Violet ice cream, Granada.
I recently had a longtime dream come true: I went to Spain! This post is a tribute to some of the amazing sweets I ate there. Just as I’ve imagined since my bygone college Spanish classes, I fell in love with the sites, the spirits of places, and the souls I met — in addition to the desserts.
And I was reminded of how lucky I am to have met my dear friend Pilar a few years ago. She was visiting California from Madrid when we crossed paths, and when she left for home, she said smiling, “Now it’s your turn to visit me!” So I daydreamed of it, letting life’s mandates distract me for dozens of months, until I finally took the plunge this year.
Ensaimada mallorquina with a huge bite taken, Madrid.
As many people say about travel, it’s hard to describe the breathtaking places and experiences on my trip — those moments when the combination of sound, smell, sight, and touch all felt so vibrant, new, and irreplaceable that I even sometimes wept. No, not only the mind-blowing Gaudí sites or the breathtaking museums or the Alhambra — but also the simple walks through old twisting streets, the voices in cafes and plazas, the smell of the air and its breeze on my skin. All of it with a wonderful person by my side who patiently waited as I took too many photos and conversed in garbled, rusty Spanish.
Apple tart and passionfruit cheesecake, Barcelona.
Of course, the sense of taste was a vital and remarkable part of my experience, too. I’ll long remember my many mouthwatering meals in Spain: from pintxos to pisto, gazpacho to paella, tortilla to tomato-toast, I savored every bite. I relished in the silky local olive oil drizzled on bread — miraculously, without ever missing butter (and I even learned I’d been mispronouncing “aceite” all these years). But as you’ve surely guessed by now, it was the Spanish sweets that stole the spotlight and won my heart. We visited Barcelona, Granada, and Madrid, making sure not to miss a sampling of desserts in each incredible city.
Chocolate tart and cinnamon roll at a Madrid coffeehouse.
One evening in Barcelona, fed up with crowded restaurants, we decided to buy take-out and eat it in a plaza. In the narrow streets of the Gothic district, we ordered pizza slices then found a dessert shop where the passionfruit cheesecake was highly recommended.
I don’t usually crave cheesecake after a heavy meal, but I pushed aside my skepticism and ordered it alongside Pilar’s apple tart. What an excellent choice! The trio of crispy seeds, sweet gooey fruit, and tart cream cheese was heavenly.
Another day, adamant that I try as many typical Spanish foods as possible, I ordered paella at a reputable spot in the Eixample district. The paella was perfect, and the desserts were so divine. Mine was a mousse made purely of coconut, under juicy roasted pineapple and buttery shortbread crumbs.
Gelato in Granada.
Next, we headed to Granada — such a lively and beautiful city! It was warmer there, which is perhaps the reason we reached for frozen treats more than once. First, we ordered gelato one evening while exploring the streets on foot. Pilar chose mango and spicy chocolate, and I (nostalgic for the cheesecake in Barcelona) ordered passionfruit and a flavor new to me: Málaga, a sweet wine named after the Spanish city of its origin.
All the gelato flavors were luscious and refreshing, but paled when we ordered violet ice cream after lunch the next day. To our surprise, the order was comprised of five scoops! (See first photo above.) Beautiful and creatively served, the ice cream was sprinkled with violet petals and sat on a bed of tart yogurt and marmalade. The delightful presentation and generous quantity were matched by a decadent balance of creaminess and lovely floral flavor and fragrance.
Coconut mousse with pineapple and cookie crumbs, Barcelona.
After returning to Madrid, on a day of much walking and then craving a pick-me-up, we happened upon a little coffee house where we imagined ordering only caffeine-packed beverages but couldn’t resist the pastries on display. A moist, flavorful cinnamon roll and a rich chocolate tartlet (whose crust was even dipped in chocolate — genius!) proved perfect for hitting the spot.
And when we joined a birthday celebration with Pilar’s family a few days later, her aunt served a scrumptious oatmeal cake made sweetened only with the tender fruit embedded in its batter. A fellow baking enthusiast, she asked me to post a recipe written in Spanish in the future — a promise I intend to keep, even if the results are imperfect.
Pilar’s aunt’s tender fruit and oat cake, Madrid.
Also in Madrid, I tried a new-to-me pastry at a farmers market: an ensaïmada. With its origins on the Spanish island of Mallorca, the coiled, yeasted dough is tender and airy. They come in many sizes, filled or not; mine was an individual portion stuffed with smooth chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar. It was utterly delicious.
And after all this devouring of desserts, I couldn’t help but see sweets in more places than ever. On one of my last days in Spain, I visited the spectacular Prado museum and found Diego Velázquez’s sacred painting of two saints in the dessert. The past and the future are brilliantly depicted in the background, and a bird above brings bread from heaven. But what do I see in the bird’s beak? A doughnut, naturally.
