Air Fryer Hindbærsnitter (Danish Raspberry Slices)

February 17, 2023

Air Fryer Hindbærsnitter (Danish Raspberry Slices)

Hindbærsnitter are classic Danish baking: two thin sheets of shortcrust pastry with raspberry jam in between, icing on top and a scatter of raspberries or sprinkles. They’re cut into bars and belong on the birthday table and in the bakery case.

Here we bake the sheets in the air fryer instead of the oven. An air fryer is really a convection oven with strong circulation, so the sheets turn golden fast — too fast, if you aren’t careful. That’s why we keep the temperature down at 320°F (160°C) and take the sheets out while they’re still pale. Classic hindbærsnitter should be light, not dark.

The pastry is butter rubbed into flour and powdered sugar, brought together with an egg and never kneaded. Kneading makes it tough; rubbing keeps it crisp. The dough rests in the cold before it’s rolled out, so it’s easy to work with.

Only assemble the cake once the sheets are completely cold, or the icing will melt. The hindbærsnitter are crispest on baking day and soften after a couple of days. Store them airtight at room temperature, never in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Makes about 12 bars

The pastry

300 g wheat flour
50 g almond flour (or 50 g extra wheat flour)
175 g cold butter, diced
125 g powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg, beaten

Filling and icing

200 g raspberry jam
150 g powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp water (or lemon juice)
2 tbsp freeze-dried raspberries (or colored sprinkles)

Directions

The pastry

Mix the wheat flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar and salt in a bowl. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture looks like coarse sand.

Add most of the egg, and bring the dough together quickly — do not knead it. Add the rest of the egg only if the dough is too dry. Wrap the dough and let it rest in the cold for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll each portion out on a piece of parchment paper into a sheet about 20 × 30 cm and 3-4 mm thick. Trim the sheets to fit the air-fryer basket — divide them into smaller sheets if needed, and bake in batches.

Bake the sheets in the air fryer at 320°F (160°C) for 8-10 minutes, until they are just lightly golden at the edge but still pale. Keep an eye on them for the last few minutes, so they don’t get too dark. Bake on parchment paper or a perforated air-fryer mat.

Let the sheets cool completely on a wire rack. They carry on baking and turn crisp as they cool.

Filling and icing

Spread the raspberry jam evenly over one sheet, and place the other sheet on top.

Make the icing: whisk the powdered sugar with water or lemon juice a little at a time, until you have a thick, spreadable icing. Spread it over the top sheet.

Scatter the freeze-dried raspberries or sprinkles on at once, while the icing is wet.

Let the icing set, then cut the cake into bars about 5-6 cm with a sharp knife.

Notes

Air-fryer temperature: 320°F (160°C) is deliberately chosen low to keep the sheets pale and avoid dark edges. If your machine runs cool, you can go up to 355°F (180°C) and shorten the time to 7-8 minutes — but watch closely.
Bake in batches if the basket is small. The air needs to circulate freely around the sheet, so don’t lay the parchment paper so it covers the whole bottom tightly.
Never knead the pastry — only bring it together, or it turns tough instead of crisp.
Storage: airtight container at room temperature, never in the refrigerator. Crispest on baking day, softer after a couple of days.
Clear icing with freeze-dried raspberries gives a modern look, while colored sprinkles give the classic bakery appearance. Both are authentic.