20+ Authentic Italian Dessert Recipes

Are you in the mood for some Italian sweets? In this roundup I have collected the best Italian dessert recipes I know, and that's saying something. Some of these are classic recipes, some are a modern twist on an old favorite. Many of them come straight out of my childhood, and I am so pleased to be sharing a little piece of the Italian cuisine of my youth with you today. Whether you are looking for a classic Italian dessert for a special occasion, or something more complicated to wow your dinner party guests, you will find what you're looking for here! The dolce vita awaits.

Cakes

Any of these Italian cake recipes is a special treat for sharing with friends and family. Sweet but not too sweet, and none of them overly complicated, they are a great addition to any dinner party.

Apple and Amaretti Cake

Apple and Amaretti cake, or Torta di mele e amaretti, if you like! If you crave simple sweets that feel like they came out of Grandma's pantry, you are going to love this rustic dessert made with apples and amaretti cookies. Quick, easy, and absolutely delectable. Great for breakfast, snack, tea time, and dessert! 

Ricotta Chocolate Cake

Ricotta is one of my favorite soft cheeses. If you've never thought of it as an ingredient for baking with, I'm going to change your mind! Ricotta cheese is versatile, good on its own, and great in both sweet and savory recipes. For example, chocolate and ricotta are a match made in heaven, and this scrumptious Ricotta Chocolate Cake proves it! The silkiness of the ricotta makes this cake moist and soft, and the rich chocolate flavors and cinnamon marry so well with it! Sure to satisfy any sweet tooth!

Torta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil)

Torta di Mele (Apple Cake with Olive Oil) is the Italian apple cake of my childhood, and for good reason. Freshly picked apples from a neighbor's tree, peeled, chopped, and tossed in lemon juice, are the stars of this simple, rustic cake scented with olive oil, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla.

Torta di Mele is a tender and delicious cake, and definitely worthy of your time and effort! 

Torta Tenerina, classic Italian soft chocolate cake

This is a classic Italian soft chocolate cake, which is a specialty dessert from Ferrara in Emila Romagna, Italy. Torta Tenerina (literally "tender cake") is a chocolate cake with a rich, moist interior and a crisp top. It's the perfect dessert for all chocolate lovers!

Italian Buckwheat and Jam Cake

This Italian Buckwheat and Jam Cake recipe is made with buckwheat flour, so it is naturally gluten-free. It's egg-free too, so it can be served to almost anyone on your guest list! I love the deep dark color of buckwheat flour, and I also love the rich, nutty natural flavors it lends to baked goods. It pairs so well with the scrumptious mixed berry jam filling inside this delicious dessert. And of course, it would not be complete without that ethereal touch of icing sugar on top for just enough sweetness! Cut it into squares and you have a delightful snack.

The most classic Italian birthday cake

Pan di Spagna is one of the most basic Italian cakes, very simple and yet one of the most complicated to get right because there is no leavening agent. It has only three ingredients: eggs, sugar, and flour, which create a light and spongy cake. Thus, it is the perfect base for what comes next: three layers of cake, soaked in liqueur, vanilla pastry cream (or crema) spread on one layer, and chocolate custard on another layer. And then, whipped cream covers the entire creation. This is a classic cake served for Italian birthdays, and I'm sure you can see it's the perfect way to celebrate! 

Tiramisu Cake with Pan di Spagna and Mascarpone

Elevate your Tiramisu game! This authentic Tiramisu Cake with Pan di Spagna and Mascarpone recipe is next-level. Make a delightful sponge cake, cut it in half, and fill it with a mix of mascarpone and whipped cream. Assemble it like a cake and you get an impressive dessert for any celebration or simply to finish off a family meal. This is one of the most popular Italian desserts for good reason!

Pastries

Starting from a base of gorgeous pastry dough and adding a filling of your choice is the perfect way to experience this traditional recipe straight from Italy. These authentic pastries are the perfect way to celebrate with a crowd or just on your own too, for any occasion at all!

Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust

Easy Chocolate Crostata with oil pastry crust is a light and tender oil-based pastry dough filled with chocolate hazelnut spread and topped with cut out pastry shapes. The dough is easily pressed into the pan, so there is no need to roll it or refrigerate it! Serve it as dessert for Valentine's Day with hearts on top, or finish it with other shapes or a lattice top for Sunday lunch. It's good for any occasion or none at all, really!  

Crostata (Italian Jam tart)

Crostata (Italian Jam Tart) is an iconic Italian dessert! A buttery, crumbly and tender pastry dough with a lovely lemon fragrance, host to a homemade jam filling secured by a lattice top. Certainly, Crostata is a crowd-pleaser for kids and grown-ups alike. This is the dessert I've prepared for many Sunday lunches, family occasions, friends' dinner parties, or to bring to work to share with my coworkers. Furthermore, it never disappoints in its multiple variations. Choose your favorite jam filling and get to work! 

Ricotta and pear crostata with cocoa crust

Crostata is one of my favorite traditional Italian desserts. It is basically a short pastry tart, usually filled with jam, and topped with a lattice pattern. This Ricotta and Pear Crostata with Cocoa Crust is a tart made from an oil-based cocoa short pastry and a filling of sweetened ricotta and pears. A light, crumbly, delightful Italian dessert, perfect for Sunday dinner or Easter time. The truly unique flavor will have your friends and family begging for the recipe! You can decide whether you want to share your secret or not. If pears are not in season, try a lemon ricotta cake instead! Just make sure you keep the ricotta and the pastry the same and the sky is the limit for other flavors. 

Homemade Little Jam Tarts

Homemade Little Jam Tarts, or mini crostatine alla marmellata as we call them in Italian, are dainty little treats made of a sweet pastry dough filled with either jam, chocolate filling, custard, or fresh fruit, and finished with a lattice top. Perfect for breakfast, as a snack, in a lunch box, on a dessert table, or for outdoor gatherings, you name it! Whatever your event, these tarts should be there. Crumbly, light, delicious, and super cute.

Crostatine alla Nutella (Nutella Tartlets)

Crostatine is the Italian word for tartlets or little tarts, and these Crostatine alla Nutella are rich and decadent tartlets that were my favorite snack as a kid. With a crumbly, light, and buttery pastry and a luscious Nutella filling, why wouldn't they be? I am sure both the kids and grown-ups in your life will fall in love with their delicate texture and delightful flavor.

Italian Cookie Recipes

Who doesn't love a good cookie? Most of these recipes are straight from the pasticcerie on the streets of Italy!

Occhi di Bue, Italian Sweet Treats

Occhi di Bue can be translated as "Bull's (Ox) Eyes", and if you look closely, you can see why!

These Italian sweet treats are delicious shortbread cookies filled with either jam or chocolate and dusted with delicious icing sugar, and you can find them in every pasticceria (bakery) in Rome. They were my absolute favorite childhood sweet and continue to be a welcome treat! 

Baci di Alassio, Italian Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Kisses

Baci di Alassio, Italian Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Kisses, are made with ground hazelnuts, cocoa powder, egg whites, sugar, and honey. These cookies are a traditional regional specialty of Alassio, in the Ligurian Riviera di Ponente. The name translates as 'kisses of Alassio'. They are naturally gluten-free, and not overly sweet either! The outer part of the shell has a slight crunch while the inside is soft and chewy, with a bit of coarse texture due to the hazelnuts. In the center there is a velvety soft chocolate ganache that brings the two cookies together in a delicious 'kiss'. With simple ingredients and easy instructions, you cannot miss with these sweet little mouthfuls. 

Gialletti, Italian Cornmeal Raisin Cookies

Gialletti are Italian cookies made with a mix of 00 (or all purpose) flour and farina di mais (corn meal or fine polenta flour). They are buttery and rich, studded with raisins, and best of all, easy to make! Typical of Northern Italy, they are a pleasure to enjoy with a cup of tea. As always, you can find slightly different recipes for the same cookies, but we are sharing our favorite here.

