A piece of cake: best Christmas pastries in Berlin, Germany

The most suitable description of Berlin's oldest bakery and pastry shop, Konditorei Buchwald, is grandma’s living room with its striped old-fashioned wallpapers, mid-century-style furniture, and, of course, the irresistible accord of hot coffee and freshly baked pastries. It is an ideal location to try out the German ritual of Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake). That means a gathering of family or friends for a little chit-chat while indulging in sweet delicacies accompanied by coffee. The signature dessert of this establishment — Baumkuchen (tree cake, spit cake) –– is based on a family secret-recipe that is over 160 years old. It is a traditional German round cake that should be baked in a specific way: on a rotating spit by adding the batter layer by layer. And if you cut the ready cake, it will resemble the growth rings of an actual tree.

At Konditorei Buchwald, they add marzipan and the finest spices apart from other ingredients to give their specialty a unique touch. Try their sweet Mandelhörnchen (almond horns), rich Rumkugeln (rum balls), and creamy Käsetörtchen mit Mohn und Kirschen (mini cheesecake with poppy seeds and cherries). And if you decide to surprise someone with a sweet treat from Germany, there is an option of ordering Baumkuchen delivery to any country in the world.

No winter holiday season in Germany can be complete without Stollen. Created in Dresden back in 1329, this sweet loaf cake, generously packed with dry fruits, butter, and various spices, has become synonymous with Christmas. Though the original Dresdner Stollen, filled with sweet rum-soaked raisins, is considered the benchmark among all others, nowadays, there are many other delicious variations on this theme found in all regions of Germany.

You can savour Butterstollen (its preparation requires a precisely measured proportion of butter, and other ingredients), Quarkstollen (made with cottage cheese), Mohnstollen (with poppy seed filling), Mandelstollen (loaded with almonds and other fruits), Marzipanstollen (with marzipan added to the dough before baking). And the best thing about this winter dessert is the fact that it’s a Methuselah of cakes, when it comes to shelf life. In fact, it only gets better a couple of weeks after it has been baked: the bread soaks up the moisture from the rum-infused fruits. And if you wrap your loaf and keep it in a cool, dry place, it will not get spoiled for several months. Thus, it can be a perfect souvenir to bring back home from Germany.

In Berlin, we suggest you try Dinkel-Butter-Stollen with cranberries and marzipan at Zeit für Brot. Founded in 2009 in Frankfurt by Björn Schwind, this brand has rapidly grown throughout Germany. The concept is based on premium organic food, craftsmanship, and sustainability. The moment you enter their cafe in Berlin, the scents of cinnamon and sugar enchant you. This holiday season, they also offer packed Stollenkonfekt (bite-size Stollen) with cranberries and marzipan. Visit Zeit für Brot for this mouthwatering authentic dessert.

As we all know, pronouncing some German words may be challenging for a non-native speaker. When ordering one of the most-beloved local desserts, Schneewittchenkuchen (Snow White cake), you might be captured in a real phonetic trap. But no worries! You can still enjoy this creamy delicacy because its alternative simple name is Donauwelle (Danube waves). Unlike Stollen, this cake is not limited to the Christmas season. But after tasting it at Brotgarten, we believe it would be a crime not to share this discovery with other foodies as soon as we can. This layered delight consists of a moist chocolate sponge cake, buttercream, glazed chocolate, and juicy cherries. The brown cake layering gives it the appearance of the waves, and usually, the glaze on top resembles wind-roughened water too.

Brotgarten’s story began back in 1978, when a group of enthusiasts decided to follow their shared dream of opening a bakery that would only use organically grown grain. Little did they know that this pioneering idea would bloom to become a successful high-demand business in the 21st century. Nowadays, they are still dedicated to baking sweet and savoury items without artificial ingredients and chemicals. Here, you can enjoy healthy organic, vegetarian, and vegan pastries. Indulge into the fruity Pflaumenkuchen (plum pie), healthy Dinkel-Möhrenschnitte (carrot cake), or sweet Heiße Wecken at Brotgarten.

