How Colombians do fruitcake. Okay, so you’ll need to start this cake 6 days before baking, but trust us, it’s well worth the effort.
Columbian black cake (torta negra colombiana) Source: Alan Benson
This Southern Italian pie is similar to a Christmas mince pie but also has walnuts, almonds and vincotto in the filling.
Saint Martin fruit pies
This is how the Dutch do Christmas eve - with these adorable, bite-sized buttermilk pancakes!.jpg?imwidth=1280)
Aebleskiver (Danish Cinnamon pancake puffs) Source: Chris Chen
Instead of baking the meringue in blobs, we've piped ours to look like twigs.
Meringue twig Christmas wreath Source: Brett Stevens
Originally called Pan de Ton or the "bread of luxury", this Italian Christmas cake is the buttery love-child of cake and bread, eaten during the holiday period in Italy. (Leftovers makes killer .)
Panettone (Italian Christmas Cake) Source: Alan Benson
The best Christmas cake you’ll ever eat comes from Sri Lanka. It's much closer to a flourless cake or a brownie than the usual rock-hard missiles that pass for Christmas cake, thanks to choko preserve.
Sri Lankan Christmas cake. Source: Alan Benson
Or try the Uruguayan version of panettone - theirs is made with a dough flavoured with honey.
Sweet bread (pan dulce) Source: Alan Benson
We've given the classic log a modern update with a combo of flourless chocolate cake, rich chocolate ganache and a lightly toasted Italian meringue.
This Mexican sweet bread ring filled with dried cherries and almonds is traditionally baked with a ceramic doll representing baby Jesus. The person who finds it has to host the next party. Tag, you're it!
Mexican Kings’ wreath (rosca de reyes)
Rosewater syrup, rose-scented whipped cream, and chunks of Turkish delight dress up the English trifle - which you can make from store-bought Madeira cake, custard and Aeroplane jelly! Too easy.
Turkish delight trifle Source: Alan Benson
An old Slavic pre-Christmas dessert - a concoction of poppy seeds, honey, wheat, nuts and fruit - consumed on the longest night of the year, during a ritual to remember family ancestors.
Christmas poppy seed dessert (kutia)
When you want to end on a small sweet, take a page out of the Swedish kitchen with these make-ahead nutty clusters.
Swedish Christmas toffee Source: Jacqui Small / Lisa Linder
With no added sugar, this Maltese chocolate log uses dates, apricots and nuts for natural sweetness and crunch. Plus, there's a generous glug of whisky to keep things festive.
Christmas chocolate salami
And when you want to start the day with a large bang ... Yes, that is a giant tower of chocolate pancakes, for those who like to start with dessert for breakfast.
Chocolate candy cane tower. Source: Giada's Holiday Handbook
These boozy popsicles are a great way to use up an excess of Christmas pudding.
Get more inspo from our .
Boozy Christmas popsicles Source: China Squirrel
