European desserts always look flawless and taste even better. But we have a little secret—they are actually easy to make! You can bake like a European pastry chef with these 29 incredible recipes. Each one is simple, quick, and uses basic ingredients so that anyone can make them. When you see the perfect pastries you're able to create, you will instantly feel like a professional European baker!
Strawberry Galette
A galette is a flat, free-formed French pastry dessert that is so easy to make. To make a galette, first, make a crisp and buttery pie dough and then top it with ingredients like fresh fruit before forming a crust with the edges. Bake the galette and in minutes you will have a crispy, buttery, and fruity French dessert.
Get the recipe: Strawberry Galette
Homemade Ladyfingers
Perfectly baked and ever so slightly crisp on the outside, yet soft and airy on the inside, this homemade ladyfingers Recipe (Savoiardi) is a game changer for your next tiramisu! So much better than buying store-bought cookies! This savoiardi recipe is so easy to make and the cookies bake up so light and fluffy like perfect little sponges.
Go to the recipe: Homemade Ladyfingers
Tiramisu Cups
These tiramisu cups are the easiest way to enjoy the famous tiramisu in no time! With roots in the Trevino dialect, the word tiramisu literally means "pick me up." Tiramisu is an Italian no-bake dessert made by layering coffee-soaked sponge cake cookies (ladyfingers) with mascarpone and then topping it off with cocoa powder. A fun historical fact about this classic dessert is that it's said to have been invented by a clever "maitresse" from a house of pleasure in the town of Trevino, Italy, in the 1800s.
Go to the recipe: Tiramisu Cups
Sacher Torte Cake
Austrian Sacher Torte Cake 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 Cake
Panna Cotta
This creamy Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion fruit is a light and refreshing Italian dessert that is bursting with coconut flavor. As fancy, as it looks, making Panna cotta, is incredibly quick and easy with very few simple ingredients, in fact, this recipe is dairy-free.
Go to the recipe: Panna Cotta
Earl Grey Macarons with Lemon Curd Filling
Earl grey macarons with lemon curd filling are our favorite French pastries! Earl Grey tea, with its subtle citrus notes, makes a wonderful pairing with lemon in these macarons. The warm tea flavor of these beautiful and delicious treats invites the complementary bright burst of lemon curd. If you're a tea lover looking for a new and exciting dessert, these macarons are a perfect choice.
Go to the recipe: Earl Grey Macarons with Lemon Curd Filling
Orange Aperol Spritz Cake
We found the perfect adult-only, luxurious boozy cake for you. We love Aperol Spritz, and We love cake. So combining both was a lot of fun. This oil-based orange Aperol spritz cake won't harden in the fridge and is super moist and fluffy, and the orange Aperol topping makes it taste exactly like the cocktail but in cake form.
Go to the recipe: Orange Aperol Spritz Cake
Crème brûlée
Crème brûlée (which translates as "burnt cream") is one of my favorite French desserts. It is a rich cream custard baked in a water bath with sugar sprinkled over the top that is torched (or brûléed) until it melts to form a hard and crunchy top layer. It is made of a few simple ingredients and many people don´t know how incredibly easy to prepare!
Get the recipe: Crème brûlée
Napoleon Cake
Napoleon cake is a showstopping dessert to share. Puff pastry is buttery, crunchy, and delicious and tastes amazing piled in a tower with silky pastry cream between layers. You can coat this easy Napoleon cake in an extra light layer of cream and finely crushed puff pastry pieces, or for a perfect touch, garnish this puff pastry layer cake with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar. Puff pastry desserts are always popular with guests, too.
Go to the recipe: Napoleon Cake
Financiers
French financiers are small bite-sized tea cakes, kind of like fancy French muffins! These French sweets are made with nut flour and browned butter (a "beurre noisette") and baked into dainty rectangles. They can be flavored with spices like cardamom, and they are often decorated with chopped nuts, too.
Get the recipe: Financiers
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
Homemade Ferrero Rocher Bonbons
Ferrero Rocher is a chocolate hazelnut-based confectionery product by the Italian Chocolate company called Ferrero. Ferrero Rocher was introduced in 1982 in Europe, nowadays roughly 3.6 billion Ferrero Rochers are sold each year in over 40 countries. Each Ferrero Rocher hazelnut ball consists of a whole roasted hazelnut encased in a thin wafer shell filled with hazelnut cream and covered in milk chocolate and chopped hazelnuts.
