En bref
- Gevulde speculaas (Dutch filled speculaas) is a sandwich of spiced speculaas dough with an almond paste filling — the filling makes up about half the weight.
- The banketstaaf is its puff-pastry cousin: a golden roll with an almond filling, served over the end-of-year holidays.
- A finely ground 50/50 almond filling stays moist after baking; a paste too high in sugar dries out and hardens.
- Marzipan figurines remain the heart of the Belgian Saint Nicholas — a market of a few weeks that is prepared from October.
- Professional ratios and production calendar below.
From Saint Nicholas to the end-of-year holidays, the Belgian and Dutch classics — gevulde speculaas, banketstaaf, almond breads, figurines — all rest on the same ingredient: almond paste. A Brussels manufacturer since 1988, Silly Belgium walks through these specialities and the ratios that make the difference in production.
Gevulde speculaas: the dough-to-filling balance
Two layers of speculaas dough, an almond heart, flaked almonds on top: gevulde speculaas — the filled speculaas of Belgium and the Netherlands — is simple on paper and demanding in production. The golden rule: the filling accounts for roughly half the weight of the finished product — below that it becomes a dry biscuit; above it, it sags when cut.
| Component | Share of weight | Watch point |
|---|---|---|
| Speculaas dough (2 layers) | ≈ 50% | Spices dosed so they don't mask the almond |
| Almond paste filling | ≈ 45% | Finely ground 50/50, loosened with egg |
| Decoration (almonds, glaze) | ≈ 5% | Whole or flaked almonds, egg wash |
À retenir — Loosen the almond paste with a little egg (about 10% of the weight) and a touch of lemon zest before spreading it: the filling stays moist for days and does not shrink between the dough layers.
The banketstaaf: the festive almond pastry roll
The banketstaaf — literally 'banquet bar' — is a roll of puff pastry filled with almond paste, brushed with egg and baked to a crisp golden flake. In the Netherlands and Flanders it is inseparable from Saint Nicholas and Christmas; in its individual version it becomes the banketletter, often shaped as a letter.
The classic pitfall is the same as for frangipane : a filling that boils and breaks through the pastry. The remedy: a cold, firm log of filling, the seam underneath the roll, and two or three discreet pricks to let the steam escape.
Erreur fréquente — Filling a banketstaaf with figurine marzipan (2/3 almonds): too rich in oil, it splits in the oven. A baking filling calls for a 50/50 designed for the oven.
Almond breads and small filled pastries: the year-round range
The same 50/50 base drives a whole family of pastries and biscuits: amandelbroodjes (small almond-filled buns), upgraded almond croissants, almond-hearted shortbreads. For the professional, it is the way to make a pail of baking marzipan pay beyond the season: the filling keeps well, pipes easily and freezes raw.
Figurines and Saint Nicholas marzipan: the heart of the Belgian tradition
Every year in early December, Belgian shop windows fill with marzipan fruit, vegetables and pigs. This figurine marzipan is a different product from the baking paste: richer in almonds (up to 2/3), it can be modelled, coloured and eaten raw. Silly makes it following the method described here.
Le saviez-vous ? — The Saint Nicholas marzipan tradition goes back to the Christmas markets of the old Low Countries: the almond, a precious commodity, was sculpted into offerings. The marzipan pig, for its part, is a good-luck charm inherited from Germanic end-of-year festivities.
The professional's calendar
| Period | Production | Silly ingredient |
|---|---|---|
| September–October | Trials, technical sheets, raw material orders | 50/50 baking marzipan |
| November | Ramp-up of gevulde speculaas & figurines | Figurine marzipan + 50/50 |
| 1–6 December | Saint Nicholas peak | Figurines, pigs, marzipan fruit |
| December | Banketstaven, yule logs, festive filled pastries | 50/50 + brésilienne + nougatine |
| January | Galettes & frangipanes | 50/50 baking marzipan |
Recommandation — Order your almond raw materials before mid-October: the Saint Nicholas window does not forgive a stock-out, and made-to-measure grinds need production lead time.
A Belgian manufacturer for your festive classics
Silly Belgium makes in Brussels the two product families these classics rely on: almond-rich figurine marzipan , and the 50/50 baking marzipan used in fillings. FSSC 22000 certification, Rainforest Alliance almonds, professional pack sizes from pail to container.
FAQ — gevulde speculaas & banketstaaf
What is gevulde speculaas?
A great Belgian-Dutch classic: two layers of speculaas dough with an almond paste filling, decorated with almonds, baked then cut into squares. The filling makes up about half the product's weight.
Which almond paste for a baking filling?
A 50/50 baking marzipan (half almonds, half sugar), finely ground: it stays moist after baking and does not split. Figurine marzipan, richer in almonds and oil, is made to be eaten raw.
What is a banketstaaf?
A roll of puff pastry filled with almond paste, brushed with egg, served at Saint Nicholas and over the holidays. Shaped as a letter, it becomes the Dutch banketletter.
How do you stop the filling breaking through the pastry?
Work with a cold, firm log of filling, seal the puff pastry underneath the roll and prick it two or three times to release the steam. A filling that is too wet or too sugary boils in the oven.
When should Saint Nicholas production start?
Trials and raw material orders in September–October, ramp-up in November, the peak from 1 to 6 December. Manufacturers advise securing supplies before mid-October.
Where can you buy professional almond paste for these specialities in Belgium?
Silly Belgium makes figurine marzipan and 50/50 baking marzipan in Brussels, FSSC 22000-certified, in professional pack sizes, supplied to bakers, pastry chefs and food manufacturers.
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