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5 Italian Desserts To Make At Home
Fancy a little taste of Italy this week? Let us tempt you with five delicious and authentic Italian desserts that you can make at home. From a refreshing affogato to a creamy pistachio cannoli, impress friends and family with these truly indulgent and classic Italian desserts.
1: Affogato
Perfect for a hot summer’s day, this Italian dessert combines gelato and espresso for a sweet and caffeinated treat. All you need is your favourite Italian ice cream and a fresh pot of strong coffee to make affogato. We recommend Stracciatella Italian Gelato, as it has a creamy and subtle flavour that will complement the coffee rather than overpower it. Choose a wide-mouth glass and add a couple of scoops of gelato. Now prepare coffee and wait for a couple of minutes so that it can cool slightly. Pour the coffee over the ice cream and enjoy. You can also add some chopped nuts such as pistachios or fresh Italian cherries.
2: Cherry Tiramisu
A classic Italian dessert, tiramisu can be made with Italian cherries for a slight twist on the traditional recipe. Again, using coffee, this dessert requires mascarpone cream, egg yolks, and sugar. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale before beating in the mascarpone. Now using our Italian tiramisu sponge fingers, layer the sponge in individual dessert bowls or glasses. The next step is to heat pitted Italian cherries in a saucepan with two tablespoons of sugar. Once warm and smelling delicious, pour over the tiramisu sponge fingers. Top with mascarpone cream and a second layer of sponge. Repeat until you reach the top of the glass. Chill for two hours and then serve.
3: Pistachio Cannoli
A Sicilian favourite, pick up these ready-made Italian cannoli shells to make this rich and creamy Italian dessert at home. Now it’s time to get creative with the filling. You’ll often find cannoli filled with fresh ricotta cream and topped with chopped pistachios in Sicily, but you can also get more modern versions such as chocolate, orange, and lemon zest. To help you easily fill your cannoli with cream, we now offer frozen pastry bags with rico, the sweetened ricotta cream.
4: Ricotta & Pear Cake
To make this ricotta and pear cake from scratch, you’ll need several ingredients and quite a bit of time on your hands. But, thanks to our wide range of Italian desserts online, you can now buy this delicious hazelnut and almond cookie base cake, which has been pre-sliced and lovingly made in Italy. All you need to do is make a fresh Italian coffee and defrost the Italian dessert, and hope nobody guesses that you bought it over baking it yourself!
5: Panna Cotta
Test your cooking skills at home by challenging yourself to make this classic Italian dessert. Light, sweet and chilled, it’s ideal for a sunny afternoon. First, make the gelatin base following the instructions on the packaging. Then, pour 150ml of milk and 400ml of double cream in a saucepan with 60g of sugar and vanilla. Stir and bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Add the gelatin to the mixture and stir well until dissolved. Add this mixture into your dessert bowls or glasses and allow to set in the fridge until firm to touch. To serve, tip out the panna cotta onto a plate and drizzle with strawberry or cherry compote, and add a garnish of fresh mint.
Buon Appetito
Posted on July 6, 2021
Every Dessert Has a Season. Tiramisu Didn't Get the Memo
Every dessert has its season. This is not an opinion, it's just true, and somewhere inside you, you already know it. Chocolate lava cake is in December. The kind of thing you order when it's cold outside and you've stopped pretending to care about anything. Panna cotta is July, white, minimal, barely there, like it's also too hot to try. Crumble is October without question. Apple, pear, whatever's in the bowl, it belongs to grey skies and Sunday afternoons and the specific melancholy of a season ending. These desserts have their moment. They know it. They stay in their lane. Tiramisu does not stay in its lane Tiramisu shows up in January when you need something that feels like a decision. It shows up in April because the weather is nice and why not. It's on the menu in August at that outdoor restaurant and you order it even though it's 38 degrees because of course you do. It appears at Christmas, at birthdays, on a Wednesday with no occasion whatsoever. It does not check the calendar. It does not ask if this is a good time. And the thing is, it's never wrong. That's what separates it. Seasonal desserts are right once a year, maybe twice. Tiramisu is right in the way that a good espresso is right, in the way that sitting down after a long day is right. Not because of the weather. Because of what it does. It lifts. That's the whole job, and the job doesn't have an off-season. There's a reason Italian nonnas aren't making tiramisu only in autumn. There's a reason it's on every menu, in every month, in every city that has ever decided to take dessert seriously. It's not nostalgia. It's not a habit. The combination, espresso, mascarpone, cocoa, patience, works on a human being regardless of what the temperature is outside. Some things are just built differently The ones that prove it every time, in every season, start with the right ingredients. Mascarpone that tastes like it came from somewhere specific. Savoiardi that haven't forgotten what they're for. Cocoa that finishes clean. Not seasonal. Not occasional. Just right.
