Endless past attempts to master danishes (8)

I believe the answer is:

pastries

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'master danishes' is the definition.
The answer and definition can be both things that one consumes for nourishment as well as being plural nouns.
Perhaps they are linked in a way I don't understand?

'endless past attempts' is the wordplay.
'endless' means to remove the last letter.
'attempts' becomes 'tries' ('try' can be a synonym of 'attempt').
'past' with its final letter taken off is 'pas'.
'pas'+'tries'='PASTRIES'

'to' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for pastries that I've seen is " Bakery items".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app