Are you planning a trip to Switzerland and want to know some of the best Swiss desserts there are? Or maybe you are an avid baker and are always looking for new recipes for delicious sweet treats. Either way, you’ve stumbled upon the right article for you. Keep on reading to find out about some of the best Swiss cakes, pies, cookies, and many other desserts there are.
14 Best Swiss Desserts
Switzerland is known for many popular things, one of which is definitely the chocolate and desserts produced in it. People from around the world visit Switzerland to see firsthand what makes Swiss desserts so unique. To make that search easier for you, we have compiled a list of the 14 best Swiss desserts for you to try or even make.
Swiss Chocolate
One of Switzerland’s sweetest delicacies is their world-famous chocolate. The reason behind Swiss chocolate’s popularity is the combination of the invention of milk chocolate and centuries of reputation and expertise for high-quality standards. Switzerland quickly became the center of milk chocolate production with a number of popular Swiss brands such as Lindt, Cailler, Toblerone, Frey, Villars, Läderach, etc.
Although sugar cane and cacao beans originate outside Switzerland, the production of Swiss chocolate takes place in Switzerland. This type of dedication and details that go into making their delicious sweet treats is one of the main reasons Switzerland is at the forefront of chocolate production worldwide.
Brischtner Nytlä or Gedörrte Birnen Mit Rahm
Brischtner Nytlä or Gedörrte Birnen Mit Rahm is a traditional Swiss dessert whose main ingredients are dried pears and a cloud of delicious whipped cream to top it off. The history behind this Swiss dessert is quite interesting. The dried pears developed initially as a means to preserve them during chilly winter months. Although the soft pears might not initially sound or look appealing, their wonderful flavor is complemented and enhanced by the whipped cream.
Torta di Pane Ticinese
If you’ve got some leftover stale bread and are looking for any opportunity to make sweet treats, then Torta di Pane Ticinese might be the perfect Swiss dessert for you.
Torta di Pane, translated from Italian, means “bread cake.” And although this bread cake has different variations, most people generally use leftover white bread for the base of the cake. Our variation for today is the cantonal bread, Pane Ticinese, which works amazingly well for this cake.
You can enjoy this delicious bread cake at breakfast with coffee or as an afternoon snack paired with a cup of tea. This cake tastes amazing when it’s warm but even better the next day as it gives the flavors time to develop. So if you’re big on reducing food waste, this Swiss cake is definitely it.
Zuger Kirschtorte
Another popular Swiss dessert is Zuger Kirschtorte, a layer cake made with sponge cake, nut meringue, and buttercream. In fact, Zuger Kirschtorte is so popular that it was consumed by many celebrities. This Swiss layer cake was first made by a pastry chef named Heinrich Höhn in a coffee shop called Treichler. The sides of Zuger Kirschtorte are layered with roasted almonds, whereas the top is dusted with icing sugar, making this cake extra sweet and extra tasty.
Bündner Nusstorte
Bündner Nusstorte is a traditional Swiss tart that originates from Graubünden in Switzerland. This tart consists of a shortbread pastry filled with caramel and nuts. You can use any type of nuts for the filling, but walnuts are usually used to give it its unique flavor. This cake was firstly presented at the Swiss Sample Fair in Basel by a confectioner, Fausto Pult. The cake was invented in the 1920s but was widely popular and available in the 1960s.
The Bündner Nusstorte is usually cut into slices, and you can pair it with coffee or tea to best complement its sweet caramelized flavor.
Carac
If you enjoy small, fun pastries, then you should definitely try Carac. Carac is a Swiss pastry prepared with chocolate, shortbread pie crust, cream, and green icing. The name “Carac” is linked to “Caraque,” which refers to a type of high-quality cocoa. This fun green pastry is primarily popular in the French part of Switzerland. Even though most Caracs are prepared in fun sizes, you can also find them in standard sizes for festive events and different gatherings. In such cases, they are served in slices like regular cakes or pies.
Although the origin of Carac is not particularly noted, it is known that this little pastry was available in the early 20th century.
