what make us different?

Copenhagen Pastry differs from other bakeries through our emphasis on using authentic Danish recipes, traditional baking methods and the finest quality ingredients to create pastries that are flaky, light and delicately sweet without being sugary or heavy.

Quality control, consistency and continuity are important to Copenhagen Pastry and among the reasons that our selections overall remain the same week after week.

Our fillings are primarily almond paste and custard in various ratios along with cinnamon, almond flakes and traditional Danish fruit fillings (apple, raspberry, apricot and blueberry).

We always have trays with samples available for new and returning customers at Copenhagen Pastry. We are confident that our pastries market themselves better than our words can convey.

At Copenhagen Pastry we bake pastries throughout the day as demand dictates. Customers will always leave with freshly baked goods.

Customers can peek through a window into the production area and watch our bakers go about their work, baking and decorating pastries.

Among our signature offerings is a wholegrain rye bread containing the goodness of whole rye berries, black flax seeds, sunflower and sesame seeds. Our rye bread is a thoroughly healthy bread high in fiber, low in sodium and sugar free.

Copenhagen Pastry staff strives to provide the highest possible customer service. We enjoy the interaction with our customers and gladly share pastry stories and all things about Denmark and Danes.

Our bakery does not offer a café-like setting. Instead we encourage our customers to take their purchases to a place where the pastries can be shared with family and friends in a relaxed, cozy setting.

the owner

With the opening of Copenhagen Pastry, owner Karen Hansen fulfilled her goal of bringing the best authentic Danish pastries to Culver City, greater Los Angeles, and the California Southland. Karen Hansen delights in providing customers with a genuine taste of Danish pastries, such as the ones she remembers from her childhood in Denmark.

To carry out this vision, Karen Hansen has assembled a staff of professionals who work well together and function as a team with the common goals of quality and courtesy.

the baking team

Karen Hansen heads up the baking team, and the combined experience and skill sets of these individuals make for a unique, dedicated team that endeavors to deliver the highest-quality products to our customers every day.

store staff

The people interacting with our customers are cheerful, knowledgeable, and courteous. We emphasize giving each customer a positive experience and sending them on their way with a smile and their purchases.

danish pastry history

Although today known worldwide as "Danishes," these pastries did not originate in Denmark. Still, they were brought to Denmark by Austrian bakers, particularly from Vienna, in the 1850s when Danish pastry workers went on a long-term wage strike. These bakers were unfamiliar with Danish baked goods, so they used their traditions with flaky, buttery dough filled with various custards, nuts, fruit, jellies, and almond paste. Not long before, these pastries became famous throughout Denmark, and the demand persisted after the strike ended. This is why these pastries are called Viennese (wienerbrød) in Denmark.

Traditional Danish pastry dough is yeast-leavened dough folded 27 times over with layers of margarine, resulting in a so-called laminated dough that yields the desired light and flaky pastry prized around the world.

The basic pastry dough is a versatile canvas, used to create pastries in a variety of styles. Whether it's the round and circular shapes of Spandauer and Chocolate pastries, the folded or rolled forms of Copenhagen or Cinnamon pastries, the cut, folded, or shaped designs of Diamond or Crown pastries, or the knotted pretzel shape of a Kringle, the trade sign for Danish bakeries, the possibilities are endless.