to make and hard to resist! Their light, sweet, and pillowy texture make them the perfect treat to enjoy any time of day: For breakfast, an afternoon snack, or dessert. Top them with sugar, fill them with cream, or dip them in your morning coffee.
Go to the recipe: Beignets
Napoleon Cake
You might be mistaken in believing Napoleon Cake is French, but it is actually Russian! Napoleon cake is a classic Russian layer cake made of crunchy puff pastry and silky pastry cream. It was first served in 1912 to honor the 100th anniversary of Russia's victory over Napoleon. It will tower above your dinner table with its many layers of buttery pastry and smooth filling; trust me, this puff pastry dessert is certainly a real showstopper.
Go to the recipe: Napoleon Cake
Chocolate Brioche
For chocolate lovers who also enjoy the tender, fluffy texture of brioche bread, this chocolate brioche gives you the best of both worlds! This easy French chocolate brioche recipe takes classic brioche bread and fills it with swirls of creamy chocolate and cocoa powder before topping it with melted butter. Enjoy it for breakfast with a cup of coffee or for an after-dinner treat!
Go to the recipe: Chocolate Brioche
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
This delicious, easy Italian lemon ricotta cake is by far one of the best lemon desserts you will ever try. Made with fresh lemons, creamy ricotta cheese, and a hint of vanilla extract, it has a gently sweet, citrusy flavor and an irresistible melt-in-your-mouth texture that resembles a moist sponge cake. Whether you enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, or as a dessert with a side of ice cream, it will be hard not to run back for seconds!
Go to the recipe: Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake
More From Spatula Desserts
Unique desserts that capture attention and create a stir! This list of unique dessert ideas that break away from the norm will cause a sensation at any event.
Go to the recipes: Best Unique Desserts
Best Greek Desserts
From baklava and other filo pastry-based desserts to loukoumades, here are the best Greek desserts, all in one place. Greece is known as the cradle of Western civilization for a reason, and Greek desserts arguably might be one of them. Check out these recipes for Greek desserts and find your favorite.
Go to the recipes: Greek Desserts
Best Mini Desserts
The best mini desserts to bake when size matters. Whether you're looking for petit fours to serve after dinner or putting together a dessert table of bite-sized treats, perhaps looking for easy bite-size desserts for parties, we have all the mini dessert recipes you need.
Go to the recipes: Mini Desserts
This article was originally published as Best European Desserts at Spatula Desserts.
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