5 Classic Italian Desserts for your Wedding
Do you know how outrageously delicious Italian desserts are? Imagine how dainty could be an Italian wedding cake buffet table! You are not restricted to serving only cake, just because it’s a wedding. I actually recommend enhancing your Italian experience with a luxurious and spectacular dessert table that mixes slices of cake and single servings of classic Italian desserts. This is a winning recipe that will make your wedding reception unique. Here are some ideas of classic desserts from Italy for your sweet table.
Tiramisù
If you have already tried a tiramisu and were not impressed, that probably was not an actual Italian tiramisu. Done correctly, a classic tiramisu is sublime. Its meaning in Italian is “cheer me up” and with its creamy yet intense coffee flavor it definitely cheers up everyone who tastes it!
This creamy dessert has a base espresso-soaked ladyfingers (savoiardi) surrounded by a cream made with yolks beaten with sugar and mascarpone cheese. Like many Italian desserts, tiramisù relies heavily on the quality of its ingredients.
You can serve it in small portions or make a big one. If you are daring enough, you can even make a tiramisu based wedding cake! Local chefs will be delighted to help you celebrate Italian traditions in your wedding menu.
Panna Cotta
Panna cotta (Italian for “cooked cream”) is a beloved Italian dessert made of sweetened cream and thickened with gelatin. The cream may be aromatized with coffee, vanilla, or other flavorings. Its origin seems to be from Northern Italy. Rich, creamy and colorful, it will be a very much appreciated part of your wedding desserts buffet.
Panna cotta is often served with a coulis of berries, or a sauce of caramel or chocolate. It may be covered with other fruits or liqueurs. Silky smooth, it melts on your tongue with a variety of flavors you won’t forget easily!
Cannoli
Cannoli are one of the best known and loved desserts in the Sicilian tradition that spread throughout Italy. They are tube-shaped shells of pastry dough made of flour, cocoa, coffee, sugar, and butter. The filling is made of sheep ricotta and sugar.
The best cannoli are stuffed just a few minutes before eating. Otherwise, the ricotta filling can make the shell soggy and ruin its characteristic crispness.
For a truly unforgettable experience, you can hire a pastry chef to fill cannoli with ricotta at your wedding, telling your guests the story of this Sicilian gastronomic heaven. They surely won’t forget it, or your wedding!
Profiteroles
Few desserts are as delightful as profiteroles! Crispy hollow pastry balls filled with chocolate, whipped cream, custard, pastry cream, or ice cream then drizzled with chocolate, profiteroles are a terrific small-bite dessert option for gatherings.
They actually have French origins but are very popular in Italy. Their form makes them suitable for a single serving. Since they can have different fillings, every guest can find a perfect one for their taste!
Torta della nonna
In Italian, it literally means “grandmother’s cake”, one of the most beloved and widespread cakes in the country. This sumptuous dessert is the heart of Tuscan indulgence – a sweet pastry base with lemon and vanilla-scented custard filling. Topped off with a thin layer of pastry and crunchy pine nuts, this tart brings the warm taste of home and homemade desserts.
Actually, few people know this cake isn’t a homemade creation invented by a Tuscan grandmother. Rather, it appears to come from the kitchen of a restaurant. The origin is still the reason for debate between the provinces of Arezzo and Florence, each claiming the ownership of its creation.
Fresh and delicious, it will be a perfect dessert for your wedding reception desserts table.
There is another dessert that does not belong to the buffet table but is served earlier: the lemon sorbet. In Tuscany, you bring it to the table between a fish course and a meat course, (normally between the second courses). It is done to eliminate the flavour of the previous dish to make you appreciate the taste of the next one (yes, Italians are that aware when it comes to food!).
Besides these desserts, you can also add mignon pastry to your wedding desserts table to make it spectacular. Italy offers a variety of them, from beignet with white, cocoa, hazelnut, and coffee cream, to tartlets with cream and candied fruits. I’ve seen even people who don’t like desserts indulge in these pieces of heaven.
Now you know the many alternatives and additions to cake for your destination wedding in Tuscany! Be brave, create your own traditions and an experience your guests will remember!
Which is your favorite Italian dessert? Don’t be a stranger, leave a comment!