Go to the recipe: Homemade Ferrero Rocher Bonbons
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
Mille Feuille
Mille feuille (or "thousand leaves") is a famous French dessert made from layers of puff pastry and pastry cream. To make homemade mille-feuille, you bake puff pastry under weights so it remains compacted and crisp and doesn't puff up high. Afterward, the crispy layers of Mille Feuille are stacked with crème pâtissière or crème mousseline. And finally, topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or fruit.
Get the recipe: Mille Feuille
Charlotte Cake
A Charlotte cake (or "Charlotte aux Fraises") looks so professional but is in fact incredibly easy to make! This beautiful French cake is filled with silky and luxurious Crème mousseline and decorated with fluffy ladyfinger biscuits and fresh strawberries.
Get the recipe: Charlotte cake
Ricotta Pie
This easy Italian (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
Rum Baba
Rum baba (or "Baba au rhum") is a yeasted bundt cake (similar to brioche) soaked in rum syrup that was invented in Paris in the 19th century. It's a moist, boozy, and unbelievably tasty French dessert usually smothered in whipped mascarpone frosting and perhaps best enjoyed by adults!
Get the recipe: Rum Baba
Danish Butter Cookies
For a simple yet flavorful dessert or snack that the whole family will love, these buttery and soft Danish butter cookies (also known as Danish biscuits) will not disappoint! Using the same six ingredients from the classic Royal Dansk Danish cookies in the blue tin that many know and love.
Go to the recipe: Danish Butter Cookies
Clafoutis
Cherry Clafoutis, this classic French dessert is the ultimate flan-like recipe that comes together really quickly and easily! It has a custard-like creamy texture and can be made with a great variety of fruits.
Get the recipe: Clafoutis
Palmiers
Palmiers are a great example of how something doesn't have to have lots of ingredients to be delicious! Puff pastry and sugar are rolled up into the shape of a palm and baked in the oven. That's it!
Get the recipe: Palmiers
Fraisier Cake
Fraisier cake is a famous French dessert that looks beautiful and tastes even better. It is made from two layers of moist Genoise sponge, a vanilla-flavored créme mousseline filling, strawberry jelly, strawberry compote, and fresh strawberries. It is really much easier to make than any other cake and looks so fantastic!
Get the recipe: Fraisier cake
Paris Brest
Paris-Brest, a delicate ring-shaped Choux pastry with Hazelnut Praline Crème Mousseline filling, is definitely the Queen of French pastries! Crispy Pâte à Choux bonds together with silky, nutty Creme Mousseline filling in my Classic French recipe! Extra praline paste and roasted hazelnuts in the filling bring additional crunchiness making this Paris-Brest one of the most impressive desserts of all!
Go to the recipe: Paris Brest
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
Eclairs
This is seriously the BEST eclair recipe that will take you through how to make classic French eclairs at home step by step. Mastering homemade eclairs is one of the most rewarding skills for home bakers. Delicious crispy and creamy eclairs filled with chocolate or vanilla pastry cream covered with a chocolate glaze will impress everyone!
Go to the recipe: Eclairs
Beignets
Popular in French cuisine 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
Apple Roses with Puff Pastry
If you have been looking for an elegant treat to add to your dessert table, these easy apple roses with puff pastry are just what you have been looking for! Made with fresh apples, cinnamon, sugar, and a light and flaky puff pastry crust, this dessert isn’t just eye-catching but mouthwateringly delicious.
Go to the recipe: Apple Roses with Puff Pastry
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 chocolate brioche recipe takes classic brioche bread and fills it with swirls of creamy chocolate and cocoa powder before topping it with melted butter.
Go to the recipe: Chocolate Brioche
German Bee Sting Cake
This delicious two-layer traditional German bee sting cake is sure to be the talk of your guests at your next gathering! Made with soft, airy, French brioche bread filled with creamy vanilla pastry cream and a honey-glazed, crunchy almond topping, it is more than tasty but also eye-catching!
Go to the recipe: German Bee Sting Cake
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Go to the recipes: Chocolate Desserts
Cupcake Recipes
Bake the best cupcake recipes! Try some of these 40 reliable recipes for delicious homemade cupcakes for parties, birthdays, bachelorettes, and other celebrations.
Got to the recipes: Cupcake Recipes
Best Unique 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
This article was originally published as Best European Desserts at Spatula Desserts.
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