Norwegian Coffee Cake Recipe (Oslo Kringle)

Updated content and photos May 1, 2026

When I was collecting recipes for my family cookbook, the note I found next to this recipe was “Bruce’s Favorite.” Bruce is my dad, and my grandma makes this every year for his birthday! I always knew this recipe as “Norwegian coffee cake” or just plain “coffee cake,” but it is also called an Oslo Kringle. While the coffee cake title might be deceiving, this breakfast pastry is a delicious Norwegian dessert, and will not be on your counter for very long! A delicious Norwegian Coffee Cake has the flavor and texture of a cream puff, but is easier to make and has dreamy icing.

This is a fairly simple recipe to make; it does take heating on the stove, but it is fairly straightforward! And it leaves you with a delicious Scandinavian treat.

What Makes This Norwegian Coffee Cake Special

Norwegian Coffee Cake, also called an Oslo Kringle, is a traditional Scandinavian pastry that stacks two layers that bake together on the same sheet. The bottom layer is a pressed-in crust that bakes up crisp and buttery like very thin a pie shell. The top is a choux paste, the same dough that puffs cream puffs and eclairs. In the oven it rises high and golden, then settles into a tender, almost custardy layer as it cools.

It’s somewhere between a pastry and a dessert, it looks impressive, and it disappears off the counter faster than almost anything else I make. If you’ve never heard of it, you’re not alone! It’s one of those under-the-radar Scandinavian recipes that deserves way more attention.

The name trips people up, so here’s the short version. There’s no coffee in it. “Coffee cake” means it belongs next to a cup of coffee, and plenty of Scandinavian American families have called it that for generations, mine included. Its traditional name is Oslo Kringle. It’s not the same as the Danish kringle you might see in bakery cases, which is a layered, oval pastry with a filling.

Why you’ll love this recipe!

It tastes like a cream puff, but is so much easier to make
No special equipment needed, just a saucepan, a bowl, and a baking sheet
The almond icing is absolutely dreamy, not too overpowering
It works for breakfast, brunch, or dessert

Ingredients You’ll Need

Flour:
Eggs: Three eggs give the choux layer its puff. Room-temperature eggs blend into the warm dough more easily than cold ones, so set them on the counter while you make the base.
Butter: You’ll use butter in all three parts of this recipe. For the base, keep it cold so it stays in little pieces when you work it into the flour. Those pieces turn into the flaky texture. Grandma Lee’s card lists “butter or margarine” for the base, so either one works there.
Water
Slicked Almonds: The traditional finish is a scatter of sliced almonds over the glaze. I skipped them the first time I made this because I didn’t have any in the pantry, and it still tasted wonderful. The almonds add a nice crunch, though, and they make it look finished.
Sugar
Powdered Sugar: The simple base for the glaze.
Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream: Either one thins the glaze to a drizzle. Heavy Whipping Cream makes it a little richer.
Almond Extract: This is where all the flavor comes from. The pastry layer and the glaze both get a dose, and together they give the kringle that classic Scandinavian almond taste. Vanilla works in a pinch, but you’ll miss the almond.

Tips for the Best Oslo Kringle

The base of this pastry is like a pie crust; with all pie crusts, do your best not to overwork the dough! Overworking the dough will cause gluten to form, which creates a tough dough. A great way I have found to cut in the butter is to use a Danish dough whisk. It is made so that the dough does not get stuck like in a traditional whisk.
Be sure to mix the eggs well into the topping! it should have a very smooth texture, almost like a thick frosting. I was afraid that the eggs would be scorched when I added them to the mixture, so I poured mine from my pan into a separate bowl, and it worked wonderfully!These are my favorite glass bowls.
When baking, the pastry should be golden, and the edges should start to look almost brown.
Make sure you pat the base onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I love my nonstick cookie sheets, Nordic Ware has the best quality cookie sheets I have ever found.. I was skeptical about not spraying them, but this pastry lifted off with ease. You could also lay down a Silpat mat!

What I Used to Make Norwegian Coffee Cake

Variations and Substitutions

No almond extract? Vanilla works in a pinch, though you’ll lose that classic Norwegian flavor
Want more texture? Toast the sliced almonds on top before adding them
Making it for a crowd? You can double the recipe and make four strips instead of two, it bakes the same way!

What to Serve with Norwegian Coffee Cake

A hot cup of coffee or tea is the classic pairing, whether you’re serving it at a holiday brunch or a birthday breakfast like we do for my dad. Fresh berries on the side are also a delicious addition for brunch or dessert, or even a spoonful of marionberry freezer jam over a warm slice is hard to beat.

How to make Norwegian Coffee Cake

The base: Mix flour and cold butter together until the butter is the size of small peas — just like making pie crust. Press it into two long strips on a baking sheet. Don’t overthink it, it doesn’t need to be perfect.

The choux topping: This is the step that sounds intimidating but really isn’t. You bring butter and water to a boil, then stir in flour and eggs on the stove until it becomes a thick, smooth batter. Spread it right over each strip of dough. It will puff up beautifully in the oven.

The icing: Once it’s out of the oven and cooled, mix up the almond glaze and drizzle it over the top. Finish with sliced almonds. Try not to eat it before it’s done cooling. (I always fail at this step.)

Check out the video below where I walk you through step-by-step how I made Norwegian Coffee Cake! This was also my first time ever making it, and I was pleasantly surprised with how simple and delicious it turned out!

Frequently Asked Questions

You can make it the evening before and store it covered at room temperature. The base will soften slightly overnight but it still tastes wonderful. I wouldn’t make it more than a day ahead.

Yes! Oslo Kringle is the traditional name for this pastry. Norwegian Coffee Cake is just what many American families have called it over the years — including mine.

It doesn’t! The “coffee cake” name refers to the fact that it’s traditionally served alongside coffee, not that it contains coffee. It’s purely a pastry with almond flavoring

The most common reason is the eggs weren’t fully incorporated into the hot dough — make sure you’re stirring vigorously after adding each egg until the batter is smooth and glossy before adding the next one.

Yes. Freeze the baked strips without glaze, wrapped tightly, for up to a month. Thaw them at room temperature, warm them briefly in the oven to crisp the crust, then glaze.

No. Danish kringle is a layered pastry, usually oval and filled with fruit or nuts. Oslo Kringle has a pressed crust with a choux layer on top and no filling.

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