Dessert

Italy

Dolce mattone is a traditional dessert made by layering buttercream&mdash;prepared by whipping butter with eggs and sugar&mdash;and rectangular biscuits soaked in coffee. Variations of the recipe include adding cocoa powder to part of the cream or incorporating coffee for extra flavor. The syrup typically includes liqueurs like rum, vermouth, marsala, brandy, or Sassolino, often combined with coffee to soak the biscuits. Dolce mattone has a rich and creamy texture, balanced by the soaked biscuits, making it a decadent and indulgent dessert.

Dolce mattone

Australia

Dolly Varden cake is an iconic cake that&rsquo;s especially popular at children&rsquo;s birthdays in Australia. The cake was named after a character named Dolly in one of Charles Dickens&rsquo; novels (Barnaby Rudge) and the ensuing fashion style with bright colors, bold patterns, and different layers of fabric. The earliest recipe for the cake calls for four layers: chocolate, a white layer made with egg whites, a rose layer made with cochineal, and a yellow layer made with egg yolks, along with the frosting. Once baked, the multi-colored layers are stacked to create a visually attractive cake, and nowadays the layers come in a variety of flavors and colors. What sets this cake apart is the addition of the centerpiece &ndash; a Barbie (or similar) doll is placed in the center of the cake so that the cake itself acts as the doll&rsquo;s skirt.

Dolly Varden Cake

Portugal

Dom Rodrigo is a Portuguese dessert that is traditionally associated with the Algarve region, where it&rsquo;s been made since the 18th century. It is prepared with a combination of egg yolks, sugar, ground almonds, cinnamon, and fios de ovos - a traditional confectionary product consisting of thin egg threads. The gooey mixture of egg yolks and almonds is neatly placed inside fios de ovos, and the whole combination is wrapped in colorful foil that&rsquo;s shaped into a small pyramid. Similar to other Portuguese desserts, it is believed that Dom Rodrigos also originated as a conventual dessert. Some say that it comes from the Convento das Bernardas or Piedade (in Tavira), and it was supposedly named after a local religious man from a wealthy family whose name was Rodrigo.

Dom Rodrigo

Donauwelle is a German and Austrian sheet cake. It consists of two pound cakes, one on the bottom, flavored with vanilla, and one on top of it, flavored with chocolate. Cherries, buttercream, and chocolate ganache are then added to the top, and as the cake bakes, the tart cherries will fall down through the batter, making a wavy pattern (maybe reminiscent of the Danube river?) in the cross-section of the cake. It's also known as Schneewittchenkuchen and Schneewittchentorte, which means Snow White cake, referring to the colors &ndash; black, white, and red.

Donauwelle

Dondurma is Turkish ice cream, and the word on its own now means the Maraş kind: a dense, elastic, slow-melting ice cream from Kahramanmaraş made from goat's or sheep's milk, sugar, salep and mastic, worked with a long metal paddle until it can be stretched like dough, hung from a hook, and cut with a knife. Salep is the dried, ground tuber of wild orchids from the Taurus mountains, and it is the thickener that gives dondurma its chew and its resistance to melting; mastic, the resin of the Chios mastic tree, adds a faint pine note and more stretch. The stuff is so elastic that the traditional way to eat it is with cutlery rather than a spoon, and the vendors who flip it on a rod and snatch it back from the customer are performing a trick that the texture makes possible. Wild salep is scarce and its export is banned, so most dondurma outside Turkey is made with gums and starches and is a looser, softer thing.

The base is milk, in Maraş from goats grazed in the mountains, boiled with sugar and a small quantity of salep, between one and two percent, whisked in gradually so it does not clump; the mixture thickens to the consistency of a thin pudding and is cooled, sometimes left overnight to mature. Powdered mastic goes in with the sugar or at the end. It is then frozen in a churn, and the step that defines it follows: the half-frozen mass is beaten and pounded in a cold metal drum with a long paddle for twenty minutes or more, which breaks the ice crystals, works the salep into long chains and gives the ice cream its elasticity. Finished dondurma is kept in a cold well, lifted out in a single mass on the paddle and portioned by cutting or stretching. Pistachio, chocolate and fruit versions exist, but plain sade is the reference.

Judge the texture before the taste: a good Maraş dondurma holds its shape on the plate for several minutes, stretches when pulled, resists the spoon, and is smooth and dense rather than icy or airy. The taste is milky, faintly tangy if goat's milk was used, lightly sweet, with a clean resinous edge of mastic and the faintly floral, earthy note of salep, and it should not feel gummy or coat the mouth. Mark down a dondurma that melts at the speed of ordinary ice cream, which means little or no salep, a rubbery or slimy texture from guar or carrageenan standing in for it, a sweetness that drowns the mastic, ice crystals, an artificial fruit flavour, and a cone bought from a street-show vendor that is mostly air and performance. The knife-and-fork service is the sign of the real thing, not an affectation.

