6 Dutch Homemade Bread, Cakes and Pastries

Written by
Karin Engelbrecht
Magazine editor, restaurant reviewer, and food writer who focuses on Dutch cuisine.
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Karin Engelbrecht
Updated 04/26/20

The Netherlands is perhaps best known for its cheese, but its butter should be equally famous, and where there is good butter, great baking can't be far behind. Here are a few of our favorite recipes for Dutch teatime treats.

  • 01 of 06

    Classic Dutch Apple Pie

    Classic Dutch apple pie

    The Spruce / Sara Winter

    That most classic of delicacies, the classic Dutch apple pie recipe gets a spicy lift thanks to speculaas spices (yes, we're obsessed with this aromatic spice). But, if you prefer it the traditional way, simply use cinnamon instead.

  • 02 of 06

    Whole Wheat Bread

    Freshly baked Hartog's bread.

    Photo from Hartog's Bakkerij

    This traditional whole wheat bread recipe comes from Hartog's, an artisanal bakery in Amsterdam that specializes in whole wheat bread. Its almost cult-like status means that people will sometimes line up around the block in the pouring rain to get their eager mitts on one of these wholesome creations. 

  • 03 of 06

    Bossche Bollen

    Bossche bollen

    wvanbragt / Getty Images

    Imagine a supersized profiterole, dunked in glossy dark chocolate and served up for your sticky-fingered enjoyment. These traditional tennis ball-sized cream-filled pastries have been made in Den Bosch, where they're known as sjekladebollen ("Bossche Bollen or chocolate balls") for at least a century. 

  • 04 of 06

    Dutch Hazelnut Meringue Cream Cake

    Hazelnut meringue cream cake

    Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images

     You'll find a version of this naturally gluten-free cake at every traditional Dutch bakery - they come in round, square or rectangular shapes. With layers of hazelnut-coffee cream (or mocha-flavored buttercream) sandwiched between crisp-chewy discs of hazelnut meringue, it's a beloved tradition for a reason. 

    Continue to 5 of 6 below.
  • 05 of 06

    Dutch Chocolate Bread With Almond Paste

    German Christmas Stollen

    The Spruce

    This yummy Dutch chocolate bread with almond paste and raisins, currants and brandy flirts with tradition, but the addition of dark chocolate chips lift and deepen the flavors, for an updated breakfast treat.

  • 06 of 06

    Banketstaaf (Dutch Flaky Pastry Log With Almond Paste)

    Dutch Almond Paste-Filled Pastry Log (Banketstaaf) Recipe

     The Spruce

    With its flaky puff pastry shell and squidgy center of almond paste, our homemade version of the classic Dutch banketstaaf is a delicious addition to your Easter or Christmas holiday table.