Italian desserts

Italian dessert made by blending cream, sugar and gelatin

Panettone is an Italian sweet bread and fruitcake that is associated with the city of Milan. It is usually prepared for Christmas and New Year in Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in South America, Eritrea, Australia, and North America. Panettone is tall, with the appearance and texture of bread. Despite such an appearance, panettone is understood in Italy to be a dessert; one that would be out of place in a bread bakery.

custard dessert with soft caramel on top

thumb|Cannoli with chopped pistachios and candied cherries Cannoli are Sicilian pastries consisting of a tube-shaped shell of fried pastry dough, filled with a sweet and creamy filling containing ricotta cheese. Their size ranges from . In mainland Italy, the food is commonly known as ().

Gelato (; ) refers to a specific type of ice cream of Italian origin. In Italian, is the common word for all types of ice cream. Artisanal gelato in Italy generally contains 6–9% butterfat, which is lower than other styles of frozen dessert. Gelato typically contains 35% air (substantially less than American-style ice cream) and more flavoring than other types of frozen desserts, giving it an intense flavor with creamy, smooth texture, density and richness that distinguishes it from other ice creams.

Zabaione () or, through hypercorrection, zabaglione (, ; ), is an Italian dessert, or sometimes a drink, made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine (usually Moscato d'Asti). Some versions of the recipe incorporate spirits such as cognac. The dessert version is a light custard, whipped to incorporate a large amount of air. Since the 1960s, in restaurants in areas of the US with large Italian populations, zabaione is usually served with strawberries, blueberries, peaches, etc., in a champagne coupe, and is often prepared tableside for dramatic effect.

'''''' () is an Italian sweet bread, most popular around Christmas and New Year. Typically a product of the city of Verona, traditionally has an eight-pointed shape. It is often dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar, which is said to resemble the snowy peaks of the Alps during Christmas. Its name and origins are attributed to the Italian pastry chef .

Granita () or '''''' () is a semi-frozen dessert made with sugar, water, and various flavorings. Originally from Sicily, it is available throughout Italy in varying forms. Food writer Jeffrey Steingarten says that "the desired texture seems to vary from city to city" on the island; on the west coast and in Palermo, it is at its chunkiest, and in the east, it is nearly as smooth as sorbet.

fruit preserve made from quince pulp

Cassata ( ) or '''''' (; ) is an Italian cake originating in the Sicily region. It is typically composed of a round sponge cake moistened with fruit juices or liqueur and layered with ricotta cheese and candied fruit (a filling also used with cannoli). It has a shell of marzipan, pink and green colored icing, and decorative designs. Cassata may also refer to a Neapolitan ice cream containing candied or dried fruit and nuts.

'''''' (; : ) is a shell-shaped pastry with a sweet or creamy filling, originating in the Campania region of Italy — it's name deriving from the Italian diminutive of "thin leaves" or "layers."

Panforte is a chewy Italian dessert containing fruit and nuts. It is similar to a Florentine but is much thicker. Known throughout Italy, it is an Italian Christmas tradition associated especially with the province of Siena.

thumb|Madeleines A génoise (, , ; usually spelled genoise in English), also known as Genoese cake or Genovese cake, is a French sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and associated with French cuisine. Instead of using chemical leavening, air is suspended in the batter during mixing to provide volume.

candied chestnut

Zuccotto () is an Italian dessert of Florentine origin. It is a semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with alchermes, cake, and ice cream. It can be frozen, then thawed before serving. Zuccotto is traditionally made in a special pumpkin-shaped mould ( means 'little pumpkin' in Italian). It is widely believed to have been inspired by the dome of Florence's duomo (the city's main cathedral). Others allude to its shape as closely resembling a cardinal's skullcap or zucchetto.

Mostaccino () is a spicy biscuit typical of the comune (municipality) of Crema, in the Lombardy region of Italy. Mainly used in the preparation of the filling of tortelli cremaschi, it includes nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, mace, cilantro, star anise, black pepper, and cocoa among the ingredients. It has a spicy flavour.

dessert made from cocoa, broken biscuits, butter, eggs and a bit of port wine or rum

Asian rice dish

Semifreddo (; ) is a class of frozen desserts prepared mainly with egg whites, sugar, and cream. It has a light, airy texture likened to mousse or light cake that is created by whipping air into the mixture before freezing. Some recipes place cake, nougat, sliced fruit, caramelised fruit, jelly or pudding at the core and base of the semifreddo.

Crostata () is an Italian baked tart or pie. The earliest known use of crostata in its modern sense can be traced to the cookbooks Libro de Arte Coquinaria (Book of the Art of Cooking) by Martino da Como, published , and Cuoco napolitano (Neapolitan Cook), published in the late 15th century, containing a recipe (number 94) titled Crostata de Caso, Pane, etc..