Berliner
A Berliner is a doughnut without a central hole and is made from sweet yeast dough fried in either oil or fat, filled with a jam or marmalade like jelly, and to top it off, powdered sugar as icing on top of the Berliner.
The Berliner can be filled with various fillings other than jam; some popular choices are yellow custard and chocolate or mocha filling. Some versions of the Berliner are not filled at all; you can enjoy this sweet treat in many different ways. The Berliner is best paired with a nice cup of tea that complements the dough’s sweetness and filling.
Apricot Cake
The next delicious Swiss dessert on our list is the Apricot Cake. An apricot cake is a type of cake that includes apricots either in the mixture of the recipe or arranged on the top of the cake.
This cake can be made with either dried, fresh, or frozen apricots, but it is generally preferred to use fresh apricots to add to the top of the cake for a more enhanced flavor. If you’re a fan of sweet vanilla cakes, then the apricot cake will not disappoint you because it incorporates flavors such as vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon.
Raspberry Swiss Roll
A Raspberry Swiss Roll is a sponge cake filled with mascarpone cream and raspberry jam. Besides its rich flavors, a great thing about this Swiss dessert is that you can use your favorite jam to fill the sponge cake. You can use raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, or strawberry jam. The raspberry swiss roll is an excellent sweet treat for both summer and winter. In summer, it is best enjoyed with fresh fruit, and during the winter, you can simply dust it with icing sugar.
Apple Strudel
If fall is your favorite time of the year, then you’ll love Apple Strudel. This delicious cake, with its flaky golden crust and apple filling, is the perfect Swiss treat to enjoy during chilly weather.
It is best served with powdered sugar on top and vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to give it an extra sweet taste. The cake became highly popular during the 18th century and is just as popular now, paired with a warm cup of coffee and a cozy blanket.
Spitzbuben Biscuits
If you enjoy cookies with a fascinating historical background and an even more fascinating taste, you should definitely try the Spitzbuben Biscuits. These cookies are widely known not only in Switzerland but in Germany and Austria as well.
A baker named Johannes came up with the recipe for the Spitzbuben Biscuits and gave them to the poor when food was rare during the 30-year-old war 1618-1648. The name “Spitzbuben” means “mischievous boy” and is commonly used in Switzerland and Germany. The reason for that is the fact that the holes cut into the cookies used to look like smiling faces, although now they just have one large hole in the middle. These delicious cookies can be made with any type of jam or jelly you like and are best served with a warm cup of tea.
Basler Läckerli
Another great Swiss biscuit is the Basler Läckerli which, translated from German, “Leckerli” literally means “delicious.” These are traditional hard spice biscuits originating in Switzerland. These rectangular biscuits are made with a flat baked dough topped with a sugar glaze and best enjoyed with a warm cup of coffee. They are made of hazelnuts, honey, almonds, and candied peel. So, if you like those ingredients, you’re going to love these delicious biscuits.
Tirggel
The Tirggel is another rich-in-flavor Swiss biscuit made with honey, aniseed, ginger, coriander, flour, and rosewater. These biscuits date back to the 15th century when not many people could afford the Tirggel biscuits because of their costly ingredients.
However, over the years, the Tirggel biscuits have become more accessible and increasingly popular to enjoy during the colder months of the year. You can enjoy these biscuits with either tea or coffee.
Swiss Meringue
And to finish off our sweet list, we have the Swiss Meringue. In contrary to French Meringue, the Swiss one is fluffier. Swiss Meringue is a fluffy frosting that can be made with just a few ingredients and used in many other tasty treats.
It is made with egg whites and sugar, and when you mix the two, you get a glossy and thick meringue which is then baked. You can use the Swiss Meringue as a base for meringue cookies, buttercream frostings, or any other meringue-topped pie. It will remind you of the taste of marshmallows that you can spread and enjoy on top of other sweet treats.
The Bottom Line
We hope that by the end of this article, you’ll have learned much more about Swiss desserts and the details that go into making them. What makes them most memorable and delicious is the fact that they are made in Switzerland with some of the best ingredients, and some even have interesting historical backgrounds that make the treats even better. So, make sure to try one of these cakes next time you’re in Switzerland.