Casinetto Named Best Gourmet Food Supplier by CPI Media Group
We're proud to announce that Casinetto has been recognised as Best Gourmet Food Supplier by CPI Media Group, a distinction that reflects years of dedication to elevating the regional culinary landscape. What This Recognition Means This award acknowledges more than our product portfolio—it recognises our role as a trusted partner to the UAE and KSA's most discerning culinary professionals. From Michelin-starred kitchens to boutique delis, our clients rely on us to source ingredients that meet the exacting standards their reputations demand. The selection process evaluated suppliers across multiple criteria: product authenticity, supply chain reliability, portfolio diversity, and commitment to quality assurance. CPI Media Group's rigorous assessment underscores what sets Casinetto apart in an increasingly competitive market. The Casinetto Standard Excellence in gourmet food supply isn't just about logistics—it's about curation. Every product we represent, from French artisanal cheeses to Italian charcuterie, Spanish olive oils to premium pantry essentials, undergoes careful evaluation for provenance, quality, and market fit. Our team works directly with producers across Europe and beyond, ensuring traceability, authenticity, and consistent availability. This direct-source approach means our partners get more than products—they get the story, the expertise, and the assurance that comes with genuine partnerships. Looking Ahead As the regional F&B sector continues to evolve, so does our commitment to bringing the world's finest gourmet products to the Gulf. This recognition from CPI Media Group validates our approach and motivates us to raise the bar even higher. To our restaurant partners, retail clients, and culinary professionals who trust us with their most important ingredient decisions: thank you. Your standards drive our excellence. The best tables in the region deserve the best ingredients. That's the promise we renew with this recognition.
Italian Cuisine at the Heart of UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage
UNESCO has given special cultural heritage status to Italian cooking, viewing it as so much more than simply a set of recipes. This award honours Italian cuisine as a living tradition, as something to be practised, shared and handed down from one generation to the next. National favourites like pizza were already on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, but this respect extends beyond that. It honors italian traditional cooking in its entirety, and the way it is taught, preserved and practised all over Italy, both at home, where the teachings have been passed down from generation to generation in families, and through other venues such as home kitchens, food schools for young children and adults as well. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has championed the recognition of Italian cuisine since her election, captured its essence perfectly when she said that Italian cuisine is not just food or a set of recipes, but a culture, tradition, labour, and collective wealth. What Does This Mean? For millions of food lovers worldwide, this recognition is a reminder that the cuisine of Italy is worth slowing down to savour. It celebrates cooking that honours time, technique and ingredients selected with care. From crunchy Sicilian cannoli to Calabrian ’nduja, Italian food continues to excel by being characterful, deep and rooted in place. The announcement was made during a UNESCO assembly meeting in Delhi, where the cultural agency described Italian cuisine as a powerful way of connecting with family and community, whether at home, in schools, or through festivals, ceremonies, and social gatherings. Luigi Scordamaglia, CEO of Filiera Italia, has referred to the distinction as a joint success for the entire Made in Italy supply chain, underlining the team effort behind Italian food, from producers and handicrafts people to those who renew this tradition every day. He additionally stressed the Mediterranean diet, adding that when we refer to it, we are really talking about Italian cuisine itself, which is based on balance in unity, variety and respect for produce. At Casinetto, this recognition comes all too naturally. It embodies the same virtues we admire in any product we decide to carry: authenticity, tradition and food that tells a story worth preserving. We collaborate with producers who cherish tradition, value quality ingredients and believe in the integrity of their craft rather than cutting corners. The things we have on our shelves are not the result of trend-chasing, but rather an appreciation for the stories and know-how behind them, values that, by celebrating certain practices around the world, UNESCO has decided to endorse.