10 Irish Desserts Everyone Needs To Try At Least Once

Irish desserts are, in one word, resourceful. They have to be; in a nation that grappled for centuries with conflict, famine, and outright war, luxurious ingredients were not accessible to most people. Instead, the Irish turned to local ingredients like sea moss, apples, and an impressive array of dairy products to satisfy their cravings for something sweet. 

Needless to say, Irish desserts are extraordinarily unique in their flavors and textures. Although there aren't as many sweet treats in Irish cuisine as there are in other countries, the handful of desserts that are still well known today always strike a chord of nostalgia with Irish folk. That remains true even if people weren't too fond of what their parents gave them as children! For the most part, however, these desserts are delicious and often simple to make.

Whether you're simply curious about Irish cuisine or you're planning a St. Patrick's Day party, we've gathered some of the most beloved Irish desserts worth exploring. Irish food is not just a matter of potatoes and whiskey, but don't take our word for it; try out a few of these recipes, and let them speak for themselves.

If you're vegetarian or vegan, you may already be familiar with carrageenan, a derivative of seaweed often used in place of gelatin thanks to its binding and gelling properties. It's also frequently found in dairy products like ice cream and yogurt. The thickening capability of carrageen isn't a new discovery; for centuries, the Irish have harvested this seaweed, commonly called Irish moss, for both medicinal and culinary applications. It was even employed during the Irish potato famine to add nutrients to milk.

Today, carrageen moss pudding remains one of the most iconic Irish dishes everyone needs to try at least once. It's not for everyone, as it tends to be bland and earthy, but this pudding certainly has its set of fans. It's composed of milk, sugar, eggs, and carrageen. 

The marine flavors of the seaweed are surprisingly subdued in this dessert. What carrageen moss pudding really needs to shine is a superb topping. Honey and fruit, perhaps infused with alcohol, can work wonders, as can a touch of vanilla.

Irish apple cake, sometimes referred to as Kerry apple cake, features all the usual suspects, including flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. What makes it distinct from other apple cakes is the heavenly layer of streusel on top that contrasts beautifully with the soft, juicy apples in the sponge underneath. This streusel often includes oats for a slightly crunchy texture. Irish apple cake is particularly delectable when served directly from the oven, and the addition of either custard or cream will have you closing your eyes with pleasure. Depending on the recipe, Irish apple cake can resemble more of a sweet bread than what we in America associate with cake; the sweetness will likely be less pronounced, and the texture may be drier.

Apples may be a staple fruit around the world, but not all apples should be destined for an Irish apple cake. As many avid bakers know, the types of apple you bake with greatly impact the texture and flavor of the final dish. Unfortunately, the preferred apples for Irish apple cake — Bramley apples — are not commonly available in the United States. Aside from sourcing these tangy apples (likely at a steep price), your second-best strategy is to purchase a tart apple variety like Granny Smith.

It takes practice to learn the differences between beer varieties like IPAs, pale ales, porters, and stouts. Spend some time in Ireland, though, and you'll become quite familiar with those last two. Guinness, of course, produces an Irish stout that is known worldwide, but other brands abound in the Emerald Isle. And even if you don't like to drink beer, you still might enjoy its malty, roasted flavors in an Irish porter cake.

Don't just pick up any old beer when making this cake. Porters are bitter brown beers that often feature roasted flavor profiles with notes of chocolate, malt, and caramel. Stouts, meanwhile, are black beers with roasted notes that might remind you of coffee or chocolate. Both taste great in Irish porter cake.

In addition to beer, Irish porter cake recipes usually call for eggs, sugar, butter, flour, citrus zest, spices, and dried fruits like raisins or currants. Cherries can also add bursts of flavor to this cake. The fruitcake's flavor improves over time; you might want to let your cake rest for a few days — or even several weeks — before eating it. No fussy toppings here; simply add butter if you please and serve the cake alongside tea, coffee, or beer. Oh, and although fruitcake is ubiquitous during the Christmas season, there aren't any rules stating that you can't serve it at a St. Patrick's Day party.

Apple crumble and rhubarb crumble are commonly enjoyed in Ireland. Not a fan of celery? Don't let that turn you off rhubarb. Though the two stalky vegetables bear a striking resemblance, rhubarb is actually in the buckwheat family, while celery is associated with the Apiaceae family (alongside vegetables like carrot, parsnip, and fennel). You won't catch us adding celery to a fruit crumble, but rhubarb? We would happily devour it!

In Ireland, a typical rhubarb crumble is prepared with ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, and oats. Though strawberries frequently offset the tartness of rhubarb in American baked goods, that's not the case in Ireland. An authentic Irish rhubarb crumble is bold and unapologetic in flavor. To make the dessert a little gentler, though, ice cream, custard, or heavy whipping cream is often added at the end.

Admittedly, rhubarb is not as commonly used in the United States as it is in Ireland. That's why we recommend checking out our top tips for cooking with rhubarb before diving into a recipe. For instance, you'll need to soften rhubarb before adding it to the crumble, and you might even want to coat the pieces in flour to preserve their shape.

Irish and British cuisines often overlap, which is unsurprising given their shared history. Though most of the recipes on this list are distinctly Irish in origin, the Irish sponge cake is most similar to a delicacy also enjoyed in Great Britain: Victoria sponge cake. Though, recipes for the Irish version often call for local preserves and Irish butter (like Kerrygold, which is worth the price). When incorporated into an Irish sponge cake, butter provides richness and contributes to a moist, tender crumb. It's not always required, though, and butter-free sponge cakes can be delightfully airy. Eggs and flour, on the other hand, are a must.

