11 Italian Desserts for Your Bucket List

There are classic Italian desserts whose creators have been lost in the mists of time or have gone on to become legends, and then there are desserts that bear the first and last name of their creators. Then there are traditional sweets that would have been forgotten or lost if not for a sole individual who kept them alive. There are also controversial cases, like the Torta Setteveli, which Sicilians claim to be their regional recipe, although it is the official property of three prize-winning pastry chefs. Here is a roundup of history-making cakes and other Italian desserts, either centuries-old or tied to Italian pastry chefs and confectioners, and where to taste them. 1. Lemon delightLemon Delight, the signature dolce of pastry chef Sal de Riso and the Amalfi Coast, garnered worldwide attention when Stanley Tucci tasted it on his “Searching for Italy” TV series. The dessert comprises sponge cake filled with lemon cream and coated with an icing flavored with the zest of Amalfi Coast lemons PGI. Carmine Marzuillo, a pastry chef in Sorrento, actually created the dessert in 1978, and de Riso (who always acknowledges Marzuillo as the dolce's creator) took it to new heights. The traditional recipe – if the term can apply to such a recent creation – is made with a dough similar to that used for éclairs, filled with lemon cream and topped with more lemon cream and a dollop of whipped cream. Where: Pasticceria Sal De Riso, Minori, Salerno.2. Torta SetteveliTorta Setteveli (seven-veil cake), was created by a team of three pastry chefs who won the 1997 World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France: Luigi Biasetto from Padua, Cristian Beduschi from Pieve di Cadore, and Gianluca Mannori from Prato. The cake is made from chocolate mousse, pralined hazelnut Bavarian cream, seven layers of hard chocolate (the veils), chocolate ladyfingers, and gianduja with crisp cereal. Although the name “Setteveli” is a registered trademark, the cake is widely copied everywhere in Italy. Where: Beduschi Cioccolato in Tai Pieve di Cadore in the Dolomites (near Cortina d'Ampezzo), and at Pasticceria Biasetto in Padua (the Veneto) and Pasticceria Mannori in Prato, a city on the outskirts of Florence.3. Torta BarozziTorta Barozzi is a registered trademark with a recipe that's kept secret. The original is found at the Gollini pastry shop, where it has been handed down through the generations since 1907, when the cake was invented. The chocolate, nutty, crumbly dessert is named after the 16th century architect Jacopo Barozzi. Where: Pasticceria Gollini, Vignola, Modena.4. Triple chocolate mousseErnst Knam, a German pastry chef whose shop is one of the best in Milan, worked for the late Gualtiero Marchesi, the first chef in Italy to learn three Michelin stars. One of Italy's most decorated pastry chefs, Knam later won Italian and international prizes for his chocolates, ice creams, and pastries. The historic and most popular recipe is a trifecta: a flourless chocolate base topped with the cream of three chocolates (white, milk, and dark) and finished with shavings of gianduja. Where: Pasticceria Knam, Milan.5. Cannoncino alla cremaNo matter how extravagant the meal, anyone who has dined at the three-star Michelin-rated Da Vittorio in Bergamo – including heads of state like Barack Obama – has seen this little pastry arrive at the table. Little, of course, is a euphemism – it’s legendary. The cannoncino alla crema, a hollow cream-filled pastry horn, are at their best when they're filled on order. What’s so special about them? Everything. Where: Da Vittorio, Brusaporto, Bergamo.6. Pesche di PratoPesche di Prato , or Prato peaches, have become an iconic dessert thanks to Paolo Sacchetti, who in 2012 was named Italy’s top pastry chef. He makes them so well that now everyone in his city has followed suited and started making them again, too. But his are famous – very fine, with the right amounts of cream and Alchermes used to flavor and color the hemispheres of brioche. Tourists head to Prato just to sample them, and you will understand why. Where: Pasticceria Nuovo Mondo, Prato.7. Panettone a tre impasti Iginio Massari is the inventor of modern Italian pâtisserie. Before he became a media star, dozens of contemporary pastry chefs honed their talent under his tutelage. He also pioneered the first Italian pastry championship. As the founder of the Accademia dei Maestri Pasticceri Italiani (AMPI, Academy of Italian Master Pastry Chefs), he is now acknowledged as the leading authority of the baking world. His panettone ai 3 impasti (3-dough panettone) has a softer, fluffier texture than classic panettone. It’s widely popular, so clients start reserving one for Chrismtas as far in advance as September. Where: Pasticceria Veneto, Brescia.8. Mille-feuilleGiancarlo Perbellini holds two Michelin stars, a number of restaurants in Verona, and a bistro in Milan. He is a chef, but his mille-feuille dessert is an absolute classic. He serves it plated, round, fragile, and layered with a cream filling. “One jab with the fork, because it’s as light as air,” chef Giancarlo advises his guests when he presents his much-requested milestone. Where: Casa Perbellini, Verona, and Locanda Perbellini, Milan.9. Torta 900 This cake was created at the end of the 19th century – its name means 1900 Cake – by the celebrated Piemontese pastry chef Ottavio Bertinotti, the founder of Pasticerria Balla. After inventing the cake, Bertinotti decided to protect his creation with a patent, and the recipe has been a secret ever since. The cake is made from two round chocolate layers similar to sponge cake and is filled with a delicate chocolate cream, then decorated with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. The cake is filled only when it is ordered, to ensure the utmost freshness. Where: Pasticceria Balla, Ivrea.10. MattindorThis is the dessert for the first day of summer vacation. Gino Fabbri, a nationally famous pastry chef and food guru, created this cake. During his long career, he won the prize for the 2000 Jubilee Cake, earning him a meeting with Pope John Paul II. In 2015 he guided the Italian team to victory in the World Pastry Cup in Lyon. In 2009, his colleagues voted him Pastry Chef of the Year, but his heart remains with the classic recipes. “I always make a distinction between ‘pastry for affection’ and ‘pastry for effect’: I’m fond of both, but the first is dearer to my heart.” Like the mattindor, a soft buttery, vanilla sponge cake with a touch of lemon. Where: Pasticceria La Caramella, Bologna.11. Gluten-free Torta Divina Pasticceria Martesana is one of the most famous in Milan, the home of master pastry chef Ettore Santoro. Chocolate is their specialty, but this gluten-free dolce has become a new classic: Torta Divina. The “divine cake” features a rice-based shortcake, mango, and passion fruit mousse. Where: Pasticceria Martesana, Milan.