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Dessert Adventures in the Riviera Maya: A Recipe Roundup

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Hamilton chapter.

When I heard that my family was heading down to Riviera Maya for spring break, I was overjoyed. Sure, I was happy that I would get to spend time with my family and take a break from the eternally snowy condition of upstate New York. What I was really excited for though, was stepping away from dorm food and heading down to an all-inclusive resort with delicious desserts, especially cakes, at every turn. These were some of my favourites. 

1. Strawberry Swiss Roll

riviera maya birthday cake chocolate cake
Claudia Karademas

Swiss rolls, once mastered, look really classy and taste delicious with nearly any flavour. Try out this similar strawberry swiss roll, or get creative. You can try classic flavours such as vanilla cocoa or peanut butter or get creative and try something like giraffe. Feeling a different flavour? Look it up and you can probably find it.   

2. Chocolate Mousse Cake

riviera maya hazelnut buttercream
Claudia Karademas

The eye-catching designs on this chocolate mousse cake immediately called me to it. This chocolate mousse cake recipe can be spruced up with any decoration of your choice and is sure to taste like heaven. 

3. Passion Fruit Cheesecake

riviera maya mango cheesecake
Claudia Karademas

After the heaviness of the other desserts, the passion fruit cheesecake was shockingly refreshing. The tartness of the passion fruit paired perfectly with the sweetness of the cheesecake. If passion fruit isn’t really your thing, feel free to try out some other forms of cheesecake. You can even be festive by making your cheesecake rainbow or Captain America themed. 

4. Italian Sponge Cake

riviera maya cream meringue
Claudia Karademas

The description for this cake was just “Italian Cake”, so I was a bit apprehensive before trying it. The cake ended up being an Italian sponge cake, with a texture unlike anything I’ve ever tried before. The cake melted in my mouth but actually felt like a sponge to the touch. If you don’t believe me, try it out for yourself.  

5. Strawberry “Mousse” Cake

riviera maya raspberry flan
Claudia Karademas

While I certainly would consider this cake to be more gelatin-like than mousse-like, the design was still incredibly elegant. This kind of cake also allows for gorgeous designs, while tasting nothing like your regular cake. 

6. Chocolate Log

riviera maya chocolate cake
Claudia Karademas

Often referred to as a Yule Log or a Buche de Noel, this treat is often served around Christmas time. Seeing it during my Spring Break brought back many happy memories. The chocolate log is often designed to look as much like an actual log as possible. 

7. Mocha Cake 

riviera maya cream lime
Claudia Karademas

Looking for a sweet way to get your caffeine fix? This cake is the answer. I’ve never been able to stomach coffee because the taste is just too bitter for me, but this cake was so wonderfully sweet that the grapes were necessary to combat it. I would definitely try this cake again. 

Although I left the vacation feeling a bit ill from all the food I had eaten, every bite was worth it. Some of these cakes were the most delicious I’ve ever tried and inspired me to make them at home. Try them out yourselves to make your home your own tropical paradise.