The 14 best desserts in Barcelona

Are its origins in Sweden, Finland, the USA? It all depends on who you ask, but we stopped caring when we tried one. The cinnamon roll should be a favourite dessert in every country of the world. In Demasié – run by two Catalan brothers – they’re so sure that they make the best cinnamon roll in Barcelona that they seduce us with them from their window display of gorgeousness that they bake up daily. Each one is a sweet bomb of spongy cake – best if eaten slightly warm – where they haven’t scrimped on cinnamon or the sugary icing on top that dribbles down into the rolls in a gooey delight. We’re fans of the classic, but since we do enjoy sharing the love, we’ve also fallen for the Nutella, the Oreo, the berry and the tiramisu varieties.

For vegans, the patisserie La Besnéta is the closest thing to paradise on earth. And guess what? It’s pretty close for non-vegans as well. It also happens to be one of the cutest spots in town: in addition to cakes of all kinds, sold whole or by the slice, they sell splendid little glass jars filled with various desserts that you can enjoy there or take away. The Dark Forest is like a sexy kiss in the moonlight: chocolate cake with chocolate, Marcona almond and not much else gets you a ticket to heaven. It’s sweet but not overly so, just enough to send you floating on a cloud the rest of the day. Oh, and the lemon pie deserves a more than honourable mention...

This is a classic dessert at Vives and a favourite for anyone with a strong sweet tooth, which is why you’ll find the berry millefeuille available every day (if you want an individual portion, you’ll have to order it in advance). The recipe is simple: layers of crunchy filo dough alternated with raspberry filling – they make the jam themselves – and heavy or light cream, along with a topping of strawberries, raspberries and other berries. The cream has just the right touch of sugar without being sickeningly sweet, the fruit is tart and the filo dough reminds us of the desserts after Sunday dinners from our childhood.

Hearing the word ‘­doughnut’ might conjure the kind you can get in any old bakery or supermarket. Forget all of those. At La Donutería you'll find big round spongy cakes glazed with vanilla or pistachio. The most popular are the banana, coffee and cocoa one, and the berry with beetroot. But our hands-down absolute favourite is the dulce de leche with almonds, cocoa and Maldon sea salt. These dense gems aren’t cheap, but it’s worth heading to Sant Antoni to try one of La Donutería’s sugary delicacies.

Takashi Ochiai is one of the great pastry chefs in Barcelona, and as of late 2019, he’s also had his hands in ice cream. With the help of Italian artisan Andrea de Bellis, Ochiai has developed a traditional Italian ice cream parlour with Japanese touches. Head inside Kurimu to travel in delirious creaminess to Asia with sherbets and ice creams with flavours such as cherry and ‘umeboshi’ (Japanese plum) and the amazing black sesame.

Pastry chef Maria Victoria of La Petita de la Gran has a doctorate in biochemistry and trained at Barcelona’s prestigious Hofmann School of Hostelry. We cannot recommend her ‘Agramunt’ cake highly enough: this is a dark chocolate mousse cake with almond praline mousse, crispy almond and a chocolate crumble base. And even though she makes some trendsetting treats with the highest-quality eggs, sugar, butter and chocolate, her creations will still take you on a direct route to pleasure and make your sweet tooth sing. And that’s just what every pastry chef hopes to accomplish. 

Australian pastry chef Hayden Colledge worked out of Honey-B (see above) until he branched out on his own. He says his distinguishing feature as a baker in Barcelona is his affinity for Australian and English pastries. Among his classics, you’ll find what’s considered one of Australia’s national desserts, the Lamington: chocolate and coconut cake filled with raspberry jam! And he does an unforgettable vegan chocolate cake with pistachios and rose petals, which is a house speciality: once you eat a slice of this light and tasty cake, you will not be able to leave a crumb behind.

It’s not that banoffee has origins in any type of Asian cuisine, but at Koku Kitchen they make one that’s borderline sinful. When you go to Koku for a tasty ramen or scrumptious baos, be sure you leave room for banoffee for dessert, putting a sublime end to your meal. In case you’re not familiar with the concept, atop a lightly salty biscuit base that’s as dense as a gold brick is a layer of addictive toffee and another of banana slices. This is all topped with a swirl of whipped cream that’s so thick it could support you standing up. And the best news is their banoffee is almost always a dessert option in the set lunch menus. (Also available at their Barri Gòtic location.)

As kids, we were crazy for chocolate croissants. Now we’re older, our great temptation is the Nutella and hazelnut croissant at Bubó. The pastry has a perfect crunch to it, and on top are little pieces of caramelised hazelnuts, while inside is a bar of Nutella, as consistent and smooth as a bonbon. You have other choices too, like the marzipan and walnut croissant, or the one with dark chocolate inside adorned with pistachios on top. And if you’re not in the mood for sitting on the terrace with a view of the lovely Santa Maria del Mar church, walk a few steps along from the Bubó Bar and you’re in their pâtisserie, a boutique of sweet jewels.

In a charming corner of Sarrià, siblings Xavier and Asun Uñó have set up Chis & Keik, an artisan workshop where they make the New York­–style cheesecake they discovered during childhood holidays. You may think you know cheesecake, but nobody does what Chis & Keik do in Barcelona: they have a hundred variations of the stuff in their repertoire, from the classics to inventions like the ‘­Elvis forever’, with peanut butter, banana and crispy bacon. Plus they have cakes for all occasions. Got a kids’ party? How about the ‘­Pink Panther’ cheesecake? An over-the-top chocolate craving? Try the Ferrero Rocher and Nutella! (Psst, they do carrot cake too!)