List of Italian desserts and pastries facts for kids

This is a list of Italian desserts and pastries. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian desserts have been heavily influenced by cuisine from surrounding countries and those that have invaded Italy, such as Greece, Spain, Austria, and France. Italian cuisine is also influenced by the Mediterranean climate and agriculture.

Characteristics

Italy has an extremely diverse range of cuisines, due to the large amount of influences throughout its history. Peaches, lemons, and pears are popular fruits for recipes, as well as sweet cheeses, such as ricotta and mascarpone. Coffee, especially espresso, are integral to Italian culture and cuisine, and is featured frequently in dessert recipes, such as tiramisu. The usage of a cold dairy dessert, such as ice cream or gelato, was introduced to the Western world through Italy.

Italian desserts

A

Name	Image	Description
Affogato		Espresso served with a scoop of ice cream
Angel wings		Fried dough shaped into ribbons and coated in powdered sugar

B

Name	Image	Description
Barbajada		Drink made from whipped chocolate, milk, and coffee
Baxin		Sweet from Liguira, Italy utilizing anise seeds and flour
Biscotti		Italian biscuit, typically filled with nuts or dried fruit, or dipped in chocolate
Biscuit Tortoni		Ice cream made from eggs and heavy cream, sometimes containing chopped cherries or topped with minced almonds or crumbled macaroons
Bombolone		Italian doughnut, filled with typically chocolate, cream, or jam
Bruttiboni		Biscuit made from almonds or hazelnuts
Budino		Pudding made from milk and egg custard, typically topped with a crust or whipped-cream topping

C

Name	Image	Description
Camporelli		Ladyfinger-like biscuits made from sugar, flour, and eggs
Cannoli		Rolled, crispy dough filled with ricotta cream
Cartocci		Filled fried dough pastry
Cassata		Round sponge cake moistened with fruit juice
Cavallucci		Pastry made with anise, walnuts, candied fruits, coriander, and flour
Ciambella		Ring-shaped cake made using flour, milk, sugar, and vanilla flavoring
Colomba di Pasqua
Confetti		Almonds covered in dyed, sugar coating
Crocetta of Caltanissetta		Sweet pastry made from almonds, sugar, sweet lemon purée, oranges or other fruit, pistachio and icing sugar
Crostata		Baked tart or pie, hailing from Naples
Cucidati		Fig cookie with vanilla icing
Cupeta		Dessert made from honey, dissolved sugar and diced almonds

F

Name	Image	Description
Frutta martorana		Imitation fruits made from marzipan

G

Name	Image	Description
Gelato		Italian dessert similar to ice cream, thicker in consistency
Genoise		Sponge cake made with melted butter whipped into the dough
Gianduja (chocolate)		Chocolate made from hazelnut cream
Gianduiotto		Chocolate made from sugar, cocoa, and hazelnuts
Granita		Italian ice dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings

L

Name	Image	Description
Ladyfinger		Long biscuit, typically used in tiramisu

M

Name	Image	Description
Marron glacé		Chestnuts candied in sugar syrup
Marzipan		Confection consisting primarily of sugar, honey, and almond meal
Mimosa cake		Moist champagne sponge cake with a buttercream frosting
Mustacciuoli		Pastry with a spiced, cake-like interior, covered in chocolate

N

Name	Image	Description
Neapolitan ice cream		Ice cream featuring three flavors: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry
Nocciolini di Canzo		Sweet crumbly small cookies from Canzo, in northern Italy
Nutella		Sweetened hazelnut spread

P

Name	Image	Description
Pandoro		Traditional Italian sweet bread in a star-like formation
Panettone		Sweet bread featuring dried fruits and chocolate
Panforte		Chewy Italian dessert containing fruits and nuts
Panna cotta		Italian dessert of sweetened cream thickened with gelatin and molded
Panpepato		Round sweet bread with nuts and dried fruit
Pasticciotto		Italian pastry filled with ricotta cheese and egg custard
Pastiera		Neapolitan tart made with cooked wheat, eggs, ricotta cheese, and flavoured with orange flower water
Penuche		Fudge-like candy made from brown sugar, butter, and milk
Pignolata		Soft pastry, covered in chocolate and lemon-flavoured syrup or icing
Pinza		Traditional dessert flan with pine nuts, dried figs, raisins, fennel seeds and grappa
Pinza bolognese		Jam-filled pastry

