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Christmas baking recipes from Swedish baker Baka med Frida
Enjoy the flavours of a Swedish Christmas this year
The most irresistible Christmas aromas fill the kitchen as Frida Skattberg — also known as Baka med Frida — shares three classic Swedish recipes for your festive baking this year. These recipes take traditional Swedish bakes and give them a modern twist, from aromatic gingerbread cookies to a festive take on a Swedish Princess cake served in a glass. Let Frida’s favourites inspire you and enjoy cosy baking moments throughout December.
Recipes in this article:
- Princess cake with saffron
- Saffron buns with vanilla
- Gingerbread cookies
Discover more recipes from Frida:
1. Saffron Princess Cake in Glasses
Ingredients (serves 4)
Cake base:
- 3 eggs
- 150ml caster sugar
- 50ml water
- 120g plain flour
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 0.5g saffron
- 1 tsp baking powder
Filling:
- 150g raspberry jam
- 150ml vanilla custard (ready-made is fine)
- 300ml double cream, whipped
Decoration:
- 200g red marzipan
- 2 tsp icing sugar
Method
Make the cake base
- Preheat the oven to 220°C (conventional) and line a 40 × 30 cm baking tray with baking parchment.
- Whisk the eggs and caster sugar with an electric whisk until pale and airy. Quickly whisk in the water, then gently fold in the dry ingredients.
- Spread the batter evenly over the tray and bake in the middle of the oven for about 5 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
- Roll out the marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar.
Assemble the desserts
- Use one of your serving glasses as a cutter to stamp out 4 circles from the sponge.
- Place one circle of cake in the bottom of each glass.
- Top with a generous tablespoon of raspberry jam, a spoonful of vanilla custard, and a layer of softly whipped cream.
- Finish with a marzipan “lid” on top and dust lightly with icing sugar.
Enjoy your saffron princess cake in these dessert bowls from HAY.
Golden saffron buns with creamy vanilla filling – Frida Skattberg inspires truly delightful Christmas baking.
2. Saffron Buns with Vanilla (makes about 30)
Ingredients
Dough:
- 500ml whole milk
- 50g fresh yeast (or 14 g fast-action dried yeast)
- 1g saffron
- 150g caster sugar
- 1 egg (optional)
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- ½ tsp salt
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 kg strong white flour
Filling:
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 120g soft light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tbsp vanilla paste)
To garnish:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 100g pearl sugar (or coarse sugar crystals)
- 50g flaked almonds
Sugar syrup:
- 150g caster sugar
- 150ml water
To make the sugar syrup:
Place the caster sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Method
- Beat together all the filling ingredients using an electric whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- Pour the milk into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Crumble in the yeast. Add the saffron, caster sugar, egg (if using), vanilla sugar, and salt. Stir until the yeast has dissolved.
- Add the butter, then gradually mix in the flour until you have a soft dough that comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and divide it into two equal pieces.<br> Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a large rectangle. Spread half of the vanilla filling evenly over the surface, then fold the dough in half.
- Cut the dough into strips about 2 cm wide, twist each strip, then coil it into a bun shape. Place the buns on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
- Cover the buns with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for about 1½ hours. When there are roughly 20 minutes left, preheat the oven to 225°C (conventional).
- Once risen, brush the buns with the beaten egg and bake in the centre of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until golden.
- While they bake, have your sugar syrup ready. As soon as the buns come out of the oven, brush them generously with the warm syrup, then sprinkle with pearl sugar and flaked almonds. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
3. Gingerbread Dough (makes around 100 thin biscuits)
Ingredients
- 200g butter
- 200ml light syrup (or golden syrup)
- 100ml caster sugar
- 75g soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp ground cloves
- ½ tbsp ground cardamom
- 150ml double cream
- 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch of salt
- 600g plain flour
Method
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then stir in the syrup, caster sugar, brown sugar, all the spices, and the double cream. Mix well, then remove from the heat.
- In a separate bowl, combine the bicarbonate of soda and salt with the flour. Add the flour mixture to the pan a little at a time, stirring until it forms a smooth dough.
- Knead briefly, then wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (conventional) and line two baking trays with baking parchment.
- Roll out the dough thinly on a well-floured work surface and cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 5 minutes, or until lightly golden.
Leave the finished dough to rest overnight in the refrigerator in a cast iron pot.
Roll out the dough and cut out your favourite shapes with the Nordwik gingerbread moulds, you can create traditional and beautiful gingerbread cookies.
Leave the gingerbread cookies to cool on a wire rack – once they have reached the perfect crispness, serve and enjoy the freshly baked Christmas treat!
Follow Baka med Frida's example and serve your Christmas treats on a festive platter from Hammershøi for extra Christmas spirit!
Recipe: Frida Skattberg Photo: Frida Skattberg
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