48 World Class Desserts From Abroad You Need to Try

Who doesn’t love dessert, especially when they’re world class desserts? Raise your hand if you don’t love a good dessert and then go check out one of these savory recipes.

For the rest, it doesn’t matter which country you come from, or where you go, you’ll always find a way to satisfy your sweet tooth. The beauty is, sweetness comes in all shapes and forms – depending on the country you’re visiting.

Sometimes you’ll think, “man, how did they think up this stuff – it’s crazy!” Then you’ll give it a taste and go, “oh man, they nailed that.” If you’re looking for an excuse to go traveling, a good one is to find world class desserts, and today we’ll share 48 of them, each as sweet as the next.

1. Colombian Dulce de Brevas

Image via My Colombian Recipes 

This is a popular and traditional Colombian dessert that can be found during the holidays. It consists of figs cooked in a sugar cane (panela) syrup served along with white fresh cheese.

2. Brazilian Brigadeiro

Image via In Johnna’s Kitchen

Created in 1940, the brigadeiro is a common Brazilian dessert. It’s made of condensed milk, cocoa powder and butter, with chocolate sprinkles coating the outside.

3. Australian Lamingtons

Image via What Annabel Cooks

Hailing from Australia, this cake is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Squares of sponge cake are coated in a layer of chocolate and rolled in coconut. If you’re lucky, there may also be some cream or strawberry jam in between the two halves.

4. Austrian Sachertorte

Image via Daily Motion

If you’re in Austria in December, be sure to try one of these on December 5, which is National Sachertorte Day! This decadent chocolate treat was invented in 1832 for the Austrian prince. It is composed of two layers ofthick chocolate cake with an apricot jam in the middle. Yummy!

5. Canadian Nanaimo Bar

Image via Earth Food and Fire

Originating on a West Coast island, this tasty bar is made up of three layers: a wafer and coconut crumb-base, custard-flavored butter icing in the middle and a layer of chocolate ganache on top. No trip to Nanaimo is complete without trying this bar.

6. Croatian Krofne

Image via My Recipes

These fluffy round donuts are filled with marmalade, jam, cream, custard or chocolate, and coated in butter and cinnamon. They’re especially popular during Carnival and are seen as a sign of good luck.

7. Slovakian Trdelník

Image via Pauline’s Cookbook

Sweet and cylindrical, this pastry is made by wrapping dough around a wooden stick called a trldo. It is then cooked with an open flame to achieve a golden-brown crust. The crunchy and crisp outside is then dusted with sugar, cinnamon, and a walnut mix. You can fill it with chocolate, vanilla, Nutella or scoops of ice cream.

8. British Banoffee Pie

Image via Fab Magazine Online

Can you guess what it is by the name? If you guessed afilling of bananas, cream and toffee you’d be right on the money. The base is made of crumbled biscuits and butter to give it a bit of crunch.

9. French Crème Brûlée

Image via My Carolina Kitchen

You may not need to visit France to try this delectable dessert, but you should all the same. A few countries claim this one as their own, but the earliest known print of the recipe was in the French cookbook Le Cuisinier Royal et Bourgeois in 1691. It consists of a rich custard base with a crunchy burnt-sugar top.

10. German Black Forest Cake

Image via National Post

Chocolate sponge cake layered with cherries and whipped cream make up this dessert. It’s generally topped with maraschino cherries and chocolate flakes. German law mandates that kirschwasser, a clear spiritmade from sour cherries, needs to be present in order for this dessert to be authentic.

11. Greek Yogurt Cake with Orange Syrup – Portokalopita

Image via My Greek Dish

This Greek yogurt cake is made with fresh oranges, yogurt, phyllo pastry, and cinnamon. This mouthwatering dessert is best enjoyed with spoon of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

12. Hong Kong Egg Waffle

Image via Serious Eats

This dessert hails from the streets of Hong Kong that originated on the streets of Hong Kong is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. To make it sweet or savory, you can top it with green tea, chocolate or cheese.

13. Hungarian Kürtőskalács (or Chimney Cakes)

Image via Oh My Dish

Similar to the Slovakian Trdelník, this dessert consists of a single piece of sweet dough being wrapped around a giant rolling pin, rolled in sugar and baked over hot coals. To give it more flavor, top it with cinnamon, coconut, chocolate, nuts or poppy seeds.

14. Indian Gulab Jamun

Image via The Cherry Share

This sweet treat dates back to medieval India and is said to have been created by accident. It is made with the dough of solidified milk, a pinch of all-purpose flour and a dash of cardamom. After being deep fried, the dough balls are soaked in sugar syrup and flavored with rose essence.

