Who doesn’t love desserts? And this is a universal love, right? Whether it’s the creamy layers of a tiramisu in Rome, the delicate chewiness of mochi in Tokyo, or the vibrant sweetness of ube in Manila, desserts have a magical way of transporting us across cultures with just one bite.
At Memo Cakery, we believe great desserts are more than just sugar and flour. As we often say, they’re edible stories, infused with heritage, love, and the joy of sharing. That’s why we’ve put together a global list of the top 50 desserts in the world for you. Ready to know what the best desserts in the world are? Let’s dig in.
Discovering the World’s Favourite Desserts
Let’s start our journey with a global roundup of the desserts that have stood the test of time. We’ve grouped them by region so you can see just how diverse and delicious the world truly is.
Europe
Macarons (France):
Macarons are delicate sandwich cookies made from almond flour and meringue, with fillings like ganache or buttercream. They are, in fact, a symbol of Parisian patisserie art.
Gelato (Italy):
This is a bit different from our regular ice cream. It is creamier and denser. Gelato is churned slowly to create a velvety texture. It’s often served warmer than ice cream, making the flavours more upbeat.
Tiramisu (Italy):
This is a classic Italian dessert made with layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers and rich mascarpone cream. It’s dusted with cocoa powder and sometimes includes a hint of liqueur. Tiramisu is known for its luxurious texture and deep coffee flavour.
Black Forest Cake (Germany):
With layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream, and sour cherries, this is a popular treat worldwide. It’s rich and slightly boozy.
Pastel de Belém (Portugal):
This is a crisp, flaky tart shell filled with smooth egg custard. Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, it’s best enjoyed warm. This iconic Portuguese sweet comes from a 19th-century monastery.
Mille-Feuille (France):
This pastry is also called “Napoleon.” With layers of puff pastry and pastry cream, it’s usually topped with icing and delicate decorations. Overall, this French dessert is light, flaky, and satisfying.
Trifle (UK):
A festive British dessert made by layering sponge cake, fruit, jelly, custard, and cream in a glass bowl, so that each spoonful gives a burst of different textures. It’s a holiday staple in the UK.
Swedish Princess Cake (Sweden):
It’s a dome-shaped cake covered in green marzipan. Inside, sponge cake, pastry cream, and whipped cream form a soft, dreamy interior, making it royal in name and taste.
Profiteroles (France)
Choux pastry balls filled with cream and topped with chocolate sauce. They are airy, light, and elegant and usually served stacked.
Cannoli (Italy)
Cannoli are crispy pastry tubes filled with sweet ricotta cheese. They are flavoured with orange, chocolate, or pistachio, and offer a crunchy layer and creamy perfection.
Banoffee Pie (UK)
Banana + toffee = banoffee. With cream and biscuit crust, it’s no-bake and irresistible. Banoffee is sticky, sweet, and addictive.
Victoria Sponge (UK)
It’s a simple, yet elegant cake, named after Queen Victoria herself. It consists of two sponge layers filled with jam and cream.
Panettone (Italy)
It’s a tall, fluffy Christmas bread filled with raisins and citrus. Panettone is light and slightly sweet. It tastes great when toasted with butter.
Crème Brûlée (France)
Vanilla custard topped with a layer of hardened caramelised sugar. The crack is part of the experience. This dessert is luxurious and creamy.
Éclairs (France)
Long choux pastries filled with cream and topped with icing. It’s a classic bakery treat. They are light but rich.
Asia
Mango Sticky Rice (Thailand):
This dessert consists of glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and served with ripe mango slices. This is a tropical, sweet-salty comfort dish.
Mochi (Japan):
These soft rice cakes are made by pounding glutinous rice into a chewy dough. Then, they are filled with sweet bean paste or served as mochi ice cream. They are delightfully chewy and subtly sweet.
Ube Halaya (Philippines):
Ube Halaya is a rich purple yam jam made by slowly cooking mashed ube with condensed milk. It’s served as a dessert or used as a base for others. It’s nutty, creamy, and uniquely Filipino.
