7 Popular Swedish Sweets You Need To Try Now
Do you have a sweet tooth? I have no problem admitting that I do! I especially love trying sweets and sugary pastries from foreign countries. Well, today you’ll be happy to know that I have an AMAZING list of Swedish sweets that I KNOW will make your mouth water. Keep reading to find out which one of these sweet desserts and snacks interests you the most.
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Swedes and Their Swedish Sweets
Before I introduce you to the different pastries and candies you can find in Sweden, I have to start off by saying I have family members in Costa Rica who are half Swedish.
I had the opportunity to study abroad and stay with my aunt, who occasionally made me delicious Swedish food. Every now and then, she made me Swedish sweets, too!
My aunt told me that the Swedish people are famous for their baking and sweets. She told me that they have so many pastries and candies… and they’re all really good, too!
After looking into this a little further, I found that she was correct! Swedes REALLY DO have a sweet tooth!
In fact, the average Swedish family consumes 1.2 kilos of sugar every week! That’s approximately 2.65 pounds!
Also, they have a dedicated day of the week specifically for sweets. This day is called lördagsgodis, which literally means Saturday sweets or Saturday candy.
Did you know that there are even holidays that are dedicated to sweets in Sweden?
One of those holidays is Kanelbullens dag or Cinnamon Bun Day. Swedes celebrate this day on October 4th of every year.
These Swedish cinnamon rolls, kanelbullens, are filled with cream and an almond paste called semlor. People normally eat them on fettisdagen, or Fat Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday.
November 6th is another day that is dedicated to eating sweets. This day, in particular, is dedicated to eating sponge cakes that are decorated with chocolate or marzipan silhouettes of King Gustav II Adolf (a Swedish monarch who was killed in battle).
Prinsesstårta (Swedish Princess Cake)
This is a kind of green-colored cake that’s very popular all throughout Sweden.
The original name for it was Gröntårta, which means “Green cake” (for obvious reasons). However, the name was changed to Prinsesstårta, “Princess cake”, after Jenny Åkerström (the princess’ teacher) discovered that it was the princess’ favorite cake.
FYI, Swedes generally eat this cake for celebratory purposes, especially on birthdays.
What makes this cake different from other birthday cakes, especially here in the United States, is that you make it using sponge cake layers, fill it with fruit, and coat it with marzipan.
Just so you know, these are some of the basic ingredients you’ll find in many Swedish prinsessarta recipes:
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
- Marzipan
- Green food coloring (or green-colored fondant)
- Pink food coloring (or pink-colored fondant)
Please, take a look at this EXCELLENT video by Waitrose & Partners to learn more about how to make this easy Swedish princess cake:
Våfflor (Swedish Waffles)
These heart-shaped waffles are very popular all over Sweden. Swedish people LOVE their waffles and have even dedicated a day to celebrate them! March 25th is Våffeldagen, which translates to “waffle day”.
Compared to Belgian waffles, these waffles are a whole lot thinner because you do not make them with yeast.
In fact, some people say that because of their lack of thickness, they’re more like Swedish pancakes than Swedish waffles.
If you’re interested in making Våfflor, you can make them either one of two ways: with eggs (äggvåfflor) or crispy (frasvåfflor).
Also, I would recommend that you buy a heart-shaped waffle maker if you want to make your Swedish waffles more authentic.
Oh, and you can also purchase them frozen at IKEA!
FYI, many people enjoy serving these Swedish waffles with jam, fruit, whipped cream, or even ice cream.
Try them with some lingonberry jam, which is a very common fruit in Sweden. You can purchase this jam at IKEA. Or, you can purchase it on Amazon.
Articles Related to Swedish Sweets:
Daimtårta (Swedish Daim Cake)
This is a Swedish-style cake with a hazelnut or almond base, buttercream, caramel, and milk chocolate.
Its taste is similar to the Daim chocolate candy bar, which you can purchase on Amazon.
YUM!
Lucky for you, if you live near an IKEA, you can most likely purchase it in their grocery section!
Also, if you have an Albertson’s grocery store, I saw it on their website. So, you might want to check there to see if they have it.
However, if you don’t have any of these stores near you, you can always make this DELICIOUS Swedish cake at home.
I HIGHLY recommend you check out this Swedish Daim cake recipe by YouTuber Baking Nicky:
If you’re interested, you can check out the comments on their YouTube page to learn more. Also, the exact ingredient list and measurements are included in the description.
Jordgubbstårta (Swedish Strawberry Cake)
If you haven’t already noticed, Swedish cakes are definitely popular treats in Sweden.
Jordgubbstarta is a Swedish strawberry cake and the literal translation is “cream and strawberry cake”.
More specifically, it’s a layered vanilla sponge cake with a roasted strawberry filling that’s topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries.
Jordgubbstårta is especially popular to eat during the feast of Midsommar, which is a celebration of the summer solstice (the longest day of the year).
Semlor
The Swedish semlor buns are very similar to Scottish cream buns, but Swedes make theirs with cardamom. They’re soft bread desserts with whipped cream and an almond paste filling. And, you dust them with powdered sugar on top.
A traditional way to eat them is to dip them in warm milk.
(FYI, semlor is the plural form of semla).
These are some of the common ingredients many Swedish people use to make these traditional Sweden desserts:
- Flour
- Milk
- Butter
- Cardamom
- Yeast
- Salt
- Sugar
- Egg
- Almonds
- Powdered/confectioner’s sugar
- Whipped cream
To get a better understanding of what are semlor buns, please take a look at this great video below by Linda Lomelino:
Pastellfiskar
Here in the United States, we call these Swedish candies “Swedish Fish”.
In Sweden, they often sell Swedish fish as pick and mix. There are different bins of candies from which to choose and Swedish fish is just one kind of candy you can include in your bag of mixed candies.
This candy is marketed under the Malaco brand as pastellfiskar, which means “pastel fish”.
Malaco also sells these candies from Sweden in a ready-made bag of mixed candy. The bag is called Gott & Blandat. If you’re interested in trying it, you can easily purchase it on Amazon.
Ahlgrens Bilar
These are classic car-shaped fruity marshmallow Swedish sweets. Actually, Swedes commonly market them as the world’s top-selling car, according to Swedish confectionery company, Cloetta.
It’s one of the most famous Swedish candies in the country! In fact, it’s not just popular in Sweden. It’s also extremely popular in Norway, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Cyprus, and here in the United States, too.
If you can’t find them at a store near you, you can easily purchase them on Amazon.
Swedish Sweets FAQ
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions related to sweets you’ll find in Sweden.
What sweets is Sweden known for?
Here is a list of some popular pastries, candies, and desserts in Sweden (besides what is listed above):
- Äppelkaka (apple cake)
- Bärpaj (berry pie)
- Ostkaka (cheesecake)
- Kanelbulle (cinnamon buns)
- Kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake)
- Lussebullar (saffron buns)
- Sur Skumfisk (sour marshmallow fish)
- Marianne (hard candy with mint and chocolate center)
- Salta Blackfiskar (octopus-shaped salty black licorice flavored candy)
- Citron-Apelsin Klyftor (lemon and orange flavored hard candy)
What is Swedish candy called?
Swedish candy, in Sweden, is called godis.
Do Swedes like sweets?
Yes, Swedes like sweets so much that they even dedicate a day of the week specifically to sweets. This day is called lördagsgodis, which literally means Saturday sweets or Saturday candy.
Final Thoughts On Swedish Sweets
And that’s a wrap! I hope you seriously consider making at least one of these amazing popular Swedish sweets recipes (or trying one of their candies). Did any of them stand out to you? Which ones? If so, please let me know in the comments below!
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