5 Traditional Cuban Dessert Recipes

Churros

There’s a lot more to Cuban food than the beloved Cuban sandwich, some seriously flavorful meat dishes, and those sweet, fried plantains. There’s a whole world of amazing Cuban desserts! Cuba can boast a huge variety of desserts which vary from mild and creamy Tres Leches and Flan, to fried and crispy Buñuelos, to sweet Guava pastries. With so many enticing options, it was a challenge to narrow down our list to just five of our favorites. In this list is a dessert for any time of day or occasion, so pour a cup of Cuban coffee and read on. Here are five of our favorite Cuban dessert recipes:

1. Churros

Often sold by street vendors, Churros are easy to make and they are definitely easy to enjoy. Made from a basic “choux” pastry of butter, water, flour, and eggs, it is the steam that is created within the Churro strip as it is frying that makes it puff up. Once the piped strips of pastry dough are fried to a light golden color, the hot and crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside desserts are rolled in sugar and cinnamon. Try this traditional Churros recipe. 

2. Dulce de Leche Cheesecake

Made with a base of graham crackers, this cheesecake offers a perfectly balanced dessert experience.  The classic, syrupy, buttery caramel flavor that is associated with dulce de leche pretty much makes this cheesecake heaven on a plate.  Simple to make, with a rather low number of needed ingredients, you can easily whip up this cheesecake early in the day and have a terrific after dinner dessert that same night. Get the recipe for Dulce de Leche Cheesecake.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake (Courtesy @sanpastel | Instagram)