Struffoli (; , ), also known as Honey Balls, is a Neapolitan dish made of deep fried balls of sweet dough. The dough is used in many Italian sweet treats such as chiacchiere. For struffoli, the dough is formed in to balls about the size of marbles. Crunchy on the outside and light inside, struffoli are mixed with honey and other sweet ingredients and formed into mounds or rings. There are many different ways to flavour them, but the traditional way is to mix them in honey with diavulilli (nonpareils sprinkles), cinnamon, and bits of orange rind. Naming varies by region: in Calabria they are al

Italian traditional Easter cake

Pinca (also pogača, sirnica or pinza or Osterpinze) is a variety of Easter bread native to Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria. It is particularly popular in Istria, western Croatia, in parts of the Province of Trieste, and the historical region of Dalmatia, the Goriška region of Slovenia, the Slovenian Littoral, southern Austria and Gorizia of Italy.

Pignolata (Sicilian: pignulata) is a Sicilian pastry originating in the city of Messina. It is a soft pastry, covered in chocolate and lemon-flavoured syrup or icing. This pastry is half covered or iced in one flavouring and the other half in the other flavour, which hardens when the pignolata is ready to be served. Each pastry serves several people, and is meant to be cut into small pieces when served. In Sicily, this dessert was made for Carnival, the last celebration before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

Pastiera (; ) or pastiera napoletana is a type of Neapolitan tart made with cooked wheat, eggs and ricotta cheese, and flavored with orange flower water. It is usually eaten at Easter.

Tartufo (, ; ), also known as '''''', is an Italian dessert of gelato originating in the (municipality) of Pizzo, Calabria. The dessert takes the form of a ball that is composed of two or more flavors of gelato, often with melted chocolate inserted into the center (following the original recipe) or alternatively, with either fruit syrup or frozen fruit—typically raspberry, strawberry or cherry—in the center. Typically, the dessert is covered in a shell made of chocolate or cocoa, but sometimes cinnamon or nuts are used.

pastry similar to a croissant

traditional pastry from Catania, Italy

frozen dessert

Pasticciotto (; : ) is a type of filled Italian pastry. Depending on the region, they are traditionally filled with either ricotta cheese or egg custard.

Panpepato or pampepato () is a round, sweet cake typical of the province of Ferrara, Siena, the south Umbria and north of Lazio. It is a type of panforte. Dating to the medieval era, it is often consumed on special occasions.

Seada (more commonly known by its plural form, seadas) is a Sardinian savoury dessert which can be served with sweet toppings. It is prepared by deep-frying a large semolina and lard dumpling (usually between 8 and 10 cm in diameter) with a filling of soured pecorino sardo and lemon peel in olive oil, and is served covered with honey, sugar and, sometimes, salt.

Italian dessert

thumb|A plate of necci from Tuscany, Italy Neccio (: necci), also called niccio, ciaccio or cian, is a galette based on chestnut flour, typical of some mountain zones of Tuscany and Emilia, in Italy, and of the island of Corsica, in France.

Spongarda is a local cake originating in the comune (municipality) of Crema. The Lombardy region includes it as spongarda of Crema in the list of traditional food products.

Italian frozen dairy dessert

Bustrengo, also called bustrèng, is a cake in Romagnol and Sammarinese cuisine. It is a traditional Christmas dish in the Italian provinces of Forlì-Cesena and Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, and in the Republic of San Marino. Ingredients include standard cake ingredients, such as flour, leavening, olive oil or shortening, sugar or honey, etc., along with cornmeal, breadcrumbs or stale bread, figs, raisins, diced apples, lemon rind and orange rind. Bustrengo is typically a dense and moist cake.

thumb|Giurgiulena The giurgiulena, also known as giuggiulena, cubaita or cumpittu, is a traditional Christmas nougat-like candy, typical of the Sicilian cuisine and in use in a large part of Calabria.

Italian dessert made from pig's blood

Portuguese sweets

Sugolo is a northern Italian dessert prepared with the must of red grapes, flour and sugar, cooked slowly and then left to cool. It can be served cool, like a pudding, or preserved in a jar like jam.

cookie of Italian origin

Ricciarelli are a type of biscuit originating in 14th-century Siena, Italy. It is considered one of the signature sweets of Siena, in addition to panforte, cenci, and cavallucci.

Veneziana is a sweet from the Lombard cuisine covered with sugar grains or almond icing. It is served in two versions: the bigger one is consumed during Christmas, like panettone; the smaller one is eaten as breakfast, along with cappuccino, like croissants. Veneziana is butter and flour-based and uses sourdough as leavening; the smaller version is usually plain, sometimes filled with custard, while the bigger version contains candied orange.

Italian biscuit