Mexican Desserts Beyond Churros: Sweet Treats to Discover

Mexico's Sweet Side

Ask most Britons to name a Mexican dessert and they will say churros - those deep-fried dough sticks dusted with cinnamon sugar and dunked in chocolate sauce. Churros are indeed excellent (and actually originally Spanish, brought to Mexico during colonisation), but they represent the tiniest fraction of Mexico's remarkable dessert tradition.

Mexican sweets draw from three distinct culinary heritages: the pre-Hispanic tradition (chocolate, vanilla, amaranth, honey, fruits), the Spanish colonial influence (egg-based custards, pastries, convent sweets) and the broader global ingredients that have been absorbed over centuries. The result is a dessert culture of extraordinary range and sophistication - from ethereal tres leches cake to dense, caramelised cajeta, from elaborate convent pastries to simple fruit desserts that celebrate Mexico's tropical bounty.

This guide introduces ten Mexican desserts that deserve to be far better known in Britain, with recipes for the most achievable ones.

1. Tres Leches Cake (Three Milks Cake)

This is, without question, one of the most extraordinary cakes in the world. A light sponge soaked in a mixture of three milks - evaporated milk, condensed milk and double cream - until it becomes a cloud-like, impossibly moist confection that somehow manages to be saturated without being soggy. Topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon, it is heavenly.

Recipe

For the sponge:

• 5 large eggs, separated
• 200g caster sugar
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 80ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the three milks:

• 1 tin (397g) condensed milk
• 1 tin (410g) evaporated milk
• 250ml double cream

For the topping:

• 300ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• Ground cinnamon for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23x33cm baking tin.
2. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. In another bowl, beat the yolks with the sugar until pale and thick. Fold in the flour, baking powder, milk and vanilla. Gently fold in the egg whites in three additions.
3. Pour into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and springy.
4. Cool completely. Pierce the entire surface with a fork (dozens of holes).
5. Whisk together the three milks. Pour slowly and evenly over the cake. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best) - the cake will absorb the milk mixture.
6. Before serving, whip the cream with icing sugar and spread over the top. Dust generously with cinnamon.

This cake is best served cold, straight from the fridge. It keeps for 3-4 days refrigerated and actually improves on the second day.

2. Flan Napolitano (Mexican Crème Caramel)

Mexican flan is richer and more decadent than its French or Spanish cousins, thanks to the addition of cream cheese and condensed milk. The texture is silkier, denser and more intensely flavoured - a custard dessert taken to its absolute pinnacle.

The caramel base is made by melting sugar directly in the baking dish until it turns dark amber, creating a pool of bitter-sweet caramel that becomes a sauce when the flan is unmoulded. Making the caramel can be intimidating the first time, but it is simply a matter of patience - heat the sugar gently, do not stir, and wait for it to melt and colour.

Blend 1 tin of condensed milk, 1 tin of evaporated milk, 200g cream cheese, 5 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth. Pour over the caramel. Bake in a water bath at 160°C for 55-65 minutes until just set. Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight. To unmould, run a knife around the edge, place a plate on top and flip confidently.

3. Arroz con Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding)

Mexican rice pudding is a world away from the British school dinner version. It is cooked with a cinnamon stick, sweetened with condensed milk, and finished with raisins, toasted almonds and a generous dusting of ground cinnamon. It is served warm or cold and is the ultimate comfort dessert.

Cook 200g of rice in 500ml of water with a cinnamon stick until the water is absorbed. Add 1 litre of whole milk and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir in 200ml condensed milk and 50g raisins. Serve warm or cold, dusted with cinnamon and topped with toasted flaked almonds.

4. Cajeta (Mexican Caramel)

Cajeta is Mexico's answer to dulce de leche, but made traditionally with goat's milk, which gives it a tangier, more complex flavour than its Argentinian cousin. It is cooked low and slow until it reduces to a thick, amber, intensely sweet caramel that is used as a sauce, a filling for crêpes, a topping for ice cream, and a flavouring for countless other desserts.

Making cajeta from scratch requires patience - about 2 hours of gentle simmering and occasional stirring - but the process is simple and the result is spectacular. Combine 1 litre of whole milk (or goat's milk for authenticity), 250g sugar, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda and a cinnamon stick. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until reduced by about two-thirds and darkened to a rich amber colour.

