Italian Desserts (Dolci)
These are the Italian dessert recipes we make with guests at our cooking school in Tuscany. Alongside classics such as tiramisù, panna cotta and torta della nonna, you’ll find traditional Tuscan sweets like cantuccini, Sienese ricciarelli and schiacciata alla fiorentina, plus specialties from other regions, such as Piedmontese bonet. Most are simple home recipes handed down by our instructors and their families, with several dairy-free and vegan options.
Licia’s moist Italian apple cake (torta di mele)
Manuela’s mother has offered lots of inspiration and recipes for our cooking classes in Tuscany. This is one of her recipes, now handed down to her children and grandchildren. Thanks Licia!
Fresh fruit tart with frangipane (crostata di frutta)
This is a tart to rival a patisserie bought one. In our cooking courses in Italy we show you just how the pastry should be rolled out: quickly, gently but firmly. It takes some practice, but is well worth mastering. Delicious with soft fruit such as raspberries.
Cantuccini: Tuscan almond biscotti
These are the classic “biscotti” as they are often known in the US (in Italian, this just means any “cookies”). Using the finest flour available results in the most mouthwatering morsels.
Caramelized pear and fig upside-down tart
You can make this tart with pretty much any fruit, but the combination of figs and pears is divine! During our cooking classes in Tuscany, we use ripe figs from the trees at the top of the hill.
Flourless orange and almond cake with dark chocolate
This is a typical Sephardic Passover cake, which has various versions, made throughout the Mediterranean.
Dairy-free lemon custard (crema de llimona)
Made without milk, this lemon custard popularized by the Catalan chef Carme Ruscalleda is light, tangy and refreshing. Naturally gluten-free and very quick to prepare, it is lighter than classic lemon curd and an ideal summer dessert.
Italian apple crostata with almond frangipane
Moist, deliciously simple tart.
Ricciarelli: soft Sienese almond cookies for Christmas
For many, along with the spice-dense panforte, the light, sophisticated ricciarello is the true Tuscan Christmas treat. They used to be made in convents and apothecary shops, the only places where the right spices and storage conditions would be found.
Tuscan grape harvest cake with red grapes, rosemary and walnuts
In Tuscany, this complex-flavoured but simple to make cake is only made for a few weeks a year, when the small, sweet, seedy red grapes are around (many are “gleaned” in the vineyards after the harvest). Use the sweetest red grapes you can.
Tiramisù without raw eggs: our cooking-class recipe
Tiramisu (literally “Pick me up”) seems to have been around for generations, but is in fact a creation from the 1970s! The version that we teach at our cooking school in Tuscany uses custard.
Schiacciata alla fiorentina: Florence’s orange Carnival cake
Schiacciata alla Fiorentina is a fluffy, delicately scented Mardi Gras cake. It is one of the dairy-free desserts that we make during our cooking courses in Italy.
Torta della nonna: Tuscan custard pie with pine nuts and almonds
In this traditional Tuscan dessert the combination of rich pastry, delicate custard and toasted nuts makes for a special treat indeed.
Serenella’s amazing chocolate cake with dark chocolate ganache
Serenella is one of our lovely instructors at our cooking school in Italy. This moist, rich cake is addictive!
Hazelnut sponge cake with raspberries and fresh cream
A deliciously light fluffy sponge with a subtle nutty flavour!
Pizza ebraica: the fruit and nut bake from Rome’s Jewish Ghetto
This delectable item is not pizza at all, but an eggless, unleavened pastry crammed full of whole almonds and candied fruit and cooked until it looks rather burnt but is in fact absolutely perfect, with the nuts crunchy and fruits bursting with flavour.
Biancomangiare: Sicilian almond milk pudding
This dessert has clear Arab origins and is traditional in Sicily, Sardinia and the Val d'Aosta. It is generally made with cow's milk but in the Sicilian county of Modica it is made with almond milk.
Ciambelline al vino: Italian wine and olive oil cookies
Christmas cookies that aren't full of butter! Here the cinnamon and anise gives these bread-like rings a festive flavour!
Baked ricotta cheesecake with yogurt and a fruit jam glaze
We have met some true cheesecake connoisseurs at our cooking school in Italy, but many say that this has become their favourite baked cheesecake recipe!
Dairy-free Italian carrot and almond cake with lemon glaze
Hardly a dieter’s cake - the 5 eggs probably make up for any points you gain by not having dairy, but light nonetheless.
Creamy panna cotta set with agar-agar, with fresh fruit sauce
The secret to a good panna cotta is achieving something that sets, but is still wonderfully creamy. Experiment with agar- agar quantities since they do vary!
Zuppa inglese: Italian trifle with custard, chocolate and alchermes
This dessert often gets translated as “trifle”. It is a layered dessert like trifle, but is as far as one can get from the jelly and sherry of British offerings.
Budino: Italian crème caramel with vanilla or orange
Traditionally a "budino" is made in a large mould, not little individual moulds. It makes for a more spectacular sight when it it served, but be careful when you turn it upside down to serve!
Fruit bavarois (bavarese): a light, make-ahead summer dessert
This is a great summer dessert which is light, fruity, fresh and refreshing!
Bonet: Piedmont’s chocolate, coffee and amaretti pudding
The Bonet (perhaps the name comes from a word for "hat"?) is a traditional dessert from the Piedmont area. There are records of this dish which date back to the noble banquets of the 13th century. Enjoy!