23 European Desserts you MUST try before you die!

As far as I am concerned, dessert is the best part of any meal, and I always look forward to travelling around and experiencing as many of these local delights as possible. Asia has some incredible desserts and sweets, but Europe has many more famous desserts than any other continent on the planet, and this is unsurprising seeing as it was in Europe where dessert was first integrated into meal times.

Let’s look at 23 of the most tantalisingly tasty desserts from Europe, in alphabetical order, and if these aren’t good enough for you, then check out 23 MORE European Desserts you MUST try before you die!:

Banoffee Pie

Banoffee Pie, United Kingdom.

Banoffee pie is an English dessert pie made from bananas, cream and toffee from boiled condensed milk, either on a pastry base or one made from crumbled biscuits and butter. It was invented by accident by two British chefs who were trying to amend a toffee pie from America.

Want to make Banoffee Pie yourself? Here is the recipe!

Berliner Pfannkuchen, Germany.

A Berliner Pfannkuchen is a traditional North German pastry similar to a doughnut with no central hole, made from sweet yeast dough fried in fat or oil, with a marmalade or jam filling and usually icing, powdered sugar or conventional sugar on top.

Want to make a Berliner yourself? Here is the recipe!

OMG! Black Forest Gateau!

Black Forest Gateau, Germany.

Hailing from Bavaria in Germany, Black Forest Gateau (known in German as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte) consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then the cake is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings.

Want to make Black Forest Gateau yourself? Here is the recipe!

Clafoutis, France.

Clafoutis is a baked French dessert of fruit, traditionally black cherries, arranged in a buttered dish and covered with a thick flan-like batter.

Want to make Clafoutis yourself? Here is the recipe!

Cremeschnitte, Croatia.

A cremeschnitte is a vanilla and custard cream cake dessert popular in several central-European countries, but it originated in Croatia. There are many regional variations, but they all include puff pastry base and custard cream.

Want to make Cremeschnitte yourself? Here is the recipe!

Crema Catalana

Crema Catalana, Spain.

Crema Catalana is a dessert consisting of a rich custard base topped with a contrasting layer of hard caramel. It is normally served at room temperature after being burnt by a torch before serving.

Want to make Crema Catalana yourself? Here is the recipe!

Crepe Suzette

Crêpe Suzette, France.

Crêpe Suzette is a French dessert consisting of a crêpe with beurre Suzette, a sauce of caramelized sugar and butter, tangerine or orange juice, zest, and Grand Marnier or orange Curaçao liqueur on top, served flambé.

Want to make Crepe Suzette yourself? Here is the recipe!

Delicious Dondurma

Dondurma, Turkey.

Dondurma is the name given to a kind of ice cream in Turkey. Dondurma is much different to regular ice cream due to its thickness in texture. It is also much harder to melt than regular ice cream so it can be enjoyed in the typically hot Turkish summer.

Want to make Dondurma yourself? Here is the recipe!

It tastes better than it looks!

Eton Mess, United Kingdom.

Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, pieces of meringue, and cream, which is traditionally served at Eton College’s annual cricket game against the pupils of Harrow School.

Want to make Eton Mess yourself? Here is the recipe!

Gelato – but which flavour?

Gelato, Italy.

Gelato is the Italian word for ice cream, derived from the Latin word “gelātus”. In English, this word commonly refers to varieties of ice cream made in a traditional Italian style.

Want to make Gelato yourself? Here is the recipe!

Loukoumades

Loukoumades, Greece.

Loukoumades are pastries made of deep fried dough soaked in sugar syrup or honey with cinnamon and sometimes sprinkled with sesame. These are very similar to Luqaimat in Arabic cuisine or Gulab Jamun from Indian cuisine.

Want to make Loukoumades yourself? Here is the recipe!

Colourful Macarons

Macarons, France.

A slightly cheeky addition to this list, as they can be eaten at any time of the day and not just for dessert, but macarons are certainly one of the most visually appealing desserts out there! Invented in France, the macarons’ hard exterior with soft filling is a perfect combination!

Want to make Macarons yourself? Here is the recipe!

Panna Cotta, Italy.

Panna cotta is an Italian dessert made by blending thick cream, egg white and honey. The blend is then baked in a bain-marie in a low oven.

Want to make Panna Cotta yourself? Here is the recipe!

Peches Melba

Peches Melba, France.

The Peach Melba is a dessert of peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. The dish was invented in 1892 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel in London to honour the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba.

Want to make Peches Melba yourself? Here is the recipe!

Profiteroles

Profiteroles, France.

The Profiteroles (sometimes called choux à la crème) is a French dessert choux pastry ball filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, custard, or ice cream.

Want to make Profiteroles yourself? Here is the recipe!

Ptichye Moloko, Russia.

Ptichye Moloko is a soft chocolate-covered candy filled with soft meringue (or milk soufflé). Its name means “bird’s milk”, a substance somewhat resembling milk, produced by certain birds to feed their young. Also very popular in Poland.

Want to make Ptichye Moloko yourself? Here is the recipe!

Runeberg Torttu, Finland.

Runeberg Torttu is a Finnish pastry flavoured with almonds and arrack or rum and it weighs about 100 grams. Raspberry jam inside a sugar ring is commonly placed on top of the tart.

Want to make Runeberg Torttu yourself? Here is the recipe!

Spotted Dick

Spotted Dick, United Kingdom.

Spotted dick is a cylindrical pudding popular in Britain, containing dried fruit and commonly served with custard. It is made from a flat sheet of suet pastry sprinkled with currants and raisins, which is then rolled up into a circular pudding.

Want to make Spotted Dick yourself? Here is the recipe!

Stollen, Germany.

Stollen is a sweet fruit cake containing dried fruit and often marzipan and covered with sugar, powdered sugar or icing sugar. The cake is usually made with chopped candied fruit, nuts, and spices.

Want to make Stollen yourself? Here is the recipe!

Sutlac

Sutlac, Turkey.

Sutlac is a Turkish rice pudding made from rice mixed with water or milk and other ingredients such as cinnamon and raisins. Although it can be eaten at all times of the day, when used as a dessert, it is commonly combined with a sweetener such as sugar.

Want to make Sutlac yourself? Here is the recipe!

Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin, France.

Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart in which the fruit (usually apple) is caramelised in butter and sugar before the tart is baked. This is one of France’s national dishes.

Want to make Tarte Tatin yourself? Here is the recipe!

Tiramisu is pure Italiana!

Tiramisu, Italy.

Tiramisu is a popular coffee-flavoured Italian dessert. It is made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa.

Want to make Tiramisu yourself? Here is the recipe!

Trifle

Trifle, United Kingdom.

Trifle is an English dessert dish made from thick custard, fruit, sponge cake, fruit juice or jelly, and whipped cream. These ingredients are usually arranged in layers. Trifle is a true summertime favourite!

Want to make Trifle yourself? Here is the recipe!

I must confess that if I had to pick 1 or 2, then Panna Cotta from Italy and Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte from Germany would be my choices. I could get very, very fat eating those two every day! So what is your favourite European dessert?

Page last updated 13 January, 2018. Please report any dead links.