Milk Cookies (Biscottoni)

Milk Cookies, or "Biscottoni" in Italian, translates to "Big Cookies" in English. The simple, basic ingredients can be mixed easily in a bowl with no fancy equipment. These milk cookies are rustic and fragrant with lemon or orange zest. They remind me of the flavors of my childhood and the aroma of small town Italian bakeries. Golden, crispy on top, and crumbly and soft on the inside, these milk cookies are the perfect dipping cookies. We love to dip them in coffee or cappuccino because they stay firm without melting into the liquid. This simple recipe is perfect for an afternoon tea.

More Authentic Italian Desserts

Saffron Pannacotta

Did you know that saffron is not only a savory seasoning, but is also delicious in sweet treats too? Saffron Pannacotta is a light, smooth, and velvety dessert with a beautiful golden hue. It is so much better for the spicy yet delicate flavor that saffron brings. Pannacotta is a beloved classic Italian spoon dessert (dolci al cucchiaio, as we say in Italian). The name means "cooked cream" and could not be more descriptive! 

Easy to make ahead with very few ingredients, it just needs time to set in the fridge before you wow your guests with this fancy-feeling offering.  

Castagnole, Italian Carnival fritters with raisins

Castagnole are delicious fritters that you can find with different names and ingredients all over Italy during Carnevale. Castagna in Italian means chestnut, thus the name Castagnole because their shape resembles a chestnut! As a kid I loved dressing up in costumes for Carnevale, and most of all I loved the sweets that my mother would make for us this time of the year. The Castagnole I am sharing with you today is from one of her recipes, handwritten in an old exercise book. These Castagnole are soft and fragrant, with plump raisins in the batter. They are fried until golden brown and beautifully puffed up. It's hard to stop at one! 

Simple oil-based shortcrust chocolate roll

This Simple oil-based shortcrust chocolate roll features a tender shortcrust base made with vegetable oil. This base is then spread with a delightful chocolate hazelnut spread, rolled up, and baked to golden brown. The shortcrust is so tasty and literally melts in your mouth! This crumbly version of a chocolate roll is so simple and quick. I promise that your family and friends are going to beg you to make it time and time again.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe, oven baked

Zeppole di San Giuseppe is a traditional treat served for Italian Father's Day! The base is a beautiful pate à choux (choux pastry), the creation of which is a delicate process ending in a smooth cream ready to be piped into beautiful shapes. This pastry is flavored with orange and oven-baked till golden brown. Then it's filled with a beautiful vanilla bean pastry cream flavored with orange zest. The topping is a swirl of pastry cream and a sour cherry (amarena) for decoration. As they bake, the fresh scent of orange will permeate your house, a treat all on its own. These delicacies take time to create, but if you have an afternoon to devote to it, I promise it will be worth it.  

Coffee Panna Cotta (Panna Cotta al Caffe')

This Coffee Panna Cotta (Panna Cotta al Caffè) is a wonderful make-ahead dessert that will simplify your day-off preparations for your dinner party considerably! This dessert has such a nice sheen on the surface and the crumbled cocoa cookies on top add a nice contrast of silky soft to delectable crumble. The ingredients are easily customizable too! For example, I know most Italians love their "caffè corretto", that is, a shot of Sambuca in their espresso. Kahlua and Baileys are a nice touch, too.

This dessert is a little fiddly, but with the right ingredients and enough time you can definitely pull this off as a show-stopper for your guests.

There you have it! Our best desserts all in one place for you! So often, we wait for special occasions to spoil ourselves with a sweet treat, but I'm pretty confident you have the ingredients you need on hand (or close to it) for one of these easy Italian dessert recipes! We'd love to see your creation! Tag us on Instagram, @sugarlovespices

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