Five of our favourite UAE-inspired National Day sweets

What better way to celebrate the nation’s 44th birthday than with UAE-inspired cakes, sweets and treats? Here are some of our favourite bites to sweeten up your National Day celebrations.

Love Doughnuts, Abu Dhabi's favourite doughnut shop, has designed a National Day doughnut to celebrate the UAE's 44th birthday. The limited-edition doughnuts are covered in a UAE flag made of fondant and have a karak cream filling (tea, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon).

• Dh14 each, www.lovedoughnuts.com

Cocosia, a speciality chocolate shop in Al Barsha, Dubai is marking National Day with artisanal handmade chocolates that you can give as a gift (or devour alone). Make it personal by customising a box with your friends' and family members' favourite flavours.

• Boxes of three chocolates cost Dh20; boxes of six are Dh42; 04 395 0977

Bloomsbury's has designed a few different National Day-inspired cupcakes. Each has the colours of the flag with differing themes. Choose from four designs: a butterfly with an image of the founding fathers; a red, black, white and green rose; a flag-coloured heart; or a cupcake with four flowers, each in the colours of the flag.

• Available until December 2; Dh16 each or grab a box of 12 for Dh192; ilovebloomsburys.com

Right Bite Nutrition Centre has launched a selection of all-natural cookies for a guilt-free National Day celebration. The cookies come from Skinny Delites, a range of low-fat, low-calorie desserts and baked goods from Right Bite. The National Day cookies are just 72 calories each and come in three flavours: choco-coconut, strawberry and pistachio. The cookies come topped with strawberry purée; desiccated coconut; pistachio; and dark chocolate, inspired by the colours of the flag.

• Dh50 for a box of 12; available until December 1; 04 342 5208, visit www.right-bite.com

Magnolia Bakery has created a special UAE cupcake to add some colour, style and sugar to your National Day festivities. The cupcakes come in two flavours — chocolate and vanilla — topped with buttercream petals in the colours of the UAE flag. The cupcakes also include an edible chocolate disc with depictions of iconic UAE structures.

• Available for pre-order only through December 5. Dh25 each. Magnolia delivers throughout Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi, 02 674 9380; The Dubai Mall, 04 350 5440; Jumeirah Beach, Dubai, 04 276 7034

sjohnson@thenational.ae

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Killing of Qassem Suleimani

National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate

Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead

Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks

Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence

Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground

Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile

While you're here

Sholto Byrnes: Quad pact on vaccines could inject needless geopolitical tensions

National Editorial: For an India-Pakistan ceasefire to hold, every gesture matters

Ben Farmer: Imran Khan wins confidence vote after Senate embarrassment

About Tenderd

Started: May 2018

Founder: Arjun Mohan

Based: Dubai

Size: 23 employees

Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com