Jamaican food recipes are popular and famous all over the globe for their spicy and tasty flavors. If you have a sweet tooth like me, you will be eager to learn how to cook the following mouth-watering Jamaican desserts. They can really bring this island’s taste to your own home.
Top 9 Jamaican Desserts to Try at Home
#1. Jamaican Banana Cake
This recipe is one of the most popular Jamaican dessert recipes. It is famous for its taste, and it is not that hard to make. You need the following ingredients: cake mix, brown sugar, milk, flaked coconut, walnuts, and butter flavor shortening. Make sure to preheat your oven until it reaches a 350-degrees Fahrenheit temperature. Take a pan, grease it, and sprinkle some flour on it. Combine oil, water, eggs and cake mix in a larger bowl. Stir them with a mixer and slowly add the walnuts.
Now you can place the entire thing in the pan and bake it for no more than 35 minutes. Combine shortening, brown sugar, coconut, and milk in a smaller saucepan. Stir it while cooking it over medium heat. When it melts, spread it on the cake in an even manner. Broil the final product for only a couple of minutes until it becomes golden brown.
#2. Jamaican Gizzada
This is another great Jamaican recipe that consists of a small crispy shell made of pastry, which is filled with a spiced and sweet coconut filling. Gizzada, also known as Grizzada or pinch-me-round, has Portuguese and Jewish origins. The main ingredients you will need for this dessert are flour and coconut. Moreover, you must boil coconut flakes with brown sugar, and season the mix with cinnamon or other spices. Use small pie base tools that measure not more than two or three inches. Before baking them for 15 minutes, you can even make some nice patterns with a fork.
#3. Plantain Tarts
If you want to taste one of the most delicious and easiest Jamaican desserts, you should definitely try plantain tarts. They are made of ripe plantains covered in a sweet pastry layer. Plantains are boiled, then mashed. You must mix them with sugar, spices, vanilla and red food coloring. However, the last item is optional. Create a dough in the shape of a circle, and insert the filling, using a spoon. Fold the pastry in a half-moon and bake it for about 20 or 25 minutes.
#4. Grater Cake
Although this is a great and very tasty Jamaican dessert recipe, it has a lot of sugar. This is why you should consume it in limited amounts. You will need dry peeled coconut which you must grate in fine flakes. Boil it with granulated sugar and then separate the mix into two different portions. Add red food coloring to only one portion. Put the white portion in a tray, which you must grease first. Use a medium spoon to apply small red toppings here and there. This is not only a sweet treat but also one of the most popular traditional Jamaican desserts. It is easy to prepare, and your guests will be delighted to taste it.
#5. Coconut Drops
Coconut drops is an extremely popular dessert not only among Jamaicans but also among foreigners. You must cut the coconut pulp into small pieces and boil them with brown sugar and other tasty spices. If you want to go all the way and respect tradition, you should use a banana leaf to place these coconut bites until they cool off. However, since modern times, Jamaicans have used greased trays. Once it gets cooler, it also gets harder. You can eat it immediately after that. Extra tip: you should add ginger for that extra taste.
#6. Tamarind Balls
Tamarind balls resemble bean pods. A crisp brown shell covers the fruits, which is sticky and sweet. Every fruit has several seeds in it. Even though eating too many tamarind fruits can make your tongue sore, they still are a very tasty treat. If you don’t live in Jamaica, the easiest way to find tamarinds is by going to your local Asian shop. Moreover, if you can’t find them in their natural state, you should purchase tamarind pulp or paste. Take the sticky flesh of the fruit and roll it with brown sugar. Create small round balls and, if you want, you can also add some other spices. The version that is made especially for adults, contains Jamaican rum.
#7. Banana Fritters
This is definitely one of the best Jamaican desserts you can prepare. You will need the following ingredients: brown sugar, mashed bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, flour, cooking oil, and granulated sugar. Mash five medium bananas and add sugar and spices in the mix. Then, incorporate the flour and heat some cooking oil on the stove. Using two spoons create asymmetrical balls of the prepared mix and put them in the pan. When they turn brown and crisp it means they are done. Finally, you can sprinkle some white sugar. They are tastiest when eaten warm.
#8. Coconut Toto Dessert
It will not take you a long time to prepare this tasty Jamaican dessert. This is a Jamaican traditional dish which can be done in less than an hour. Furthermore, you will not need exotic ingredients. You can find all you need at any local supermarket. This dessert was initially prepared with molasses, and the mix was cooked on hot coals. However, feel free to use your personal oven instead. Replace molasses with brown sugar. Also, you can use coconut milk instead of regular one. This will add an extra coconut flavor.
#9. Mango Cheesecake
This might seem as the least traditional of the Jamaican desserts, because everyone prepares cheesecakes these days, no matter where they come from. However, the one that contains mango comes from the tropics because these exotic fruits grow there. For this recipe, you will need sugar, cracker crumbs, cinnamon, butter, salt, peanuts, sour cream, mango puree, vanilla, brown sugar, cream cheese, eggs, and orange zest. Mix all the ingredients for the crust and place them at the bottom of the pan. Press until they get fixed. Blend sour cream with eggs, vanilla, salt, cream cheese, mango puree and orange zest. You can also use an electric mixer. Cook the cream using the bain marie technique. Bake the entire thing for about two hours.
Final Words
All the above Jamaican desserts are among the most popular recipes not only in Jamaica but also in other countries. Jamaican restaurants have loyal clients in places such as Toronto and New York. Therefore, if any of these dishes appeals to you, go ahead and prepare it. This way, you will improve your cooking skills and you will enjoy a tasty treat.