Das Rausch Schokoladenhaus is a family-run business. Founded in 1918, it has been pampering chocolate lovers with high-quality sweet indulgence for over a century. This year, they have prepared many surprises for us. The first and the biggest one would be their 2022 Advent calendar. Filled with 24 different sweet delights that we won’t describe to keep the beautiful mystery for each of you, this calendar is an aesthetic bliss created specially for Rausch by a talented illustrator, Aljoscha Blau. The artist has deliberately decided to avoid the traditional reindeers, snowflakes, angels, and stars in his painting and devoted it to the origins of Rausch chocolate – South American countries and Madagascar. Thus, the sloth, lama, iguana, blossoming cocoa trees, and a little girl painted in the foreground.

The next pleasant surprise would be the variety of Christmas pastries at Rausch. Their Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars) with meringue and ground nuts are irresistible. They will make a perfect duo with a cup of rich hot cocoa. But Zimtsterne are not the only cookies typical for the winter holiday season. At Rausch, you will find all kinds of Lebkuchen, tender and nutty Vanillekipferl, and cutely shaped Marzipanbäumchen (marzipan tree). For the finest and sweetest moments, visit Rausch chocolate café in Berlin.

Christmas mood comes with traditional winter holiday activities, fur tree decorations, gift-wrapping, and all the tasty things you can savour. But the true meaning of the festive day lies in giving and sharing. And for this exact reason, we would like to tell you about Dots. During the cold times, the team of this cozy little place bakes “special” cakes for birds to keep them fed in winter.

If you are looking for some vegan or gluten-free options to sweeten your holiday, visit Dots for their fluffy vegan cinnamon rolls that taste like heaven. And if you have already been to all the Christmas markets in Berlin, tried all possible traditional pastries, and decided to find something unusual, try crispy pastels de nata (cream pastries) with custard. A pinch of cinnamon, the creamiest custard filling and nest-shaped crust turn this Portuguese dish into a delicacy that always leaves you wanting more.

For the coziest atmosphere, the most friendly staff, and the finest coffee time with a sweet cinnamon roll, come to see this cafe while vacationing in Berlin. And this year, during the Advent weekends, visit a pop-up Christmas market for the best time organized by Dots cafe. It is a beautiful collaboration of talented artists, musicians, and designers where you can meet amazing people.

Everyone has heard of cupcakes and tasted them at least once. These mini-cakes with colourful creamy hats and various toppings are normally not associated with Christmas. But there is a place in Berlin that went a step further. At Tigertörtchen bakery, they have modified the size, proportions, and fillings of classical cupcakes. As a result, you can now savour Tigertörtchen (tiny cupcakes with a perfect ratio of dough to cream filling) and cuptails (cakes with a spirit- or liquor-infusion).

Tigertörtchen are nearly 5 cm in diameter, and it gives you a sweet opportunity to try several different flavours instead of only a particular one. You can choose between apple and almond mini-cupcake with lavender cream, hazelnut mini-cupcake with creamy chocolate topping, coconut mini-cupcake with airy sweet topping, or even passionfruit mini-cupcake with white chocolate cream.

Our absolute favorite cuptail this winter season would be Lumumba – chocolate-nut cupcake with rum infusion. Tigertörtchen bakery (same as the name of their specialty) is a must-visit not only if you want to taste some of the best pastries in Berlin, but also a place where you can spend an exciting time participating in their workshops. You can learn how to bake different kinds of Tigertörtchen, guided by their pastry chef. If you don’t really feel like spending time outside in the cold, pre-book any of the workshops online and spend three hours in a warm and joyful atmosphere learning something new.

For many people, every December is a beautiful period when they celebrate not only the birth of Christ, but also the time when they look back at their achievements of the year gone by, and make resolutions for the upcoming year full of anticipation and countless opportunities. And we hope that our guide will help add a little magic to your celebration and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

What is your Christmas dessert darling? Share your secret with other foodies in the comment section below.