This blog post was updated on December 2, 2022.
The holidays are finally upon us, and that means lots of food to enjoy! There’s nothing like overindulging a little bit with those irresistible desserts you only get to eat during these months. The challenge of course is to leave enough room as you’re feasting so that you actually get to enjoy the desserts!
But, what if you happen to be traveling abroad during the most wonderful time of the year? Well, if that’s your case, then you’ll have the fantastic opportunity to taste for the first time some of the finest treats the world has to offer. Every culture has its own holiday traditions, and that’s especially true when it comes to sweet treats.
Here are nine holiday desserts around the world to put the cherry on top of your international holiday getaway!
Kransekake – Denmark
Glædelig jul! The kransekake (pronounced “kranz-uh-KAY-huh”) is a showstopper dessert from Denmark and the Netherlands. Literally translated as “wreath cake,” it’s a towering confection made from almond flour and confectioners sugar. The kransekake’s iconic shape is made up of as many as 18 concentric circle circles, each slightly smaller than the last to give it a tree-like shape. Each layer is also sprinkled with ground pistachios and drizzled with royal icing to serve up some visual pop. During the holiday season, the icing is usually red, green, or white; for weddings and other celebrations, it can be any color that the baker desires.
Stollen – Germany
Also known as Christstollen because of its association with the holiday season, stollen is a delightful kind of fruit bread that’s packed with nuts, spices, chunks of dried or candied fruit, and often contains a creamy marzipan center. Once the stollen is baked to perfection, the finishing touch is a dusting of powdered sugar on top. You can consider the stollen to be a variant of the traditional Christmastime fruit cake…except this fruit cake people will actually eat!
Bûche de Noël – France
The Yule log is a Christmas favorite all around the world, and the French version is called the bûche de Noël. Essentially a giant Swiss roll, the bûche can be made with many different flavors and ingredients, but usually involves some kind of cocoa-based sponge covered with whipped cream or mascarpone and then rolled into an iconic swirl of a cake. The result is then usually piped with chocolate ganache or buttercream, so that looks like an actual log. Some bakers even use fork tines to give texture to the “bark” and give the confection a certain trompe l’oeil effect. Another variation is a snowy cake roll covered in white buttercream icing. All of the variations are certifiably delicious.
Christmas Pudding – England
The traditional British Christmas pudding is another dessert that’ll use up all of your leftover dried fruit. This treat is traditionally served after Christmas dinner in England. Its origins can be traced back to medieval times. The basic recipe hasn’t changed that much, either, though it’s customary for families to put their own spin on it. There are traditionally 13 ingredients to symbolize Christ and His 12 apostles: flour, brown sugar, suet, breadcrumbs, raisins, currants, citron, lemon peel, orange peel, mixed spices, eggs, milk, and brandy. Slices of pud’ are often served with a side of brandy butter to add to the lusciousness factor. All around, a pretty brilliant way to end a holiday meal.
Bibingka – Philippines
A lighter dessert than some of the others on this list, bibingka is a rice cake made with sugar, eggs, fruit preserves, and rice flour. The traditional cooking method is a terracotta oven that’s been lined with banana leaves, but bakers today often opt for more modern baking implements. Bibingka is eaten during the holiday season as both a daytime and nighttime snack, so you shouldn’t have any difficulties at all to have a bite if you’re thinking about heading to Manila or any other Philippines destination for the holidays. When eaten at night, bibingka is often a post-church service tradition during the Simbang Gabi or “night mass” attended by Filipino Catholics.
Kahk – Egypt
Kahk are small round cookies that are usually stuffed with goodies like nuts, dates, ghee, or Turkish delights. They’re most commonly consumed during Eid al-Fitr, or the end of Ramadan, but they’re also used to mark the end of December fasting for Coptic Christians. The Coptics don’t celebrate Christmas until January 7th, so they usually eat their kahk on January 6th, after attending church services.
Buñuelos – Mexico
Greet Christmas with a crunch when you snack on some buñuelos. They’re thin, crispy dough fritters that have been fried in oil to create the perfect golden hue. Some buñuelos are topped with sugar or filled with creams and jams, but this isn’t a requirement. They’re tasty all on their own! Variations in other countries can include round, thicker buñuelos like the ones you can find in Spain.
You may also like: ¡Buen Provecho! 5 Unusual Foods to Try When Visiting Spain
Rose Cookies – India
Rose cookies live up to their flowery name with their fanciful shapes and patterns. Traditionally the dough was twisted by hand, but nowadays you can buy rose cookie molds that do all of the work for you. These treats are served during South Indian festivals and holidays — including Christmas — so be sure to get some if you happen to be headed to India during the holidays. Fun fact: Rose cookies aren’t baked, but fried in oil!
Malva Pudding – South Africa
Despite its name, Malva pudding isn’t actually a pudding, at least not unless you’re using the term in the British sense, meaning “dessert.” Malva is a spongy, cake-like dessert made from a mix of heavy cream, apple cider vinegar, dark brown sugar, and other ingredients. Its signature is the apricot jam spread on top, best served hot and slightly sticky from caramelization. It’s also common to have a thick cream sauce poured over the Malva while it’s still warm.
Is there any other delicious holiday treat that we’ve forgotten to mention? Let us know in our comments section below!
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