20 Delicious Desserts that Start with H

From America to New Zealand, over to Korea and Sweden, there are many special and flavorful desserts starting with “H”! If you enjoy playing board games and quizzes, you probably need to name a few desserts to start with. If not, you may think this article is a waste of time, but it’s not — it has actually helped me get more familiar with world cuisine. Here’s a mix of H-everything: cookies, cakes, custards, and so many more. Let’s see the list of 20 desserts that start with H!

My favorites are Hwajeon and Hodu-Gwaja from South Korea. Happy Cake and Haupa have pineapple and coconut on their ingredient lists since Hawaii is abundant in them. Halwa, Hummingbird cake, and Halo-halo are just a few more names from the best H-dessert list ever.

I simply love to research all the interesting facts about sweets from all over the world. Here are some popular names and some that are less popular but not less special at all! Have you tried any of them? 

Halwa

Halwa is a unique-tasting confection that comes from Persia, but it is also very popular in the Middle East, India, and the Balkans. It has a paste-like texture of browned flour and sugar in butter or oil. Besides this, ground nuts, saffron, cocoa, rosewater, or seeds are very common additions, as every country gives it a special touch.

Happy Cake

There is probably no better name for a cake! This Hawaiian specialty consists of pineapple, coconut, and macadamia nuts — all of them being local food. Nothing represents a country better than its distinctive flavors.

Hummingbird Cake 

This Jamaican-born cake brings a tropical dash to the table, along with rich flavors. It’s not a surprise that it is so popular in the South, considering its tender crust moistened with pineapple and banana juices. Together with cream cheese and pecans layers, this cake secured a high place on the list of the best cakes I’ve ever had!

Huckleberry Pie

When two American sweethearts intertwine, you get one of the best pies in the world! Flaky pie crust topped with tart and sweet jam-like berry sauce makes the perfect combo. The overall taste is perfectly balanced, especially when you add a few warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Halo-Halo

This Philippine recipe is unbelievably fun and packed with different flavors. The base is crushed ice, coconut, and evaporated milk, but the additions are what make it so special. Ube jam, garbanzo beans, pinipig, sago, coconut, and flan are just a few ingredients hidden under purple ube ice cream.

Herman Cake

Herman cake is more than your usual cake, also known as a friendship cake. The catch is in the starter, which people pass around like a chain letter, and it just keeps growing and growing. This makes it last forever. The cake alone has standard ingredients, but you can add apples, cinnamon, chocolate, or cherries.

Hakuto Jelly

Hakuto jelly is a summer Japanese dessert made of my favorites – peaches. This smooth-textured jelly is particular because of local ripe hakuto peaches. Besides their nectar, they have one more special ingredient – mineral-rich spring water.

Hokey-Pokey

This honey crumb toffee has only 3 ingredients: sugar, syrup, and baking soda. Besides sugar caramelization, the chemical reaction with baking soda makes it very special as it gives signature bubbles. You can eat it alone, in cookies, brownies, or ice cream – try it; it’s worth it!

Hosmerim 

Hosmerim is a Turkish delight made of cheese, semolina, and powdered sugar. It’s not rare topping it with nuts, honey, or ice cream, as it gives it much more flavor. The texture is slightly grainy but soft, and the taste is heavenly, especially if it includes drinking tea with the Bosporus view!

Hotteok 

This is a super popular Korean recipe for filled pancakes, and it’s often sold as street food. The pancake dough is regular and yeast-based, but the filling combos can vary – brown sugar, cinnamon, nuts, and seeds. The pancake is crispy with a nutty, sugary filling, and I love it with fresh ice cream on the side!

Halawet el-Jibin 

Syrians have amazing desserts, and this one is no exception at all. The dough of these delicate rolls consists of sweet, soft cheese, semolina, and rose water for a subtle taste. The filling is simple, based on clotted cream, and before serving, pistachios come on top for a bit of missing crunchiness.

Hallongrotta

Traditional Swedish cookies are simple yet delicious to make. The dough is basically shortbread filled with raspberry jam on top. They are buttery, vanilla-induced flaky cookies with a touch of tartness, and Christmas favorites, too!

Haupia

Haupia is one more Hawaiian coconut milk-based dessert cut into cubes. It is very light, creamy, and resembles gelatin mostly. Hawaiians achieve this special consistency by adding pia – Polynesian arrowroot, but nowadays, cornstarch is a popular substitute.

Hermit Cookies

Tasty Hermit cookies come from New England and are pretty spicy. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves are all warm spices, so this makes them a perfect choice for a winter treat. The texture is chewy because of chopped dates or raisins in the dough, but walnuts and pecans are there to give it some crunch.

Hashima Dessert Soup

Soups are not usually served for dessert, aren’t they? Still, this one is not here for some out-of-this-world taste, but rather for its terrific health benefits – for skin, lungs, and immunity. It consists of dry goji berries, red dates, logan, rock sugar, and hashima – the superstar; which are all gelatine-like when soaked in water and have a signature melt-in-mouth texture.

Herrencreme

This custardy dessert originates from Germany and is usually served in glasses. The list of the ingredients is very simple – vanilla pudding, whipped cream, shaved chocolate, and rum to spice things up. The first time I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised by a good splash of rum, but other than this, Herrencreme is a lightweight and refreshing dessert.

Huckabuck

Huckabuck is a refreshing treat that is particularly popular in Georgia and Louisiana. It comes from the South, so it’s no wonder that it’s considered a summertime dessert you can find anywhere on the food trucks. It is actually a frozen sweet drink, like Cool-Aid, but the catch is to flip it over so the soft part comes up and eat it like that!

Hishi Mochi

This is my favorite among all of these recipes, as it’s served at the Girl’s Day festival in Japan! It is diamond-shaped and has three-colored smooth layers made of rice flour. Pink comes from the gardenia flower, white from water caltrop, and green from mugwort – the taste is hard to describe, so it’s a must-try if you ever stumble on this sweet.

Hodu-Gwaja

Hodu-gwaya is shaped like a walnut, and it’s a hit in South Korea! The dough is made of wheat and walnuts filled with earthy red bean paste. They are crusty, similar to cookies because there are special molds they are baked in! 

Hwajeon

I saved this treat for last, as it’s so special if you like flowers as I do. South Korea has the prettiest sweets, no doubt! These are tiny crisp white pancakes made of sweet rice flour and crowned with edible multicolor flowers. Plus, they are vegan and gluten-free!