Swedish Pastry

Every single Christmas we gathered together with my cousins for a huge family party.  My Aunt Vicki would bring her homemade Swedish Pastry, which was layers of buttery pastry topped with a sweet almond frosting. It was devoured in two seconds and I couldn’t imagine a Christmas without it!

My Mom began to deliver it to her neighbors at Christmas time. This Swedish Pastry is so unique that people would clamor for the recipe which is a recipe that has been passed down over the years.

It starts off with a flaky crust made with simple ingredients and is topped off with a light almond (can substitute vanilla) filling. It is baked until golden and perfectly puffed up. A sweet almond frosting is spread all over the baked filling. The beauty of this Swedish Pastry is that it is rich and buttery without being overly sweet.

My brother, Ryan, lived in Denmark for two years and ate a fair share of pastries! European countries are not as sweet as the pastries we find  in the United States. There are three layers to this pastry and only the top layer has sugar in it. This is why this Swedish Pastry is so darn delicious. It has so many layers of flavors!

Start by making the flaky crust using butter, flour and cold water and press into two rectangles on baking sheet.

Make the filling by bringing butter and water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the flour, almond or vanilla extract, and eggs. Spread over rectangles.

Bake until nice and golden brown. Once cooled, frost with almond or vanilla frosting. Cut into wedges or rectangles to serve.

You can serve it with fresh raspberries, drizzle it with homemade jam, or top it with sliced almonds.

5 from 1 vote

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Swedish Pastry

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Total Time

50 mins

 

Flaky, buttery crust layered with baked almond filling and topped with sweet almond frosting.

Course: Dessert or Breakfast

Cuisine: European

Keyword: swedish pastry

Servings: 10

Author: Melissa Stadler, Modern Honey

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 cup Butter cut into small cubes
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Filling:

• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1 cup Water
• 3/4 cup Flour
• 1 teaspoon Almond or Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs

Sweet Almond Frosting:

• 4 Tablespoons Butter softened
• 1 3/4 - 2 cups Powdered Sugar
• 2 - 3 Tablespoons Whole Milk
• 1 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract Vanilla, or Vanilla Bean
• 6 ounces Raspberries optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cookie spray or line with silicone baking sheet (Silpat).
2. In a medium bowl, using a fork or pastry cutter, combine butter, flour, and baking powder. Stir in cold water. Form into two balls and shape into two long and thin rectangles (about 4" x 9") on greased or Silpat lined cookie sheet.

To make Filling:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring butter and water to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Add almond or vanilla extract. Stir in eggs and mix until smooth.
2. Spread filling over each rectangle, all the way to the edges.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-42 minutes or until light golden brown.

To make Frosting:

1. Cream butter, powdered sugar, milk, and almond or vanilla extract. Once pastry has cooled, spread over each rectangle.

2. Top with fresh raspberries (optional) and cut into rectangles or wedges.

This Swedish Pastry is so reminiscent of happy Christmas memories spent with my family.  Happy Baking, my friends! xo