Gulab Jamun (India):
These are deep-fried dough balls soaked in a sugar syrup flavoured with cardamom or rosewater. It is warm, syrupy, and melt-in-your-mouth tender. Gulab jamuns are a must at Indian celebrations.
Kulfi (India)
Kulfi is India’s answer to ice cream. It’s a dense, slow-frozen dessert made from sweetened milk and flavours like cardamom or pistachio. It’s creamy, rich, and served on a stick like a popsicle.
Egg Tarts (Hong Kong):
Egg tarts are a Cantonese bakery favourite. They are miniature flaky pastries filled with lightly sweetened egg custard and baked until golden on top.
Mooncakes (China):
These are dense, round pastries filled with lotus seed paste or red bean and are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They often contain a salted egg yolk centre too.
Halo-Halo (Philippines):
A colourful mix of shaved ice, evaporated milk, jellies, beans, and ice cream is what this dessert is all about. “Halo-halo” means “mix-mix” in Tagalog. Yes, it’s cool, chaotic, and utterly joyful!
Coconut Jam Tarts (Singapore/Malaysia)
It’s a local favourite. These are buttery tarts filled with kaya, a coconut-egg jam. Slightly caramelised and incredibly flavourful.
The USA
Tres Leches Cake (Mexico):
As the name suggests, this is a sponge cake soaked in three types of milk, such as evaporated, condensed, and whole milk. It’s super moist without being soggy and is usually topped with whipped cream and fruit.
Key Lime Pie (USA):
This dessert is a Florida favourite. It combines tart key lime juice with sweetened condensed milk and eggs in a graham cracker crust. It’s zesty and refreshing.
Dulce de Leche Flan (Argentina):
This is a caramel custard dessert topped with thick dulce de leche. It’s smooth, creamy, and rich. Often served chilled.
Pecan Pie (USA):
Pecan pie is a southern U.S. classic. It’s corn syrup, sugar, and pecans baked in a buttery pie crust. The pie is crunchy on top and gooey in the middle.
Brigadeiros (Brazil):
These are chocolate truffles made from condensed milk, cocoa powder, and butter. They are rolled in chocolate sprinkles and are irresistibly fudgy!
Nanaimo Bars (Canada):
These are no-bake layered bars with a coconut-graham base, custard filling, and chocolate topping. Nanaimo bars are sweet, creamy, and rich, making them Canadian icons.
Pumpkin Pie (USA):
Pumpkin pie means spiced pumpkin custard in a flaky crust, flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. This is a classic in American Thanksgiving.
Apple Pie (USA)
This is another pie with flaky crust, cinnamon apples, and lots of butter. It’s served warm with ice cream.
Middle East & Africa
Kunafa (Levant)
This is already a well-known dessert in many regions. Kunafa is an Arabian shredded pastry layered with cheese or cream, then baked and soaked in syrup. It’s crunchy, sweet, and sticky.
Basbousa (Egypt)
It’s a moist semolina cake soaked in rose or orange blossom syrup, often topped with almonds. Basbousa is sweet, dense, and fragrant.
Malva Pudding (South Africa)
This is a caramelised sponge cake made with apricot jam. It is served warm with cream or custard.
Baklava (Turkey/Greece)
Baklava is a labour of love. It features thin layers of filo dough with chopped nuts, soaked in honey or syrup. It’s sticky and crispy.
Mahalabia (Middle East)
It is a smooth milk pudding scented with rosewater or orange blossom, often topped with pistachios. Often topped with pistachios. Light and floral.
Qatayef (Middle East)
This is a celebratory dessert. Qatayef stands for stuffed pancakes filled with cream, cheese, or nuts, and soaked in syrup. They are often served during Ramadan.
Oceania & Global Classics
Pavlova (New Zealand)
Pavlova is a national treasure of NZ. It’s a meringue shell with a soft centre, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It’s light, crisp, and tangy-sweet.
Lamingtons (Australia)
Sponge cake squares dipped in chocolate and rolled in coconut. They are sometimes filled with cream or jam.
