List of desserts facts for kids

An assortment of desserts.

A chocolate-strawberry crumble ball.

Indian confectionery desserts (known as mithai). People in India learned to make sugar crystals around 500 BC. They called these crystals khanda, which is where the word candy comes from!

A dessert is usually a sweet dish served at the end of a meal. It comes after the main course in many cultures, especially in Western countries. Desserts are mostly sweet foods, but they can also include other items. The word "dessert" comes from the French word desservir, meaning "to clear the table."

There are many kinds of desserts around the world. In Western cultures, popular desserts include cakes, cookies, biscuits, gelatins, pastries, ice creams, pies, puddings, and candies. Fruit is also a common dessert because it's naturally sweet. Different cultures have their own versions of similar desserts. For example, in Russia, some breakfast foods like blini (thin pancakes) can be served with honey and jam to make them sweet desserts.

Types of Desserts

Popular Brand Name Desserts

Some desserts are so famous they have their own brand names! These include:

Brand name desserts
Bird's Custard
Pumpkin pie topped with Cool Whip
Jell-O

Cakes

Cakes are a type of baked sweet dessert. Long ago, cakes were often fried breads or cheesecakes, shaped like a disk. Today's cakes, especially layer cakes, are usually made with flour, sugar, eggs, and butter or oil. They often include liquids like milk or water and ingredients that help them rise, like yeast or baking powder.

Here are some types of cakes:

Dessert cakes
Battenberg cake is a light sponge cake.
A birthday cake.
Gingerbread.
An ice cream cake.
Madeira cakes are firm but light, often flavored with lemon.
Molten chocolate cake.
Gansito snack cakes, a baked dessert with cake and icing.
Malt loaves are a snack from the United Kingdom.
A pineapple upside-down cake.
Zwetschgenkuchen is a sheet cake with pitted plums.
Bibingka, a Filipino rice cake.

Candies and Confectionery

Confectionery refers to sweet foods, usually rich in sugar. Candy is a type of confection made from a thick sugar-water mix, often with added flavors and colors. Candies come in many colors and types and have been popular for a long time.

Cotton candy.

Some popular candies and confections include:

Cookies

In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat. It usually contains flour, eggs, sugar, and either butter or cooking oil. Cookies often have other ingredients like raisins, oats, or chocolate chips.

Here are some types of cookies:

Cookies
Christmas cookies.
Chocolate chip cookies.
An opened fortune cookie.
Krumkake, some dusted with powdered sugar.
Masgati (left) and Koloocheh (right).
A plain sugar cookie.

Custards

Custard is a creamy food made by cooking a mix of milk or cream and egg yolk. Depending on how much egg or thickener is used, custard can be thin like a pouring sauce or thick like a pastry cream. Most custards are sweet and used as desserts or dessert sauces, often with sugar and vanilla.

Some examples of custards include:

Custards
A bowl of crème anglaise custard, dusted with nutmeg.
Crème brûlée prepared using a torch.
A Bavarian cream crumb pastry.
Coconut custard steam-baked in a pumpkin.
Egg custard tarts.

Dessert Sauces

Chocolate syrup on top of ice cream.

Dessert sauces add flavor and texture to desserts. They are usually sweet.

Common dessert sauces are:

Doughnuts

A doughnut, or donut, is a type of fried dough confectionery or dessert. Doughnuts are popular in many countries. They are a sweet snack that can be homemade or bought in bakeries and stores.

Some types of doughnuts are:

Doughnuts
A bear claw.
Glazed doughnuts.
Fried Coke.
Smultringer frying.
Tulumba.

Frozen Desserts

Frozen desserts are made by freezing liquids, semi-solids, or sometimes even solids.

Here are some examples:

Frozen desserts
Açaí na tigela.
Baked Alaska.
Patbingsu.
Italian ice.