R

Name	Image	Description
Rainbow cookie		Three-layered almond-flavored Italian cookie
Ricciarelli		Traditional Italian biscuits – specifically, a type of macaroon

S

Name	Image	Description
Sanguinaccio dolce		Italian pudding made from pig's blood which is made creamy and sweetened with ingredients such as chocolate, milk, pine nuts, and raisins
Semifreddo		Frozen dessert similar to ice cream, with the main ingredients being egg yolks, sugar, and cream.
Sfinge		Doughnut sprinkled with powdered sugar
Sfogliatella		Shell-shaped cream-filled Italian pastry originating from Campania
Spumoni		Molded gelato made with layers of different colors and flavors, usually containing candied fruits and nuts
Struffoli		Neapolitan dish made of deep fried balls of sweet dough
Sugoli		Dessert pudding prepared with the must of red grapes, flour and sugar, cooked slowly and then left to cool

T

Name	Image	Description
Taralli		Cracker similar to a breadstick--can be sweet or savory
Tartufo		Gelato covered and filled with melted chocolate
Tiramisu		Dessert made of ladyfingers dipped in coffee, layered with a whipped mixture of eggs, sugar, and mascarpone cheese, flavoured with cocoa
Torrone		Nougat made with honey, sugar, and whipped egg whites, then filled with roasted pistachios and almonds
Torta Barozzi		Thin, crispy cake made from chocolate and coffee
Torta caprese		Italian cake made with chocolate and either almonds or hazelnuts
Torta della nonna		Italian sweet pastry cake filled with vanilla-flavored custard and covered with pine nuts and confectioner's sugar.
Torta alla Monferrina		Cake made from pumpkin, or apples and sugar, with amaretti, chocolate, eggs, and rum
Torta delle rose		Cake made with leavened dough rich in butter and sugar, which is rolled up and placed in the baking tin, taking the characteristic shape of a basket of rosebuds
Torta setteveli		Chocolate cake with seven layers of hazelnut cream, hazelnut crunch, chocolate mousse, and a glaze
Torta Tre Monti		Dessert consisting of thin waffle slices with interwoven layers of cream, then covered in chocolate

U

Name	Image	Description
Uovo sbattuto		Beverage that consists of egg yolk and sugar

Z

Name	Image	Description
Zabaione		Dessert beverage made with egg yolks, sugar, and a sweet wine
Zeppole		Fried dough dessert with powdered sugar
Zuccotto		Semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with alchermes liqueur, cake and ice cream
Zuppa Inglese		Italian dessert layering custard and sponge cake
Zelten		Traditional Italian fruitcake served during Christmas

Italian pastries

Chocolate and pistachio biscotti

• Baci di Dama
• Baicoli
• Biscotti
• Biscotti Regina
• Bocconotto
• Bombolone
• Cannoli
• Ciarduna
• Nocciolini di Canzo
• Pandoro
• Pevarini
• Piada dei morti
• Pignolata
• Pignolo
• Pizzelle
• Sfinge
• Sfogliatelle
• Torta caprese
• Zeppole
• Zippuli

• 

  Bocconotto is a pastry typical of the Italian regions of Apulia, Abruzzo, and Calabria, and is often eaten at Christmas.

• 

  Sfogliatelle are shell-shaped filled pastries native to Italian cuisine.

• 

  Zeppole is a pastry consisting of a deep-fried dough ball that is dusted with powdered sugar and sometimes filled with various sweets.

See also

• Italian cuisine
• List of desserts
• List of Italian dishes – Desserts and pastry
• Sicilian cuisine – Desserts and sweets