The Dessert Table: 100 Joyful Jewish Sweets

Review Quotes:
The Dessert Table is like two books in one and both of them are great! One gives us fascinating stories about the culture, traditions, and sweets of the Jewish diaspora, and the other is chockablock with recipes we dessert lovers will want to make. It's a must-read and a must-bake.--Dorie Greenspan, New York Times-best-selling author of Dorie's Anytime Cakes

Review Quotes:
Leah Koenig's books always combine recipes and scholarship that stand the test of time. This one, packed with ideas both classic and reimagined for sweet treats, is bound to become a classic on every cook and baker's shelf.--Adeena Sussman, author of Shabbat: Recipes and Rituals from My Table to Yours

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I'm enamored with Jewish sweets because the flavors are so different from what I grew up with and I am always looking for ideas of desserts to bring to my Jewish friends' holiday dinners. Leah Koenig is the authority on Jewish food, and I always know I can trust her, so having a book full of desserts from her exacting mind is my dream come true.--Ben Mims, author of Crumbs: Cookies and Sweets from Around the World

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From the traditional to the whimsically modern, The Dessert Table is a delectable journey across the Jewish diaspora through the lens of sweets. To mark the holidays and festivals, or just because, each compelling recipe tells a beautiful story and brings us to the table to savor celebration, togetherness, and comfort.--Caroline Schiff, author of The Sweet Side of Sourdough

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I have always loved Leah Koenig's books, but it should come as no surprise that this 'sweet' one, holds an extremely special place in my heart. Beautifully photographed and expertly researched, this tome of Jewish desserts is the cookbook we didn't know our collections were sorely missing. From Black-and-White Shortbread Cookies to Chocolate Pull-Apart Cake to Apple Cider Sufganiyot with Salted Caramel to Flan Napolitano, I want to bake and eat everything in here, and there is no question that you will, too.--Jessie Sheehan, author of Snackable Bakes: 100 Easy-Peasy Recipes for Exceptionally Scrumptious Sweets and Treats

Review Quotes:
Leah Koenig's love letter to Jewish sweets gives us not just rock-solid recipes--tender apple cakes, hypnotic babkas, jam-swirled meringues--but thoughtful, deeply researched storytelling from the global Jewish diaspora. (In what other book could we learn about the origins of the egg cream, the Sachertorte, and Bazooka Bubble Gum?)--Kristen Miglore, author of Genius Desserts: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Bake

Publisher Marketing:

The dessert table is the star of any Jewish gathering: sprinkle cookies and honey cake, airy meringues and flaky rugelach, sweets brimming with tender apples and bright pops of pomegranate. Eager to bring a little extra sweetness to all our tables, Leah Koenig takes us on a delightful tour through the 2,000-year-old tradition of Jewish sweets. She shares recipes and stories from historic Jewish communities in Venice, Syria, and Curaçao; home bakers from Hungary and Poland; and up-and-coming diaspora bakeries across the United States. Her 100 all-new recipes include creative takes on familiar favorites, like Chai-Spiced Cheesecake or Chocolate Turtle Babka, and bring lesser-known gems to the conversation, such as a lush Orange and Almond Cake and Fluffy Apricot Jam Doughnuts inspired by Hungarian fánk. Beloved for her well-researched storytelling and clear, encouraging directions born from her own kitchen, Koenig energizes the dessert canon as no one else can.

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 07/01/2026 pg. 73 (EAN 9781324076599, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Koenig, Leah
Leah Koenig is the author of seven previous cookbooks, including the IACP Award-winning Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen. Her writing and recipes have been published in Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, the New York Times, and more. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.