15. Iranian Faloodeh

Image via The Tasting Table

This sweet dessert is made up of thin,vermicelli-like noodles and drizzled with syrup. It’s a light, refreshing treat on a sweltering afternoon. The noodles themselves don’t have much flavor, but when they’re mixed with a semi-frozen sauce of sugar and rosewater, they have a rose sorbet-esque flavor.

16. Italian Cannoli

Image via Nonna Box

Made to order, this treat is made up of crunchy pastry shells filled with fresh whipped ricotta. The outside is coated with chocolate chips, pistachios or candied fruit. Since it’s not too sweet, you won’t feel guilty having more thanone.

17. Japanese Matcha Ice Cream

Image via Trover

Matcha powder consists of finely ground specialty green tea leaves and is said to have calming powers. Mixing it into soft serve ice cream gives it a sweet and savory touch to your palate. Perfect for hot days!

18. Jordanian Knafeh

Image via Maggwire

Sweet and salty, this Middle Eastern cheese pastry combines the best of both worlds. It is made up of butter, nabulsi cheese, phyllo dough, sugar and rose water and is then topped with pistachios. Each bite is chock-full of melted cheese and warm dough for a flavor explosion in your mouth.

19. Macedonian Tulumbi

Image via Diethood

These desserts are fried in hot oil and then soaked in a sweet syrup. The surprising part is that they keep their crispy texture on the outside but are oh-so-gooey and delicious on the inside. Keep an eye out for the golden ones for the best possible combination of crunch and sweet.

20. Malaysian Ais Kacang

Image via Tastiest

This cool treat is essentially shaved ice plus toppings. The most common topping is red bean – go figure! The ice is flavored with coconut milk, palm sugar syrup or condensed milk. Then you can add toppings like roasted peanuts, cubes of jelly, agar-agar or fresh fruit. You’ll find this in most night markets and street food stalls.

21. Dutch Stroopwafel

Image via iamamsterdam

Warm, gooey, caramel-like syrup sandwiched between two crunchy pieces of waffle – what’s not to adore? This popular treat originated in the city of Gouda, but you’ll find it in most cities around the Netherlands.

22. Peruvian Suspiro de Limeña

Image via Cocina y Vino

Fans of super-sweet goodies need to try this one. The base is made up of a milky caramel layer of manjar blanco (also known as dulce de leche) and the top of meringue dusted with cinnamon. This sweet and soft dessert is meant to be consumed sparingly with a glass of water.

23. Filipino Halo-Halo

Image via One Green Planet

The name of this dessert literally means “mixed.” The main ingredient is shaved ice, but it’s so much more than that and can almost seem a bit overwhelming at first. In a bowl, you could combine any of the following ingredients, gulaman (agar-agar), tapioca pearls, beans, slices of sweetened saba (plaintain), strips of sweet mango and jackfruit or pinipig (toasted rice grain). It is generally topped with ube (purple yam) and a spoonful of leche flan.

24. Portuguese Pasteis de Nata

Image via The Tasting Table

Originally created as a way to use up egg yolks before the 1800s, this custard tart is now one of the most popular desserts in Portgual. It’s as crisp as it ischewy and is filled with a thick, rich, sweet custard.

25. Romanian Papanași

Image via Delicious Romania

This traditional Romanian dessert is similar to a deep-fried doughnut, but it’s filled with ricotta-like soft cheese and covered in sour cream and jam. The outside is crunchy, and the inside is soft and gooey.

26. Slovakian Krémeš

Image via Slovak Cooking

A must-try if you’re visiting this country. Essentially, it is made up of a thick layer of vanilla custard in between puff pastry. It is then lathered in whipped cream and cutinto square pieces. It stands upright ready for your fork to attack.

27. South African Malva Pudding

Image via Food 24

Originating from Cape Malay, this gooey and spongy dessert is to die for. It is made of flour, apricot jam, butter, sugar and milk, and is served alongside custard and ice cream. If you’re not into sweets, be sure to mix in the cream to balance the sweetness.

28. Dutch Apple Pie

Image via Splendid Table 

Recipes for Dutch apple pie go back to the Middle Ages. You can add several spices to the pie, namely: cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, mace and powdered sugar. Finally, after mixing the ingredients into the pie with cream, it is once again put into the oven to dry.

29. Spanish Churros Con Chocolate

Image via imsol

Spain’s national dessert consists of deep-fried dough sprinkled with sugar and dipped in warm, rich melted chocolate. Plus you can eat them for breakfast, as a snack or as a dessert. They also come in all shapes and sizes.

30. Swiss Kirschtorte

Image via Alchetron

This is a cherry cake that is one of the most popular desserts in Switzerland. The sponge cake base is made with hazelnut meringue, buttercream and lots of Kirschwasser (cherry brandy).