Diego Velázquez: St. Anthony Abbot & St. Paul Hermit, c.1635-38, Museo del Prado, Madrid.
There’s so much more I could share about my time in Spain, let alone the list of sweets. (Think giant spiraled churros, grated squash marmalade, custardy flan, seed-speckled cookies…) I feel so grateful for all I tasted and experienced, and I’m already dreaming of going back again. In the meantime, I’m inspired by my memories of Spanish sweets, and I hope to give them a heartfelt nod in the form of new dessert creations. Stay tuned!
butter, sugar, flowers 
Pingback: Passion Fruit Bites | butter, sugar, flowers
I didn’t take you for an hispanista Moriah… Good to know. Spain is indeed fantastic, keep the travel bug. I am more on the salty side than the sweet, hence I love their tacos and bocadillos… almost as much as Italian pizza 😉
Great to hear from you, Maurizio! Yes, I am in love with Spain — including the savory dishes I relished in, despite their absence from this blog post. Someday I hope to make it to Italy, too — and will let you know when I do! Hope you are well.
Moriah, hello,
This year, I have been the world’s worst commenter (and blogger! It has been so hard to find the time, but, clearly I am now reclaiming my [online] existence!), but that is not to say that I haven’t been reading and salivating soundlessly. 🙂 This post is absolutely wonderful and I was so excited to get to “virtually dessert hop” with you through Spain. It all looks and sounds so beautiful, from the coiled chocolate-filled pastries to the violet ice cream (so stunning!); I’m so glad that your dream of visiting Spain came true and, more importantly, that you finally got a vacation from the madness of ISSA! Much deserved. x
Hi Katy, Thank you so much! It was indeed a much needed vacation and it felt amazing to fulfill the dream… and naturally, now I’m dreaming of going back! 🙂 I totally understand about your online absence, and in fact, it makes me happy to know that you’ve been participating in non-virtual life so much! Your wedding included 🙂
I started reading this the other day and then must have gotten distracted so I came back to look at more of your sweets! You are making me miss Spain 🙂 It looks like you had lots of yummy things to eat! When I was in Barcelona I stayed in the Garcia district. I was there during all their festivals so it was a lively place to be!
Oh you lucky lady! A friend of mine was just in Spain the week before last & posted some beautiful pictures on FB. Of course I’m not surprised that you’d scope out the best of the best deserts. they all sound so good.
Thanks so much! Spain was indeed so beautiful… and delicious!
Just send me one of everything #please
I wish I still had one of everything! Meet you there??
This is such a wonderful post and so well written – you are making me so hungry! Love all these delicious treats you ate; I went to Madrid in 2010, but didn’t stumble upon any of these, though I wasn’t with someone who took as much of an interest in food as me, so it was tailored differently. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much, Brenda! It means a lot coming from such a fabulous food enthusiast and great writer (I’ve been drooling over your squash blossom pasta!). Pilar and I got off to a good start when she was in Berkeley, going to dinner together at a new place once a week; I feel so lucky to have had her to travel and eat with on her own terrain, too.
What a special, wonderful, incredible post! I have been dying to hear more about your trip to Spain and I am so happy you wrote and shared this wonderful, wonderful piece that brought to life your trip so vividly to me in mind with such beautiful writing of yours, and your gorgeous photographs of the sweets you savored and some of the incredible places you saw that let me travel vicariously for a moment, as I clicked on each linked photo. What an incredible trip and life experience – thanks for letting me partake in some of the moments and memories through your gorgeous writing and stunning photographs. And I am excited to see future sweet creations inspired by this incredible trip and adventure!
Thank you so much, dear E! It means a lot to me that you read this so closely and shared in my joy!
That is totally a donut.
I’m so glad I’m not the only one! 😉
What a scrumptious itinerary! Wish I could take a bite of each of these myself…can’t wait to see (and hopefully taste) some of your Iberian-inspired creations! ❤
I would have loved to shared all these treats with you! At least we can share some upcoming creations; I’m looking forward to it!
Wow, Moriah, what a great sounding trip! And you write so vividly about it. Looking forward to your trip-inspired recipes.
Thank you so much, Erica! I truly appreciate you reading it and taking the time to comment.
Nicely written, I recently went to Spain too!! It’s such a lovely country and the food is amazing 🙂
Check out my post on Spain?
https://ablovesfood.wordpress.com/2016/07/04/i-went-to-spain/?preview=true
Thank you so much! I read your post and loved it. Hooray for our visits to Spain, recently and in the future!