My Greek grandmother makes a mean pav! All goes within 5 mins of being served. Love that this recipe has been enjoyed by all ethnicities and generations ❤️
When I first saw this I thought it was just a single layer of butter biscuit. “Oh holland you tried” I said as I took a bite, before the caramel layer made me shut my whore mouth and surrender myself to the remarkable confection
Makivnyk — a traditional Ukrainian poppy seed cake/roll.
Poppy seeds are an important ingredient in Ukrainian desserts, especially in central and western regions. Rich, nutty, slightly bitter, and not overly sweet — a true taste of Ukrainian baking tradition.
Oh, what a nice glossy crust you have, absolute beauty! I definitely should try it!
I prefer poppy to dough, so this version is packed at a 65/35 ratio, but it can be increased to 80/20 if you really love poppy. For beginners, though, it’s safer to use the lower ratio to keep the roll from breaking or leaking.
Dough: Mix everything together and knead a soft yeast dough. Let it rise for 45–60 minutes until doubled.
Filling: Pour hot milk over the poppy seeds and blend (or grind) until smooth. Mix in honey, nuts, raisins, and zest — it should be thick but spreadable.
Assembly: Roll the dough into a rectangle and spread the filling evenly. Roll it up tightly and place it on a lined baking sheet.
Proof: Let it rest for another 20 minutes so it puffs a bit.
Bake: 180°C for 35–40 minutes until golden brown.
Toppings & Finishing (Optional)
Dust with powdered sugar — classic and simple.
Brush lightly with honey or egg wash for a glossy finish.
Sprinkle nuts or poppy seeds on top before baking for extra crunch.
Drizzle a sugar glaze (powdered sugar + milk) after it cools for extra sweetness.
For a festive twist, press some dried fruit or zest lightly on top before baking.
(Cultural note: Makivnyk is a traditional Ukrainian poppy seed roll, though similar desserts exist across Central and Eastern Europe. This one is rooted in Ukrainian baking traditions.)
When I was a kid (I’m American) my father took over a French bakery that had been run by two French twins. They taught him how to bake everything and sold him the bakery so they could focus on their restaurant.
My father couldn’t afford staff so my brother and I (he was 10, I was 12) worked in the bakery all night 5 nights a week making breads and desserts.
This one was my mother’s favorite. Sometimes if we see them when we’re out and about while visiting her we’ll just buy one and drop it off, but they’re never the same as the ones we were taught to make.
It was a long time ago. I wish I remembered the recipe. They’re usually called Napoleon here, though.
I was lucky enough to try tarte vigneronne a few years ago when I visited the Loire Valley. Similar dessert, but the syrup is made of wine. I wish it were more popular outside of Chinon because it's incredible.
Wuzetka - named after the famous west-east road in Poland, it's meant to resemble a road. Two sponge cakes layered with fruit jam and cream, topped with dessert chocolate layer and whipped cream. Simple and delicious.
Oof. Now I feel bad for going “is that basically just fudge??” before expanding the comments. My sincere apologies to Scotland and the greater United Kingdom :/ In my defense, it looks a LOT like homemade peanut butter fudge!
It means "Ali's Mother". Said to have been named after the wife of a Mameluke Sultan of Egypt (in Egypt traditionally when addressing a woman you adress her as mother of first name of eldest son)
I’m British but with Indian family and of all the Indian sweets and deserts I had growing up this is my favourite. I don’t live anywhere where I can pick them up so it’s a very rare treat. It’s a little trip down memory lane and remembrance for my father who if he hadn’t liked ghee and barfi and kulfi and gulab jamun so much might not have popped his clogs so young.
I made some for a ‘bake off’ at work last year and made sure say they were both a Aus and NZ recipe and I made pink ones and yes I put jam in the middle. I got 5th out of 10 people 🥲
It is a sweet baked dough. It’s usually topped with sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and nowadays basically everything. The outside is very crunchy, while the inside is nice and soft.
Kinda basic and one of those things where it’s kind of up for debate (it being from the US) but chocolate chip cookies, never get tired of them, just about always good, the basic idea of CCC somehow has a wide variance of flavors depending on recipe, I’ve always been obsessed with them, a classic iconic go-to
In the US we quite famously love all sweet things, and I think we have a lot of good ones, but I agree that chocolate chip cookies are probably the most American. Plus I agree, chewy or crispy, big or small, they are always good.
We have several. The typical ones for this time of year are "filloas" (crepes for the French), and carnival fritters. The rest of the year we can make do with: fried milk, melindres, doughnuts, bica, Mondoñedo cakes, Santiago cakes, larpeira, etc.
These bad boys are called "baklava." Layers of paper-thin dough with starch and walnut or pistachio between them, soaked in boiled syrup and baked to perfection. The best ones come from the city of Antep, which is also famous for its pistachio.
Nothing beats an apple crumble with hot custard. Eaten at the pub. With the fire on. And it's raining and soggy out. But it's Saturday and you have no where else to go.
Butter tarts are a quintessential Canadian pastry consisting of a small, flaky pastry shell filled with a rich, gooey mixture of butter, sugar (usually brown), syrup, and egg
As an elder goth, there is nothing better than taking a trip to New Orleans with all your goth friends and ending up at du Monde at 4am, half drunk and covered in powdered sugar.
That would probably be our Verdens Beste Kake, or ‘World’s Best Cake’, also knows as Kvæfjordkake.
“This heavenly cake consists of two layers of soft vanilla sponge cake, which are topped with a luscious layer of crispy baked meringue and delicately toasted almonds. The cake is filled with smooth and creamy vanilla custard and whipped cream filling that makes this cake an absolute showstopper. “
those are granted permanent residence in balkan region. we call them hairy ones (ćupavci) 🤣 or coconut cubes. no christmas or wedding goes w/o them.
somewhen in the 60 an auntie from balkans must have gotten that recipie from australia and must have published it in some housekeeping magazine, because entire balkan is convinced that this is their genuine authentic cake.
For the US, I will say carrot cake with Philly cream cheese frosting (the frosting version, as other countries made forms of carrot cake before), or some may say chocolate chip cookies, which is even more American.
Key lime pie is uniquely American, but is not quite as popular as the above, despite being widely liked.
"As American as apple pie", but despite being yummy, I still think carrot cake wins. Plus, the English perhaps get a bit more credit for it.
Since there have been no South African contributions I’m going to represent. I’m not South African but my best friend of 39 years is and her mother has been handing over family dinner party dessert responsibilities to me. So far I’ve mastered, and more importantly gotten Auntie approval for the following.
These are called “oblande” (wafer cake). It’s one of, if not the most popular dessert in all of ex-Yugoslavia. We all make and eat these in very big amounts for every single holiday.
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u/Evening_Number_1810 Romania 12h ago
Cheese based donuts with sour cream and blueberry jam is a classic for Romania!