Churros (Spain/Mexico)
These are fried dough sticks rolled in cinnamon sugar. Crispy on the outside, fluffy inside. Perfect dipped in chocolate.
Cheesecake (Global)
It’s a cream cheese-based dessert with a cookie crust. Cheesecake can be baked or no-bake, plain or topped. In simpler terms, it’s smooth and versatile.
Chocolate Lava Cake (Global)
This dessert is a chocolate cake with a molten centre. They are best served warm with ice cream. Just like the name, they are dramatic and indulgent.
Rice Pudding (Global)
It is a classic, renowned comfort food. It’s a creamy dessert made by simmering rice in milk and sugar, flavoured with cinnamon or vanilla.
Brownies (USA)
They are fudgy, chewy chocolate squares with crisp tops. They can be plain or loaded with extras like walnuts or caramel, making them satisfying every time.
Sticky Toffee Pudding (UK)
This is a warm date cake soaked in toffee sauce and served with cream or ice cream. Simply, it’s comfort in every bite.
Semlor (Sweden)
Cardamom buns filled with almond paste and whipped cream, traditionally eaten before Lent. They are sweet, spicy, and fluffy.
Sacher Torte (Austria)
This was invented in Vienna. Sacher Torte is a rich and elegant chocolate cake layered with apricot jam and coated in dark chocolate.
Alfajores (South America)
These are shortbread cookies filled with dulce de leche, rolled in coconut or powdered sugar. They are soft and crumbly.
Dobos Torte (Hungary)
Dobos Torte is elegant and tall. It’s a multi-layer cake with chocolate buttercream and caramel topping.
Memo Cakery’s Signature Twists on Global Icons
Great desserts don’t need borders, they just need imagination. That’s why we’ve taken some of the world’s most loved desserts and given them a unique Memo spin. These cakes are inspired by iconic global treats, but reimagined in a way that makes them truly our own.
Tiramisu Cake:
Tiramisu is one of those desserts that feels like a warm hug in edible form. At Memo Cakery, we’ve reimagined this timeless classic as a beautifully baked tiramisu cake. It still has the essentials like espresso, mascarpone, and cocoa, but elevated into a layered experience.
Ube Cheesecake:
Ube is a favourite in the Philippines, and we’ve brought it into our kitchen in the most delicious way. Our ube cheesecake takes this vibrant root vegetable and turns it into a silky, velvety mousse layered over a crunchy cookie base. A must-try for food lovers wanting something bold yet familiar.
Banoffee Cake:
Banoffee pie is sweet and sticky. So, we thought, why not make it a cake? Our banoffee cake features fluffy banana cake layers, smooth caramel filling, with dulce de leche. It’s comforting, nostalgic, and a total crowd-pleaser.
Knafeh Chocolate Cakes:
Knafeh is one of the most loved desserts in the Middle East. We took that magic and turned it into 2 different types of stunning cakes after the viral knafeh craze in Dubai.
Our pistachio knafeh cake is a soft chocolate cake, filled with pistachio kataifi filling and mascarpone cream. It’s elegant, aromatic, and a total showstopper.
Our Biscoff knafeh cake brings together caramelised Biscoff spread, crispy knafeh layers, and creamy cheese filling. It’s bold, rich, and one of our most loved creations, especially for those who want to try something truly different.
To sum up all, our creations are our loving nod to the world of desserts with a NZ sensibility: no shortcuts, just fresh, high-quality ingredients from the best Auckland cakery.
Ready to turn your cravings into celebrations?
Desserts are about more than flavour. They’re memories, moments, and milestones. At Memo Cakery, we’re honoured to help you celebrate them all. Whether you’re dreaming of a Filipino favourite or a slice of Kiwi-made tiramisu, you deserve more than just “good.” You deserve an indulgent cake slice!
Hosting a birthday, anniversary, or just craving something special on a Tuesday? We’ve got you with free delivery across Auckland suburbs.Browse our full selection and discover cakes that are made with heart, skill, and a taste for adventure. Reach out to us today!