Dondurma

India

Doodhpak is a specialty of Gujarati and Parsi cuisines, consisting of milk, rice, and sugar. It is typically flavored with spices such as cardamom, nutmeg, or saffron, and a variety of dry fruit and nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and charoli (also known as chironji). In India, this traditional creamy dessert is usually prepared for special occasions and festivals, and it is typically enjoyed with warm puris (fried puffed bread) or pakora (crispy-fried Indian snacks) on the side.

Doodhpak

By far one of the most popular wagashi (traditional Japanese confections) types, dorayaki is a delicious snack consisting of a sweet filling sandwiched between two fluffy pancakes. Its name stems from dora, the Japanese word for a gong, which the dorayaki shape is reminiscent of, and although its origins are in fact said to be ancient, the popular treat took its current form in the early 1900s when it was reportedly first made as a sandwich by a Tokyo-based confectionery called Usagiya. Ever since, the term dorayaki has been denoting two small pancake-like patties glued together with the so-called anko or sweet azuki red bean paste. The pancake batter is typically flavored with honey, a splash of sweet rice wine called mirin, and even a touch of soy sauce. Being a part of an overall Japanese wave of nostalgia for foods from the Showa Era (1926-1989), dorayaki is once again becoming more and more popular, while most manga and anime fans may remember it as the favorite snack of the blue robot-cat Doraemon, a manga series character from the 1970s. Also, apart from the classic red bean filling, today you can choose between many other flavors such as white bean paste, matcha green tea paste, and sweet potato and chestnut cream, or you can opt for an interesting East-meets-West snack by choosing custard cream, whipped cream, or a decadent chocolate-and-strawberry combination for your dorayaki filling.

Dorayaki

Lamingtons are simple sponge cakes coated in chocolate icing and sprinkled with desiccated coconut. This is a version of lamingtons made with the addition of chocolate cream. The cake is usually made with flour, dark cocoa, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract, while the chocolate cream layer consists of dark chocolate, dark cocoa, vanilla extract, icing sugar, heavy cream, and mascarpone. The regular icing is often made with icing sugar and dark cocoa. If properly prepared, double chocolate lamingtons should be moist and buttery inside and with a thick chocolate coating on the outside. Just don't show this version to lamington purists because they usually loathe variations on the original.

Double Chocolate Lamingtons

Although archaeologists had found some petrified remains of fried cakes with holes in the center, it is still unclear how could the early Native Americans prepare these delicious fried dough desserts that we know today as doughnuts. In the past, doughnuts were known as olykoeks (oily cakes), and the pilgrims from Holland are credited for bringing them to the United States. Those early doughnuts were often made with prunes, raisins, or apples in the middle. During World War I, the doughnut was already an American favorite, consumed by soldiers that were fighting overseas as a reminder of home. In the 1950s and the 1960s, the popularity of these treats was so big that new doughnut chains started appearing on the market, such as Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts, helping in the perception of doughnuts as breakfast food. Today, there are numerous varieties of doughnuts - glazed, powdered, filled, topped with frosting, coconut, peanuts, or sprinkles, and every year on the first Friday of June people celebrate the National Doughnut Day. This event was initially created by the Salvation Army in 1917 as a way to support the morale of the American troops during World War I and was later re-established in 1938, in honor of those who served the soldiers with fresh doughnuts during World War I.

Doughnut

Dou fu fa is a popular Asian dessert consisting of creamy tofu topped with various savory or sweet garnishes. It is made with coagulated soy milk to create a tofu product with a mild taste and an incredibly soft consistency. Like other varieties, soft tofu probably originated in China, but it has soon spread out to other Asian countries where it still represents one of the most versatile sweet treats. Even though it is mainly enjoyed as a dessert, usually topped with sugary or ginger infused syrups, in some regions, especially in northern China, it is topped with savory complements and enjoyed as a creamy snack. Dou fu fa, with its numerous versions and local names, is mainly sold by street hawkers or served as a part of traditional dim sum meals.

Douhua

Doukounou is the name for a popular Haitian cornmeal pudding that is neither sweet nor savory in flavor, which is why it is commonly eaten with a sweet or savory sauce on the side. For the sweet version, the combination of cornmeal, coconut milk, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, vanilla extract, beaten eggs, and nutmeg is traditionally wrapped in fresh banana leaves, then steamed. Before unwrapping, the pudding should be left to cool down, and it is then served at room temperature with vanilla-cinnamon sauce.

