Traditional Christmas Desserts from Latin America You’ve Never Heard of Before

In Latin America, where approximately 425 million Catholics reside, Christmas is a major festival. This season is all about breaking bread with family and celebrating faith and community. The influence of the Catholic Church dates back to the arrival of Spanish colonizers five centuries ago, and has significantly shaped the culinary and cultural traditions in this region. The enduring impact of Spanish colonization is evident not only in the ways the days leading up to the festival and the birth of Jesus are celebrated but also in the special celebratory foods prepared.

Here are some interesting desserts that you can try to bring a piece of Latin America to your Christmas dinner table:

Colombian Buñuelos

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups grated queso fresco (sub with 1 ½ cups ricotta)
• ½ cup feta cheese
• 1 cup cornstarch
• ½ cup tapioca starch
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• ⅛ tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp milk to hydrate the dough
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• Mix the ricotta, feta, cornstarch, tapioca, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, and baking soda together till you get a homogeneous dough. In case it's dry, use the tablespoon of milk.
• Shape the dough into little balls.
• Heat the oil and once it's hot enough begin frying until golden brown. This should take about 20 minutes.
• Serve hot.

Mexican Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread)

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 4 cups maida
• 3 whole eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• ⅔ cup sugar
• 1 tsp dry yeast
• Zest of one orange
• Zest of one lemon
• A pinch of salt
• ½ cup softened butter
• ½ cup warm water

For the topping:

• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup butter
• ¾ cup maida
• 1 egg yolk
• 6 tbsp butter
• Dry fruits like figs, glace cherries, raisins

Instructions:

• Activate the dry yeast in warm water and sugar. Set it aside to bloom.
• Once the yeast is ready, add it to ½ cup of flour, creating a dough. Adjust the consistency with more water if necessary. Cover the bowl and let the flour rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.
• In another bowl, mix the remaining flour, eggs, egg yolks, ⅔ cup of sugar, the citrus zests, and butter until you achieve a crumbly texture.
• Incorporate the yeast mixture into the crumble and knead the dough in the bowl.
• Transfer to a flat surface and keep kneading till the dough is soft and supple. It shouldn't be dry but sticky and elastic.
• Leave this to rest and rise for an hour in a bowl greased with butter.
• Prepare a paste with softened butter, the fourth egg yolk, maida, and sugar.
• Now take the dough, punch out the air and knead it a few times. Roll it into a log and then join the two ends. Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray.
• Preheat the oven to 375 F /180 C for about 20 minutes or so.
• Roll the paste into logs and place it in strips on the yeasted dough. Decorate with the figs, raisins, and cherries.
• Bake at 375 F/180 C for 20 minutes, then dust with sugar and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Cuban Flan

Ingredients:

• 1 can condensed milk
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup cream
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

• Pour the condensed milk in a large bowl. Add half cup milk and half cup cream to this.
• Add the vanilla, eggs, and egg yolks to the mixture, then whisk thoroughly.
• Make caramel with the sugar and pour it in your baking dish. Let it harden.
• Pour the custard mix over the hardened caramel and cover with foil.
• Place the dish in a tray and fill it with enough hot water.
• Bake in the oven for 350 F/175 C for 40 minutes.
• After this let it cool and invert on a plate. Chill for some more time before serving.

Pan de Pascua from Chile

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup butter
• 1¼ cup granulated white sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup raisins
• ½ cup chopped nuts
• ½ cup candied fruits
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ⅓ cup cognac
• 1½ cup milk

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F/175 C and grease your cake tin.
• Cream the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs. Add the raisins, nuts and candied fruits to this. Then fold in the flour and baking powder.
• The batter will become clunky so add the milk and the cognac.
• Pour this batter into your cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes. Typically, the cake is baked in a tall mold, but if you don't have one, a regular tin will suffice.