List of desserts

A dessert is typically the sweet course that, after the entrée and main course, concludes a meal in the culture of many countries, particularly Western culture. The course usually consists of sweet foods, but may include other items. The word "dessert" originated from the French word desservir "to clear the table" and the negative of the Latin word servire. There are a wide variety of desserts in western cultures, including cakes, cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, puddings, and candies. Fruit is also commonly found in dessert courses because of its natural sweetness. Many different cultures have their own variations of similar desserts around the world, such as in Russia, where many breakfast foods such as blini, oladyi, and syrniki can be served with honey and jam to make them popular as desserts.

By type

Brand name desserts

Brand name desserts

Cakes

Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape. Modern cake, especially layer cakes, normally contain a combination of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil, with some varieties also requiring liquid (typically milk or water) and leavening agents (such as yeast or baking powder).

Dessert cakes

Confectionery and candies

Confectionery is related to the food items that are rich in sugar and often referred to as a confection. Candy is a confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants may be added. Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history in popular culture.

Candy (category)

Confectionery

Confectionery

Cookies

A cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing flour, eggs, sugar, and either butter or cooking oil, and often including ingredients such as raisins, oats, or chocolate chips.

Custards

Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on a cooked mixture of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard may vary in consistency from a thin pouring sauce (crème anglaise) to a thick pastry cream (crème pâtissière) used to fill éclairs. Most common custards are used as desserts or dessert sauces and typically include sugar and vanilla. Custard bases may also be used for quiches and other savory foods. Sometimes flour, corn starch, or gelatin is added as in pastry cream or crème pâtissière.

Custards

Dessert sauces

Dessert sauces are used to add flavor and texture to desserts, and tend to be sweet.

Italian cuisine

Sauce – dessert sauces

Doughnuts

A doughnut, or donut, is a type of fried dough confectionery or dessert food. The doughnut is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets.

Doughnuts

Frozen desserts

Frozen dessert is the generic name for desserts made by freezing liquids, semi-solids, and sometimes even solids.

Frozen desserts

Ice cream

Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavors. Ice cream became popular throughout the world in the second half of the 20th century after cheap refrigeration became common.

Ice cream

Pastries

Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries."

Pastries with poppy seeds

Pies

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients.

Sweet pies

Pies

Tarts

A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savory, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard.

Puddings

Pudding is usually a dessert, but it can also be a savory dish. In the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth countries, pudding can be used to describe both sweet and savory dishes. However, unless qualified, the term in everyday usage typically denotes a dessert. In the United States and Canada, pudding characteristically denotes a sweet milk-based dessert similar in consistency to egg-based custards, instant custards, or a mousse.

Puddings

By country

Algeria

Argentina

Australia

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani pakhlava
Badambura
Shekerbura
Shorgoghali

Bangladesh

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tufahija

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

Chile

Chilean cuisine – Sweets, cakes, and desserts

China

Czech Republic

Kolach
Míša

Finland

Finnish cuisine – Desserts

France

Germany

Brenntar

Greece

{lokma turklerin}

Hong Kong

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Iran

Italy

Italian pastries

Japan

Korea

Luxembourg

Quetschentaart
Verwurelter

Malaysia

Batik cake
Bubur cha cha
Sarawak layer cake
Ais kacang
Cendol
Bubur Kacang

Mexico

List of Mexican dishes – Desserts and sweets

Netherlands

Dutch cuisine – Desserts and puddings

New Zealand

Pakistan

Peru

Picarones
Turrón de Doña Pepa
Suspiro a la limeña
Mazamorra morada

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Romanian pastries

Russia

Slovenia

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Switzerland

Swiss pastries

Syria

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

Turkish pastries

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

Khabees

United Kingdom

Scotland

United States

Uruguay

Vietnam

By region

Indian Subcontinent

Bengal

Bengali cuisine – desserts

Latin America

Latin America is a highly diverse area with cuisines that vary from nation to nation. Desserts in Latin American cuisine include, rice pudding, tres leches cake, teja and flan.

Polynesia

Po'e
Poi

Southern Africa

In Southern Africa, desserts may simply be fruit, but there are some western style puddings, such as the Angolan cocada amarela, which was inspired by Portuguese cuisine.

By time period

Middle Ages

Medieval cuisine – sweets and desserts