31. Thai Sticky Rice and Mango

Image via kitchn

Sweet juicy pieces of fresh mango combine beautifully with the salty sticky rice it is mixed with. You’ll find it at most local stands, and it’s a refreshing and delicious way to enjoy local food.

32. Turkish Turkish Delight

Image via Property Turkey

If you visit Turkey, you’ll notice boxes of colorful jelly being sold at most markets.  It consists of a gel of starch and sugar in a variety of flavors and is coated in powdered sugar. Chocolate, lemon and pomegranate are just a few of the flavors you can expect.

33. United Arab Emirates Luqaimat

Image via Radisson Blu

This is essentially the Arabic version of donuts. The batter is deep-fried and then dipped into a sugar syrup with toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top. These are basically soft pillows of fried, sugary goodness.

34. Vietnamese Chè Ba Màu

Image via Get Off The Trail

This popular Vietnamese dessert translates to “three color dessert.” The three layers are red bean, mung bean and pandan extract and are topped with a coconut cream sauce over ice. This is the perfect dessert for hot travel days in Vietnam.

35. New Zealand Pavlova

Image via stuff.co.nz

This meringue-based dessert was created in honor of the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It has a crisp crust and soft, fluffy inside that is normally topped with fruit and whipped cream. The origin ofthe dessert is hotly contested, and one account says that the earliest recipe originated in New Zealand, but we’ll include Australia just in case.

36. Austrian Marillenknödel

Image via Frisch Gekocht

A seasonal delicacy because of the fruit that’s inside: apricots. Famously, Ferdinand I of Austria said, “I am the Emperor and I want dumplings!” when they were out of season. What a guy! These dough balls are generally made of potato and the insides are filled with cored apricots or mirabelle plums. They are boiled and then covered in fried bread crumbs and powdered sugar.

37. American Pumpkin Pie

Image via Betty Crocker

Pumpkin pie is traditionally enjoyed during Thanksgiving to give thanks for the harvest of the previous year. It consists of a creamy pumpkin custard filling mixed with spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Top it off with a dollop ofcream or ice cream to satisfy your palate even more.

38. Russian Zapekanka

Image via Upside Down Cake

This is Russia’s answer to cheesecake. It is, however, meant to be served hot but can also be enjoyed cold. You can top it with raisins, blueberries or raspberries – really, the same types of toppings you’d enjoy on any cheesecake.

39. German Rote Grütze

Image via Martha Stewart 

Meaning “red groats”, this is a sweet fruit dish from Germany. A classic dessert item using a variety of red berries. Serve with vanilla ice cream, vanilla pudding, rice pudding, whipped cream.

40. Indian Barfi

Image via Wikipedia 

Originally from India, the name is a derivative of the word barf, which means snow. The main ingredients of plain barfis include condensed milk and sugar. The ingredients are cooked in a vessel until the mixture solidifies.

41. Italy Bonet

Image via La dolce vita 

Bonet is a Piemontese preparation that was served at noble banquets all the back in the 13th century. Made the same way you would make a pudding or crème caramel, bonet originally did not contain chocolate.

42. Malaysia Cendol

Image via Food Advisor 

This is an iced sweet dessert that contains droplets of worm-like green rice flour jelly, coconut milk and palm sugar syrup. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia like Malaysia.

43. Filipino Binignit

Image via Kawaling Pinoy 

This is a Visayan dessert soup from the central Philippines. The dish is traditionally made by Visayans with slices of sabá bananas, taro, and sweet potato.

44. Peruvian Picarones

Image via Peru Delights 

Even though picarones are often referred to as a kind of donut, they are actually something quite different and unique Peruvian. The Spanish in Colonial times developed delicious sweet pastry by adding sweet potato and a local squash to the yeast dough.

45. Japanese Chestnut Kintons

Image via Asian Inspirations

Kuri Kinton is sweet chestnuts mixed in mashed sweet potatoes. It is a part of Osechi Ryori, the traditional Japanese new year feast.

46. Egypt Basbousa

Image via What 4 Eats 

A traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake, this pastry is made from cooked semolina or farina soaked in simple syrup; coconut is also a popular option to add.

47. Canada Maple Taffy

Image via A Canadian Foodie 

It is a sugar candy made by boiling maple sap past the point where it would form maple syrup but not so long that it becomes maple butter or maple sugar.

48. South Korean Patbingsu

Although it’s popular among natives all year round, if you visit Korea during the summer, you need to try this. It is made with shaved ice, sweet red beans and is sometimes topped with fresh fruit. You can even find this at McDonald’s, as it is as common as an ice cream sundae in the States.

Have you already tried some of these world class desserts? Which one do you want to try? Have we missed a dessert from your favorite country? Please let us know and we can add it in. We’d like to give a special thanks to The Sweet Wanderlust for inspiration.