There’s always room for some dessert even after having a considerable amount of heavy meal, be it lunch or dinner. Desserts are everybody’s favorite. These are often slices of heaven or are either crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside, they could be fruity, creamy, chocolaty… the list of possibilities is endless. Let’s look at some exquisite traditional desserts from Europe that are delectable in taste.
22 Exquisite Traditional Desserts From Europe
1. Gelato – Italy
Gelatos are famous Italian Desserts. These are frozen treats served in cones or cups. They are the healthier version of ice creams. They’re also softer, creamier, and is a one-way ticket to taste the amazing blend of the flavor of your choice. They are considered unique in their own version of frozen treats.
2. Dutch Apple Tart – Netherlands
Dutch Apple Tart is different from American Pie. The apple tart usually has a thinner crust at the bottom compared to a pie. It is shallow in the center where the filling is filled, usually a mixture of peeled apples/ laced apples rinsed in sugar and cinnamon. Additional nuts are up to the chef’s cooking style. The crust is sweet and crunchy.
3. Sernik [Cheesecake] – Poland
![Sernik [Cheesecake] - Poland](https://bitemeup.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Untitled-design-34-1.jpg)
Sernik roughly translated as a cheesecake. Like any other cheesecake, the recipe differs from chef to chef. A traditional Sernik is made with cheese, eggs, butter, sugar, and vanilla which is the filling of the cheesecake. It is a sweet pastry with a crust. It’s soft and tender. Various flavors are available in the making of a cheesecake.
4. Black Forest Gateau – Germany
This is a classic German cake loved by many and is popular all over the world. In Germany, it is called a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, which literally translates to Black Forest Cherry-torte. This dish is basically a rich combination of two most desired and loved combinations of Chocolate sponge cake blended with the richness of fresh cherries blended along with the layers of this pastry. A perfect evening dessert with a cherry on top.
5. Clafoutis – France
Clafoutis is a traditional Fresh dessert that can be made using any fruit available of your choice. Initially, the fruit of your choice is placed on the baking pan and then a fine batter of eggs, sugar, milk, and flour similar to a pancake batter is added which somehow will look similar to a flan rather a thick custard. Traditionally this is usually made with berries: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries.
6. Dondurma – Turkey
Dondurma is a traditional Turkish ice cream dessert. This ice cream is unique in its own way due to its specific ingredients, which are only used in this special Dondurma recipe, making the ice cream chewy, which is a unique quality than the other ice creams. It is only said that this ice cream doesn’t melt. The ingredient responsible for all this is salep, a flour made from the root of the purple orchid flower, and mastic.
7. Eton Mess – United Kingdom
Eton Mess is a traditional English dessert, which is believed to be created or rather first prepared by Eton College in the U.K. This is considered as a famous Summer dessert due to its freshness of strawberries and it’s best served cold. The main ingredients are crushed meringues, strawberries, and fresh cream.
8. Baklava – Greece, Turkey
Baklava is a sweet pastry made of overlapping layers of filo/phyllo [very thin unleavened dough], which is filled with finely chopped nuts infused with the sweetness of honey or a syrup made of sugar, water, and lemon juice.
9. Churros – Spain
These are typical fried dough pastries famous all over the world. They are crunchy and yet soft. Sugar sprinkled on top is optional. Best served with chocolate ganache or sauce.
10. Cremeschnitte – Austria
Cremeschnitte is a creamy vanilla custard cake with two or three layers which is of puff pastry on the top, custard cream filling and finally garnished or sprinkled with powdered sugar with a very soft crust. This dessert is popular in Central – European countries.
11. Sachertorte – Austria
Sacher Torte is a classic Viennese cake invented in 1832 by Franz Sacher. It is basically a chocolate sponge cake first divided in 2 half’s, they are each topped with apricot jam/glaze and then finally the chocolate ganache on top. It definitely has a rich taste of a perfectly infused combination of chocolate along with apricot jam.
12. Tiramisu – Italy
Tiramisu is a classic Italian dessert with has the richness of coffee flavor, made with ladyfingers dipped in coffee, along with a layer which is a fine mixture of whipped eggs, sugar, flavored with cocoa and mascarpone cheese. With every bite, you’ll experience a perfect blend of flavors.
13. Runeberg Torte – Finland
Runeberg Torte is a classical Finnish pastry that is named after the famous Finnish national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. This is often considered as a portion of Finnish comfort food. It is a cylindrical pastry that is topped with raspberry jam in a circular form and this circle has an additional circular border made with sugar icing. It has a rich flavor of almond meal, rum/arrack, and raspberry jam.
14. Ptichye Moloko – Russia
Ptichye Moloko is an airy pastry cake which is light yet has layers of creamy custard separated by thin layers of sponge cake that is topped with a layer of rich Chocolate Ganache. It subtly hints the sweetness in the pastry cake. It is also said that initially before 1978 it used to be in the form of candies which was covered with dark chocolate with a similar filling as the layers in this cake.
15. Traditional English Trifle – England
The traditional English trifle recipe might vary from chef to chef but certain ingredients will remain the same such as fruits, spongy cake, fruit-flavoured jelly/jam, layers of whipped cream. These certain things along with other special ingredients will be added one by one forming layer [precisely 3-4 layers]. They are placed in special trifle bowl. The other ingridients could vary from chocolates to coffee, vanilla, or even a different combination of fruits depending on the avaibility.
16. Panna Cotta – Italy
Panna Cotta’s is roughly translated to cooked cream in Italian. This dish is prepared with the help of cream, sugar, vanilla mixed together and then gelatin is added in order for it to get set. The mixture is poured into a preferred mould to get the required shape and size. It is generally topped with hot berry sauce along with 2-3 pieces of fruits in order to look aesthetic and well it does ass flavor to the dish as well.
17. Macarons – France
Macarons are sweet meringue-based french cookies which are low-key look similar to cream biscuits but are of entirely different concepts. They are made with granulated sugar, egg white, almond meal, icing sugar, and food coloring. Bakers work hard to make them look attractive and twice as hard to make the taste equivalent to how we see it i.e cute attractive, yet filled with flavor and taste.
18. Turkish Delight/Lokum – Turkey
Traditionally called Lokum, it is popularly called Turkish delight all around the world. They are small chewy cubes with a hint of rose water. It comes with a variety of other flavors as well.
19. Stollen Cake – Germany
Stollen is a cake-like bread that is usually made and popularly consumed during Christmas in Germany. It is similar to fruit bread but is fruits are replaced by nuts, spices such as raisins and almonds, cardamom, and cinnamon are added along with orange when beating the dough.
20. Poffertjes – Netherlands
Poffertjes are similar to mini-pancakes with a special dutch yeast-based batter which has a hint of sweetness. These are topped with powdered sugar or syrup. These are spongy in texture and soft yet fluffy.
21. Berliner Pfannkuchen – Germany
Berliner Pfannkuchen is a traditional German pastry of a similar concept of doughnuts but without a hole in the center. It is a jam filling in the center and is finally garnished with icing/powdered sugar. It is made from sweet yeast dough which is fried.
22. Liège Waffles – Belgium
Liège waffles are nothing like Brussels waffles or waffles which are Americanized in the U.S. They are made with a different dough, which is yeast-based brioche dough with special nibs of sugar that are popular across Europe, helps caramelize on the waffle iron which helps in making the crust sweet. They are buttery chewy soft on the inside while crispy and crunchy on the outside. These waffles don’t need syrup on top as they already have a sweet crunch.
Read also – 12 Most Popular Foods to Eat in Cape Town
