Cinnamon Pie from Toggenburg (Toggenburger Zimtflade)

Toggenburg is a small, beautiful area in the canton of St. Gallen. Both the Säntis and the Churfirsten mountains are part of Toggenburg, and I can highly recommend the area for a long weekend of hiking or just soaking up the beauty of the landscape. In terms of food, one of the most well-known products from Toggenburg is the Kägi Fret, a chocolate waffle bar I’ve been addicted to for decades, and all the other sweet treats from the Kägi factory. They have a factory shop too where you can stock up on treats, including a pick-and-mix shelf and an array of second degree products for a bargain treat. There are also some other delicacies from Toggenburg, mostly available in the local Toggenburg bakeries, for example the Toggenburger Schorzifladen (a pie filled with dried pear filling and cream), the Toggenbuger Mandelfisch (a fish-shaped cake filled with almonds and sugar) and the Toggenburger Zimtflade (a pie filled with cinnamon bisquit). I’m lucky enough that there’s a breadstall from a Toggenburg bakery at my local farmer’s market where I can get all these delicous bakes. I’ve never attempted to make the fish-shaped cake but the other two are super easy and quick to make, and they taste just amazing straight out of the oven. What’s more, they’re regional specialities many a Swiss has never heard of – perfect to impress your Swiss friends!

Here’s a recipe for the Toggenburger Zimtflade. You can either make your own pie crust, or if you’re in a hurry you can also use a shop-bought pie dough. If you use a bought pie dough, preparing this cake won’t take more than 8-10 minutes (plus baking). It’s so super quick!

Recipe (for a round, 30cm pie tin)

• 1 portion of home-made pie crust (see my recipe here) or a shop-bought one (Kuchenteig)
• 200g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2.5 dl full-fat cream
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 150g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 tbsp apricot or raspberry jam

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180 C.

Make pie dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Cover pie tin with a baking parchment and put flattened crust into the tin. Using a fork, make many holes (this helps prevent the dough from getting soggy). Spread the jam evenly onto the dough.

Using an electrical mixer, beat sugar and eggs until light and fluffy.

Add cream and spices and mix. Add flour and baking powder and mix.

Pour the filling onto the pie base.

Bake for 35 minutes and let it cool on a wire rack.

This pie is best enjoyed on the same day. A dollop of whipped cream goes very well with it.