5. Platanos Fritos con Crema (Fried Plantains with Cream)

This is the simplest Mexican dessert and one of the most satisfying. Ripe plantains (they should be almost entirely black - do not use green ones) are sliced on the diagonal, fried in butter until caramelised and golden, and served with a drizzle of condensed milk or a spoonful of crema (soured cream).

The keys are: very ripe plantains (ask at your local Caribbean or African food shop, or order online - Ocado occasionally stocks them) and enough butter to create a generous sizzle. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until deeply golden and caramelised. The natural sugars in the ripe plantain create an almost toffee-like crust.

6. Cochinitos de Piloncillo (Piloncillo Pig Biscuits)

These traditional Mexican biscuits - shaped like little pigs - are made with piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar), which gives them a deep, treacly flavour reminiscent of dark brown sugar. They are the biscuits of Mexican childhoods, sold in bakeries and markets across the country. Use dark muscovado sugar as a substitute for piloncillo.

7. Buñuelos

Thin, crispy, fried dough rounds dusted with cinnamon sugar - buñuelos are the traditional Christmas and New Year dessert across much of Mexico. They are essentially large, flat fritters, shatteringly crisp and deeply satisfying with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate.

8. Gelatina de Mosaico (Mosaic Jelly)

A visually spectacular dessert made by setting cubes of different coloured fruit jellies in a creamy condensed milk jelly base. The cross-section reveals a beautiful mosaic pattern of colours. It is a staple of Mexican celebrations and children's parties, and it is far simpler to make than it looks.

9. Dulce de Camote (Sweet Potato Candy)

Puebla is famous for its dulce de camote - sweet potato cooked with sugar, citrus zest and sometimes pineapple until it forms a thick paste, which is then rolled into logs and left to firm up. The texture is similar to marzipan and the flavour is unique - sweet, earthy and faintly citrusy.

10. Chocolate Mexicano (Mexican Hot Chocolate)

Not strictly a dessert, but no discussion of Mexican sweets is complete without it. Mexican hot chocolate is made with tablets of Mexican chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita brands, available from Mexican shops in the UK) dissolved in hot milk and whisked to a froth with a molinillo (wooden whisk) or a standard whisk. The chocolate tablets contain cinnamon, sugar and sometimes almonds, creating a drink that is completely different from - and in many people's opinion, superior to - European hot chocolate.

Where to Find Mexican Dessert Ingredients in the UK

Most ingredients for Mexican desserts are readily available in British supermarkets: condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream cheese, eggs, flour, rice, cinnamon. For specialist items - piloncillo, Mexican chocolate, plantains, cajeta - check our UK Mexican shops directory or order online from Cool Chile Company, Mexgrocer, or Amazon UK.

Mexican Desserts for British Celebrations

Mexican desserts adapt beautifully to British celebrations and entertaining occasions:

Christmas: Tres leches cake makes a stunning alternative to Christmas pudding - light, moist and festive with its cinnamon dusting. Buñuelos are the traditional Mexican Christmas dessert and make excellent edible gifts, wrapped in cellophane with a ribbon. Mexican hot chocolate is the perfect accompaniment to mince pies on Christmas Eve.

Birthdays: Tres leches cake is the birthday cake of choice across much of Latin America. Decorate with fresh strawberries and a dusting of cinnamon for a celebration cake that will have your guests asking for the recipe.

Dinner parties: Flan napolitano is the ideal dinner party dessert - it must be made ahead (it needs overnight refrigeration), it looks spectacular when unmoulded, and the caramel creates its own sauce. The moment of unmoulding the flan - the dramatic inversion, the pool of golden caramel flowing down the sides - is one of the great theatrical gestures in dessert making.

Summer barbecues: Platanos fritos with cream are quick to make and complement barbecued food beautifully. Alternatively, serve arroz con leche cold in small glasses as an elegant, refreshing finish to a grilled meal.

Afternoon tea: Cochinitos de piloncillo and Mexican wedding cookies (polvorones - buttery, crumbly, coated in icing sugar) work wonderfully on a traditional afternoon tea spread, adding an unexpected Mexican twist that delights and surprises.

For more sweet and savoury Mexican recipes, explore our recipe collection. For specialist ingredients like piloncillo, Mexican chocolate and plantains, check our UK Mexican shops directory. And for professionally made Mexican desserts, visit our guide to authentic Mexican restaurants across Britain.