Copenhagen’s best sweet treats

Some people are waylaid by shop windows filled with designer goods. Other are entranced by sparkling displays of jewellery. Me, I can always make time to stare lovingly at a mouth-watering array of cakes. Which is why Bertels Salon in Copenhagen is my sort of place.

Right in the centre of town, Bertels Salon is in many ways a classic Copenhagen café: a small and welcoming place, with an inviting aroma of coffee and stylish Insta-ready interiors.

What sets it apart, however, is that three-tiered display of magnificent cakes. The specialty of the house is cheesecake, which comes in an array of flavours from liquorice to mango to brownie cheesecake with blueberries.

It is while I’m working my way through a large slice of Bertels’ cherry cheesecake that I start musing about the Danish knack for sweet treats. It shouldn’t really come as a surprise – what else would you expect from people who have a type of pastry named after them – but after just a few days in Copenhagen, I have already found plenty of ways to sate my sweet tooth. I’ve feasted on all kinds of tasty pastry, including the frøsnapper, a pastry twist topped with poppyseeds, and the kanelstang, a gooey cinnamon-laden treat that has become my favourite snack.

My first encounter with a kanelstang takes place in Torvehallerne, Copenhagen’s chic food market. We happen to walk past a stall just a tray of kanelstang is pulled out of the oven, and the aroma is impossible to resist. We manage to scoff two big serves in a matter of minutes, even though we have just finished breakfast.

At another Torvehallerne outlet, the popular Summerbird Chocolaterie, I am introduced to another favourite Danish treat, the flødeboller, a chocolate-coated marshmallow concoction. I am particularly taken with Summerbird’s passionfruit-flavoured mini-flødeboller, but I later discover an even more delicious version at the popular Lagkagehuset bakery, this one rolled in chopped hazelnuts and concealing a caramel centre.

Durring the long summer days, you will often find Copenhageners queuing at their favourite ice cream shop. On a friend’s recommendation I visit Østerberg Ice Cream, which is known for its all-natural ingredients and its broad range of flavours. The selection changes daily, but alongside evergreens such as chocolate and liquorice (to the Danes, everything tastes better with a little liquorice), you may come across unusual flavours such as tamarind, dragonfruit and soursop.

A different sort of icy treat is available at Hija de Sanchez. Founded by a former Noma pastry chef, this trendy taqueria in the Meatpacking District also sells delicious paletas, Paddlepop-style treats. The flavours rotate regularly, but may include avocado, hibiscus and – you guessed it – liquorice.