Traditional Romanian desserts to try when you visit

Papanași are delicious, little Romanian cheese donuts. They are by far the country’s most popular and beloved dessert, by locals and tourists alike. Papanași can be fried or boiled - both are delicious, and the boiled variation generally has a breadcrumb and sugar coating.

If there is one common dessert you are most likely to find in restaurants throughout Romania, this is it. Enjoy this traditional Romanian dessert with a warm fruit compote, a touch of sour cream, and icing sugar.

Brânzoaică is another cheese-based traditional Romanian dessert. This one comes from the Romanian region of Moldavia , and is a beloved favorite throughout the country.

Brânzoaice are made with Romanian sweet cheese with a hint of vanilla and raisins. The ingredients are folded into a sweet square of dough similar to a brioche. There is a special technique to folding the dough that is best learned by someone’s bunică. The corners fold over themselves to lock in the filling. Season the pastry dough with a bit of lemon zest for added flavor!

Clătite are the Romanian version of crepes. A paper-thin layer of batter is cooked on a griddle, and wrapped up with a variety of ingredients. Sometimes sold in restaurants, these are most widely available from food trucks or walk-up windows.

If you happen to be visiting Cluj, be sure to check out La Nu Stiu Cine. This is our favorite place to get crepes in the city. My latest favorite flavor combo has been strawberries and kiwi with whipped mascarpone – delicious!

Prăjitură cu mere (cake with apples) is a traditional Romanian dessert with a mixture of sweet apples, sugar, butter, and cinnamon layered between two pastry crusts. It’s somewhere between a cake and a pie, and you can find it easily in local bakeries or grocery stores.

There are variations of this dessert throughout the country. Some people prefer to make those more as a cake (as pictured above), and some are more pie-like in nature, but all are delicious.

I’ve eaten this as everything from a breakfast to a dessert to a midday snack. They’re delicious when warm and fresh from the oven, but this is a rare treat unless making them yourself.

While this dessert is probably Hungarian in origin, you can find some variation of it throughout Transylvania and elsewhere in Romania. It’s rumored to have been invented in Cluj-Napoca, the capital of Transylvania, but by a Hungarian. The territory and identity politics of the past blur the lines a bit – regardless, this dessert is a popular addition to most Romanian menus.

It’s one of the most interesting desserts on our list – noodle pie!? This straightforward dessert includes egg noodles, milk, egg whites, and cheese curds layered between sheets of puff pastry.

Different flavor variations to vargabéles include raisins, spices, citrus zest, or vanilla. Enjoy it freshly warm with a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a berry sauce (or both!).

Cozonac is a sweet, brioche-like bread, traditional in many Balkan countries. Christmas and Easter are when you will most likely see this traditional dessert bread.

The exact recipes vary between different regions. While the dough is generally similar, different regions may add raisins, grated orange or lemon, vanilla, rum, walnuts, hazelnuts, or Turkish Delight.

These traditional Romanian pastries are made of sweet dough that’s in the form of a figure eight. After the dough is formed, they are boiled in a mixture of water, spices, and crushed walnuts. This imparts heaps of flavor!

The name ‘mucenici’ literally translates to ‘martyrs’. So, it will come as no shock to learn that these little sweets are named for the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste was a band of Christian-Roman soldiers. They were drowned in a lake during the persecutions of Diocletian when they refused to abandon their faith. In a fairly morbid comparison, the pastries are said to be the martyrs. The liquid they are boiled in is symbolic of the water in which they drowned.

Enjoy some mucenici on 9 March, when the feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste takes place.

I just tried this for the first time the other day! When my pregnancy cravings had me in the mood for something sweet, I ordered 60 lei worth of desserts for dinner. Whoops! As it turns out, this was one of my favorite traditional Romanian desserts I’ve tried so far.

Romanians are all about layers when it comes to their desserts, and this is no exception. Albinita, named for a bee (albină), has layers of honey-scented sponge cake, vanilla, lemon cream, and preserves (usually sour plum or apricot).

Kürtőskalács is a delicious spit-roasted pastry with Hungarian roots. Prior to roasting, the baker wraps the dough around the spit, coats it in granulated sugar. The result is a brûléed treat – warm, sweet, and perfectly crisped.

You can select from a variety of toppings such as crushed walnuts, chocolate, powdered sugar, or cinnamon. Or, grab a plain one and enjoy its simplicity.

These aren’t typically on restaurant menus, but there are stalls or walk-up windows on busy pedestrian streets that specialize in Kürtőskalács.

Joffre Cake is a Romanian dessert that was created for a French Marshal. Joseph Joffre was the leader of the French Army in the early 20th century. When Joffre visited Bucharest in 1920, the owners of a local high-end café invented this special cake in his honor.

The cake is decadently rich, with layers of chocolate ganache and chocolate buttermilk, with a chocolate buttercream frosting. Joffre Cakes are the same size and shape of the Adrian helmets that Joffre’s troops wore in WWI.

Traditionally eaten at Easter, pască is a traditional Romanian dessert made of – you guessed it – sweet cheese, raisins, and sweet bread. A little rum gives it a hint of spiciness and additional flavor layer.

Pască is round, formed by braiding the dough. Sometimes you will see a cross decoration in the center of the cake. Like the other desserts with the same key ingredients, pască is fluffy, light, and delicate in flavor.

Găluşte cu prune is a shining example of the Romanian ability to take simple, generic ingredients and create something amazing. Given the country’s past, where poverty and food shortages were the norm, one had to exhibit a bit of creativity in the kitchen.

These little guys are plum-filled potato dumplings, similar to a stuffed gnocchi. The breadcrumb-like mixture you see on the outside consists of breadcrumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and a bit of oil to bind the ingredients. Sometimes, walnuts make a nice addition as well.

My mother-in-law makes these and they are to die for!

Carpati may not be one of Romania’s best-known traditional desserts, but I couldn’t omit it from the list! Often served during festive holidays such as Christmas or Easter, Carpati is a chocolate-lovers’ delight, featuring eight layers of rich chocolate ganache and sponge cake.

The cake, once assembled with its many layers, is cut and shaped into peak-like formations to resemble the Carpathian Mountains.