Looking for a sweet Italian bake to serve at your next dinner party? Want an easy Italian cake for a summer afternoon tea event? Try our baking ideas including polenta cake to serve with coffee, Italian ricotta cake and a traditional Easter cake similar to panettone. Plan a full dinner party with our Italian recipes, and check out our Italian desserts for more inspiration.

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Learn about Italian coffee culture with our expert barista Celeste Wong's guide, including traditional rituals, how to order it and the perfect recipe for at-home brewing.


Best Italian baking recipes

Biscotti

These twice-baked biscuits are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea. They are traditionally made with skin-on almonds that give a delicate nutty flavour.

Pieces of biscotti on a wire rack on a blue background

Limoncello tart

Add a bit of a kick to your lemon dessert with our smooth and zingy limoncello tart, encased in buttery homemade pastry. Make this impressive pudding for a light yet seriously moreish dinner party dessert.

Limoncello Tart Recipe

Cannoli

Make a batch of homemade cannoli for a sweet Italian treat for your next dinner party, served with a shot of espresso.

A large plate of cannoli on a grey background with a shot of espresso and a small bowl of chopped pistachios

Zuccotto

A classic Italian dessert with sponge, chocolate and a splash of booze, try our version of zuccotto for an impressive dinner party dessert.

A round chocolate cake covered with icing sugar and cocoa

Sicilian ricotta cake

This impressive Sicilian ricotta cake will steal the show at dinner, with chunks of chocolate studded through creamy baked ricotta. It's deceptively easy to make, too.

A golden ricotta cake on a white plate, sat on a wooden worktop

Rich chocolate and hazelnut torte

Our chocolate and hazelnut torte is a seriously creamy and indulgent weekend treat. This recipe only takes 30 minutes to whip up and can feed up to 12 people.

Rich chocolate and Hazelnut Torte

Italian lemon cake

Amalfi lemons give a strong, intense lemony aroma in our Italian cake recipe, making a fitting summery cake which is a real crowd pleaser, too.

Almond and Amalfi lemon cake

Blood orange polenta drizzle cake

Our take on polenta cake uses juicy blood oranges for extra wow factor. It's easy to make and is the ideal sweet treat to accompany your morning coffee.

Orange Polenta Cake Recipe

Italian coffee cake with cappuccino buttercream

An American favourite with an Italian twist, check out our super easy coffee slab cake with an indulgent cappuccino buttercream.

Coffee Cake Recipe With Cappuccino Buttercream

Baked figs with amaretto

Jammy figs are roasted with amaretto for a nutty sweetness. Serve with creamy mascarpone and crumbled amaretti biscuits for an elegant autumnal dessert.

White plates topped with mascarpone and halves purple figs

Panforte

This Italian dessert is popular during the festive season. Chewy, nutty and sweet, it's packed with pistachios, almonds and dried fruits.

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Panforte cut into slices on a plate, with tealights around

Italian Easter cake

A yeasty bake that's similar to a panettone, check out this traditional Italian Easter cake, topped with candied fruit, sugar and almonds.

A bready cake topped with nuts in the shape of a dove, sat on a wooden board with a pink background

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