Doukounou

Haiti

Dous makos is the Haitian version of fudge. This sweet dessert originates from the town of Petit-Goave and dates back to 1939, when it was invented by Fernand Macos, a Belgian entrepreneur. It is made from sugar, milk, flavorings, and colorings. Dous makos usually has three or more distinctive layers which are all colored and flavored differently. Usually, the flavors come from chocolate, cinnamon, almonds, vanilla, rum, peanut butter, or citrus peels. Before the fudge hardens, it is typically placed in rectangular molds, and it is then cut by hand into smaller pieces before consumption.

Dous makos

Slovenia

Dražgo&scaron;ki kruhek is a type of gingerbread that is prepared with honey-flavored dough, and it is usually enriched with various spices such as cloves or cinnamon. The gingerbread comes in different shape and sizes, but each is skillfully imprinted or embellished and then glazed with honey. Its origins go back to the 18th century, and its production is typically associated with Dražgo&scaron;e and &Scaron;kofja Loka, as well as the entire Gorenjska region. Kruhek is nowadays usually sold as a souvenir.

Dražgoški kruhek

Dr&ouml;mmar is a traditional cookie whose name translates to dreams in English. The name is fitting, given the cookie's light, airy, and crumbly texture and melt-in-mouth quality. The main ingredients typically include butter, sugar, flour, and baking ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate). The use of baking ammonia is what gives these cookies their characteristic airy and crumbly texture. They are usually small, round cookies that might have cracks on the surface after baking. Like many Swedish cookies, dr&ouml;mmar can be enjoyed year-round but are often prepared and consumed for special occasions or coffee breaks (fika).

Drömmar

Denmark

Dr&oslash;mmekage (lit. Dream cake) is a traditional cake originating from Hjallerup in Jutland. The cake is made with a combination of flour, sugar, butter, eggs, milk, baking powder, and vanilla. Once prepared, the smooth batter is placed in a baking tin and baked until golden brown. It's then taken out of the oven and topped with a coconut-caramel topping consisting of butter, milk, brown sugar, and desiccated coconut. The cake is baked for ten more minutes, and it's left to cool before serving. It is believed that dr&oslash;mmekage dates back to 1960 when a woman named Jytte Andersen took part in a cake-baking competition that was organized by a large Danish food company. Her dr&oslash;mmekage was so good that it won, and the rest is sweet history.

Drømmekage

Ducana is a dessert dish that is popular on the Caribbean islands of Antigua, Montserrat and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The dish is a type of dumpling made with coconut and sweet potatoes, often cooked in banana leaves. It is usually served with stewed or salted fish, and is a common staple food for many locals that enjoy the contrast of sweet and savory flavors. Some say that the sweet potato is best used in the preparation of ducana, as the islands are brimming with sweet potatoes that were cultivated by the Arawak Indians a long time ago. Ducana can also be consumed cold, or thinly sliced and lightly fried as a snack. A must-have for both the tourists and the locals, the dish is often made on Good Friday, when the islanders traditionally avoid meat.

Ducana

Duckanoo is a boiled Caribbean pudding consisting of cornmeal, grated coconut, and brown sugar with the addition of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, butter, and raisins. This sweet treat is mostly consumed as a snack or dessert. The combination of those ingredients is traditionally stuffed into banana leaves and boiled in water, hence the other name of the dish, tie-a-leaf. Duckanoo is often consumed as it is, but it can also be paired with a dollop of whipped cream on the side.

Duckanoo

Duff is a sweet dessert dish from the Bahamas, consisting of dough filled with fruits such as guava, when the dish is known as guava duff. The dish is then boiled or steamed, and topped with a sweet, buttery sauce containing either rum or brandy. Many locals claim that the sauce is the key ingredient that should not be omitted during the preparation of this sweet treat. Guava fruit is indigenous to the Bahamas and it precedes the arrival of Christopher Colombus in 1942. Since the Bahamas are a former British colony, the dish has strong British influences, and duff is also an English slang term for pudding. As the dessert is quite decadent, it is often reserved for special occasions.

Duff

Dulce de batata is a jelly-like dessert prepared with a base of mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla flavoring, and a thickening agent. When cooked, dulce is left to set and should always be well-chilled. It is usually enjoyed as a dessert, which is traditionally served with cheese to create a Latin American favorite known as vigilante or Mart&iacute;n Fierro. Although the origin of dulce de batata is often disputed, it is enjoyed throughout Latin America.

Dulce de batata

Dulce de brevas is a traditional dessert made with figs, lime juice, panela sugar, and cinnamon. The figs are slit crosswise on top, then left to soak overnight in a combination of water and lime juice. The following day, they are rinsed and cooked in water with panela sugar and cinnamon sticks until the sugar is dissolved and the concoction has a syrupy texture. Once prepared, the figs in syrup are usually served with queso fresco on the side.

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