Ice Cream

Ice cream is a popular frozen dessert. It's usually made from dairy products like milk and cream. It often has fruits or other flavors added. Ice cream became very popular worldwide after refrigeration became common in the 20th century.

Some ice cream treats include:

Ice cream
A choc-top.
A dame blanche.
Stracciatella gelato.
Ice cream cones.
An Ice cream sandwich.

Pastries

Pastry is a general name for many kinds of baked products. They are made from ingredients like flour, sugar, milk, butter, and eggs. Small tarts and other sweet baked goods are also called "pastries."

Here are some types of pastries:

An assortment of pastries and cakes in a pâtisserie.

Pies

A pie is a baked dish. It usually has a pastry crust that covers or holds a filling. The filling can be sweet or savory.

Sweet Pies

Some popular sweet pies include:

Tarts

Tarte Tatin.

A tart is a baked dish with a filling on a pastry base. It has an open top, meaning it's not covered with more pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry. Tart fillings can be sweet or savory, but many modern tarts are made with fruit, sometimes with custard.

Some types of tarts are:

Puddings

In many places, especially the United Kingdom, "pudding" can mean a sweet or savory dish. But usually, it refers to a dessert. In the United States and Canada, "pudding" typically means a sweet, milk-based dessert. It's similar to custards or mousse in how thick it is.

Here are some types of puddings:

Puddings
Almond jelly.
Flummery.
Kirschenmichel.
Put chai ko is a popular snack in Hong Kong.
Rice pudding.

Desserts Around the World

Argentina

Argentine pionono with dulce de leche.

Australia

Australia has some unique desserts:

Brazil

Brazil offers many sweet treats:

Canada

A pecan butter tart.

Canada has its own special desserts:

France

France is famous for its delicious desserts:

Greece

Loukoumades.

Greek desserts are often sweet and syrupy:

India

Chhena Gaja from Pahala, Orissa, India.

India has a rich history of sweets and desserts:

Indonesia

Indonesian desserts often feature coconut and rice:

Cendol
Es campur
Klappertaart
Kolak

Italy

Cassatas are popular and traditional Sicilian desserts.

Italy is known for its many sweet treats:

Japan

Hakuto jelly is a seasonal Japanese dessert available in the summer.

Japanese desserts are often delicate and beautiful:

Mexico

Mexican desserts are vibrant and flavorful:

New Zealand

Afghan biscuits.

New Zealand shares some desserts with Australia:

Philippines

The Philippines has a wide range of sweet desserts:

Portugal

Filhos.

Portuguese desserts are often rich and egg-based:

Russia

Russian kartoshka (potato) cake.

Russian desserts include:

Blini
Napoleon
Syrniki
Tula pryanik
Varenye (fruit preserve)

Spain

Spanish desserts are diverse and delicious:

Thailand

Thai desserts are often colorful and made with coconut milk and sticky rice:

Mango sticky rice
Cendol
Khanom krok
Tub tim krob

Turkey

Şekerpare.

Turkish desserts are known for their sweetness and rich flavors:

United Kingdom

The UK has many classic desserts:

Vietnam

Bánh phu thê, wrapped in palm leaves.

Vietnamese desserts often feature rice, beans, and fruits:

Desserts by Region

Indian Subcontinent

Quick facts for kids
Sweets from the Indian subcontinent

Gulab jamun	Rasmalai	Jalebi	Gujiya
Khoya sweets with varaq	Bal mithai	Khoa and almond mithais	Bengal sweets in India
Collection in UK	Chikki	Sohan sweets in India	Street sweets in India

A sample of sweets from the Indian subcontinent

The Indian Subcontinent has a huge variety of sweets, often called mithai. They are a big part of festivals and celebrations.

Latin America

Latin America has many different cuisines, and their desserts are just as varied! Some common desserts across the region include rice pudding, tres leches cake, and flan.

Polynesia

In Polynesia, you might find desserts like Po'e and Poi, which often use local fruits and starches.