Because of its subtle, gentle flavors, Irish sponge cake often appeals to those who aren't interested in venturing too far from their comfort zone. This cake, adorned with a dusting of powdered sugar, a vibrant layer of jam (often strawberry), and a pillowy helping of whipped cream, is not too showy and can be surprisingly elegant and exquisite when made well. It's often served with tea and makes an appearance at community gatherings as well, including birthday parties and religious meetings.

Few things in life are as sumptuous as taking bites of shortbread cookies — or biscuits, as they are known in Ireland — between sips of tea. The way these cookies melt in your mouth, slowly revealing their tender crumb and rich, buttery flavors, is unparalleled. They can be infused with notes of lemon and/or vanilla, but the plain ones are just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.

For the best results, one should use Irish butter to achieve that signature flavor and moist, crumbly texture. Butter is the one ingredient you shouldn't cut corners on when it comes to shortbread; though butter is present in both Scottish and Irish shortbread recipes, the latter tends to contain more of this crucial ingredient. When baking shortbread cookies at home, ensure that you leave plenty of time for the butter to soften at room temperature so that the dough mixes well and becomes uniformly cohesive. Furthermore, if the butter is unsalted, you may need to add an extra pinch of salt to your recipe.

When it comes time to cut the cookies into rounds or bars, break out a decorative stamp to make them more elegant. After baking, you can sprinkle the cookies with sugar for a slightly crunchier texture and glistening appearance, too.

If you live alone and consistently struggle to finish a loaf of bread on your own, bread and butter pudding may become your new best friend. Of course, if you have plenty of hungry mouths to feed, it may still earn a place on your regular dish rotation. This dessert is popular across Ireland and Great Britain, and it can be made in a flash with just a handful of ingredients.

Eggs, butter, milk, and heavy cream may all make an appearance in this pudding. The eggs mainly serve to bind the chunks of bread together, while the dairy products add richness and flavor. The butter is non-negotiable; not only is it in this dessert's name, but it also helps make the top crispy. Meanwhile, the sugar and raisins lend sweetness, and the cinnamon offers a greater depth of flavor. Some recipes also call for vanilla.

To make bread and butter pudding, slices of stale bread are first smeared with butter, then added to a baking dish with raisins. The rest of the ingredients are whisked together, then poured on top of the bread. After a stint in the oven, bread and butter pudding can be topped with whipped cream, custard, or ice cream. Fresh berries also make a great accompaniment. Naturally, if you like French toast, you're bound to like this dessert.

Fifteens are beloved in Northern Ireland and are as fun as they sound, especially if you're baking with small children learning to count. There's not much variation between recipes, given that they all call for 15 marshmallows, 15 glacé cherries, and 15 Digestive biscuits. The amount of condensed milk used to bind these ingredients, as well as the amount of desiccated coconut that's sprinkled on top, may vary marginally. In general, though, this is a very beginner-friendly dessert that doesn't require precision. The ingredients are mixed and molded into a log, then refrigerated and sliced.

If you're making these in the U.S., you might substitute graham crackers for the Digestive biscuits, though the latter can often be found in the international aisle of a well-stocked grocery store. Similarly, maraschino cherries can mimic glacé cherries reasonably well, or else you might pivot entirely and use dark chocolate. Traditionally, fifteens feature pink marshmallows as well as white, but you can use either in your recipe. Fifteens can be made in a jiffy when your sweet tooth unpredictably starts aching. They also freeze beautifully, so go ahead and make a large batch and  separate the slices with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking to each other in the freezer.

Jelly and ice cream is fondly remembered by many Irish folk as a childhood delicacy. It's simple, sweet, and relatively affordable. And yet, according to one Redditor, it can be served at anything from a birthday party to a christening. Due to its nostalgic appeal, jelly and ice cream appears to be experiencing a resurgence in Irish culture, so you might even find it served at Irish restaurants.

Though we would happily eat any kind of jelly alongside ice cream, the jelly found in Ireland tends to be more wobbly. Imagine something akin to Jell-O rather than thick, concentrated jelly squares. Gelatin powder is sometimes available in Ireland, too. Some people like to doctor up their jelly with  evaporated milk, creating a dessert many know as "fluff," "fluffy jelly," or "milk jelly." It can be eaten solo or alongside ice cream.

Several of the desserts on this list showcase the resourcefulness of home bakers. Gur cake, on the other hand, is unique in that it was the brainchild of commercial bakers who profited from turning leftover scraps of baked goods into palatable pastries. You might also see gur cake referred to by other names, like Chester cake. Whether or not there's any difference between Chester cake and gur cake is up for debate, but they're likely one and the same.

Because of the hodgepodge nature of gur cake, recipes vary widely. However, it generally consists of two layers of pastry crust encasing a concoction of leftover baked goods (like bread or muffins), along with sugar or syrup, spices, and dried fruit like raisins. For a more complex flavor profile, some choose to soak this mixture in black tea.

This is a very budget-friendly baked good. That has undoubtedly contributed to its popularity, but the fact that recipes for homemade versions are now widely available proves that this treat is more than just an economical way to get one's sugar fix.