Dessert Recipes

A staple at every Sri Lankan birthday and wedding: a buttery, vanilla-scented cake beautifully layered with vibrant pink and green stripes.

The undisputed king of Sri Lankan sweets: a deep-fried, sponge-like cake made of rice flour and treacle, famous for its distinct 'top knot' (konda).

A warm, comforting, gelatinous dessert soup made from sago pearls boiled in rich coconut milk, sweetened with jaggery.

Simple, highly energetic roasted rice and jaggery balls, spiced aggressively with black pepper. The perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea.

A unique, rustic sweet made by steaming tiny, sand-like beads of rice flour, which are then bound together with rich kithul treacle.

Coils of deep-fried urad dal batter completely saturated in sweet, sticky kithul treacle. Sri Lanka's answer to the jalebi, but darker and richer.

A dark, rich, incredibly moist traditional coconut cake packed with kithul jaggery, roasted semolina, dates, and warm spices.

Diamond-shaped sweets made from roasted mung bean flour and rice flour mixed with kithul treacle, coated in a light batter and deep-fried.

An intricate, delicate, deep-fried web of rice flour dough, elegantly drizzled with bright pink or brown sugary treacle.

A traditional, diamond-shaped sweetmeat made from roasted rice flour, kithul treacle, and chopped cashew nuts, coated in powdered sugar.

A silky, steamed egg custard topped with a rich, dark caramel sauce. A beloved Sri Lankan dessert similar to flan but distinctively firmer.

The ultimate Sri Lankan comfort dessert: alternating layers of milk-soaked Marie biscuits and rich, buttery chocolate icing.