dessert ideas for a Spanish dinner

I'm trying to figure out what to serve for dessert for eight adults, following a dinner that'll start with some mixed tapas and end with paella. My husband doesn't like flan, and one of our guests doesn't really care for fruit desserts or walnuts. I'd welcome any suggestions! The dessert doesn't actually have to be Spanish -- but I'd like it not to clash. (For instance, I wouldn't want to serve a peanut butter-based dessert.) Thanks!

Posted by: keg72
April 22, 2015

15228 views
23 Comments

23 Comments

keg72 April 26, 2015

Thanks to all for the inspiration! I went with an orange and olive oil cake and make your own sundaes with all homemade ingredients: vanilla ice cream, salted hot fudge, dulce de leche, chopped Marcona almonds and whipped cream! I tried the olive oil gelato recipe from this site twice, and both times the eggs scrambled. (I wonder if it has to do with the lack of fat in the liquid because I've made ice cream many times and never gave that problem -- I'm patient with the heating.) I really do appreciate all of the suggestions!

Laura W. April 24, 2015

What about churros con chocolate? If you don't want to fry churros, consider baking puff pastry twists sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar to dip into the chocolate. You can also serve fruit like strawberries and pineapple for those guests that like fruit.

ChefJune April 23, 2015

Spanish desserts are not particularly abundant -- other than flan, which would be good (and not a fruit dessert). Another successful idea I've used is th=o marinate dried fruit in Amontillado Sherry, then use the fruit to top sliced pound cake with a spoonful of softly whipped cream.

healthierkitchen April 23, 2015

sangria sorbet?

Lost_in_NYC April 23, 2015

(Coconut) Tres leche cake!

keg72 April 22, 2015

Thanks to all for these great ideas! I'm mulling them over -- and getting hungry in the process!

Garlic F. April 22, 2015

My go-to is tiramisu. Not Spanish, but I love how easy it is to make to feed a crowd and you can make ahead. I dip the ladyfingers with various concoctions depending on how I feel at the time: traditional espresso, coffee+masala wine, coffee+hazelnut/vanilla flavor, coffee+kahlua, hot chocolate for the coffee-haters, etc.

dinner A. April 22, 2015

I agree with sexyLAMBCHOPx' suggestion of a spicy chocolate pot du creme, or some other chocolatey pudding or custard. This chocolate pudding is dark and fudgy, almost like ganache, and I bet would be great with spices added also: https://food52.com/recipes/11011-chocolate-pudding

I've had this chocolate wine cake on the list to try for a while, and it seems like it would go well with your menu: https://food52.com/recipes/1773-chocolate-and-cabernet-sauvignon-italian-cake

AntoniaJames April 22, 2015

This classic, elegant, dinner-party worthy Spanish almond cake: https://food52.com/recipes/22940-tarta-de-santiago-almond-cake Be sure to make a stencil for the simple but beautiful design on top (sift the icing sugar over it just before serving). ;o)

EmilyC April 22, 2015

Maybe an olive oil ice cream or gelato made with a nice Spanish olive oil? Jaleo in DC has an olive oil ice cream on their menu. You could use this recipe from Amanda: https://food52.com/recipes/10866-olive-oil-gelato

sexyLAMBCHOPx April 22, 2015

Saturday night I had Pot de Creme with mexican chocolate, piquin chili dust, & fresh whipped cream at a local restaurant. I could of devoured 3 more of them even after 1 1/2 hours of tapas eating.

C S. April 22, 2015

Turron and chocolates. You can add fruit for those who do like it. The cheeses with quince, guava or fig paste would also be good.

Kris April 22, 2015

The dessert that comes to my mind is dulce de leche. You can spread it on toasted pound cake topped with sea salt or almonds and serve it with ice cream. Or you can just serve it with ice cream.

You can make it from scratch or an easy way would be to boil or pressure cook a can of condensed milk.

Pegeen April 22, 2015

Poached pears dipped in a very-slightly-sweetened chocolate molé sauce.

Pegeen April 22, 2015

Oops! Didn't see that one of your guests doesn't like fruit. Never mind!

Stephanie G. April 22, 2015

Almond cake would be nice.

Stephanie April 22, 2015

As an ice cream fiend, I immediately think of some sort of gelato or semifreddo (ok, ok I know those are Italian but it's all Mediterranean, right?!) Another idea would be an olive oil cake - simple but by no means plain. Plus, there's a Genius recipe for it: https://food52.com/recipes/26709-maialino-s-olive-oil-cake

Even more simple but unquestionably decadent would be a high-quality, interesting dark chocolate (maybe one with chiles or other spices)

amysarah April 22, 2015

You could drizzle a nice Spanish 'cream' sherry (ranges from mildly to very sweet) over ice cream/gelato - vanilla, crema, chocolate can mate well with sherry too - and sprinkle garnish it with toasted almond slivers or grated chocolate.

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Maedl April 22, 2015

Manchego cheese, quince paste and Marcona almonds with a glass of sherry would fit.

keg72 April 22, 2015

I love all three -- and all three are already on the menu as hors d'oeuvres!

TheFritschKitchen April 22, 2015

For something simple and light, there is always Mexican wedding cookies (can be made with different kinds of nuts: pecans, walnuts, etc). They're crumbly shortbread like cookies rolled in powdered sugar.

inpatskitchen April 22, 2015

La Tienda has an extensive list (with recipes) :http://www.tienda.com/recipes/desserts.html

Should be a good start for ideas!

keg72 April 22, 2015

Good idea. I haven't been on that website in ages -- thanks for the reminder about it!

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dessert ideas for a Spanish dinner

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