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Getting ready for Fastelavn
It’s February now, after the always-too-long month of January, which means we’re getting ready for Fastelavn. What is Fastelavn, you may ask? You can read all about the history of the Nordic holiday in our blog post here, but let me give you a short summary. It’s a holiday originally stemming from the Christian holiday of Shrovetide, which is the period before Lent when you can indulge in rich and decadent foods before you have to fast (or give them up).
Nowadays, it’s more of a cultural celebration and has some similarities to Halloween and Carnival. In particular, Fastelavn is very fun for kids, as they get to dress up in costumes and participate in various activities. This includes a tradition, at least in Denmark, of hitting a barrel full of candy until it breaks, and crowning the cat king and the cat queen. It’s also common for people to eat fastelavnsboller at this time. of year, or Fastelavn buns, which is a broad term for cream-filled buns.
Over the past five to ten years, fastelavnsboller have really exploded in popularity in the Scandinavian countries, with people lining up out the door of bakeries to try their exclusive flavors. The combinations of flavors and pastries are endless, so it’s really fun to play around with the creative ways you could put together a fastelavnsboller recipe. We have several: old-fashioned Danish fastelavnsboller filled with vanilla pastry cream, raspberry cheesecake choux buns, double-chocolate fastelavnsboller, and hazelnut and salted caramel Danish pastry buns.
Today’s recipe: Norwegian fastelavnsboller
But even though we talk a lot about how popular fastelavnsboller are in Denmark, since we’re Danish, they’re also eaten at this time of year in the other Nordic and Scandinavian countries. Sweden has its own version, called semlor, which are traditionally soft cardamom buns that you bake, cut open, and fill with an almond paste and whipped cream. Bakeries, like Scandikitchen in London, also come out with different versions of semlor in February, including this year’s offerings of pistachio, Bakewell, and cinnamon bun semlor!
In Norway, the traditional Norwegian fastelavnsboller are similar to the Swedish ones. The base is a soft cardamom bun, which you bake and then cut open. But instead of filling it with almond paste, you fill it with a delicious raspberry jam and whipped cream. The top of the bun then goes back on top, and a little sprinkle of powdered sugar is the final touch. And while all fastelavnsboller are delicious in their own right, we have to admit that the classic combination of flavors of Norwegian fastelavnsboller is truly timeless.
Make them how you like them!
One thing that we want you to take away from this recipe is that fastelavnsboller are now an excuse to get as creative as you want with flavors and textures. So if you don’t love raspberry jam, or you aren’t into the idea of a simple whipped cream on top, try something else! Make a blueberry or a cherry jam. Whip up a mascarpone cream or a chocolate ganache to go inside. Try omitting cardamom from the dough and adding different spices instead. Truly, you can do whatever you want when it comes to fastelavnsboller!
However, we do like to think that this is a good recipe for a beginner baker or someone who has never made a fastelavnsbolle before. And that’s because instead of having to fill the pastry with cream and then bake it, which can lead to explosions of cream and slightly misshapen buns, these buns are baked and then filled. It’s a slightly easier way to assemble the buns, and you also have more control over how nice and precise the end product looks.
Ingredients you’ll need
To make our Norwegian fastelavnsboller, you’ll need to first make the dough. This means you’ll need the following: milk, yeast, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom (either finely or coarsely ground), salt, all-purpose or plain or bread flour, and unsalted butter. The raspberry filling consists of raspberries (we always use frozen), sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt. Finally, the whipped cream is just heavy cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. As mentioned before, feel free to replace the raspberry filling with another flavor that you like! You can also use store-bought jam, although it is a bit more watery than the filling in the recipe, which really packs a punch of tart raspberry flavor.
How to make Norwegian fastelavnsboller
The process of making these Norwegian fastelavnsboller isn’t too complicated. We’d recommend first making the raspberry filling and letting it cool fully in the fridge. Then, combine the dough ingredients and knead until you have a very smooth, not sticky dough. Let this rise until about doubled in size. Once the dough has risen, divide and shape into 12 rolls – we like to weigh them so that they’re all the same size. Let these rise again, then egg wash and bake until they’re shiny and golden brown. Let them cool fully. Then, it’s time to whip up the whipped cream and assemble. Cut the top third of the bun off, add some jam, then some whipped cream, and place the top of the bun back on top. Finally, dust with powdered sugar for decoration!
Watch Our Video
Norwegian Fastelavnsboller (Buns with Jam and Cream)
These fluffy and cardamom-flavored Norwegian fastelavnsboller are filled with a delicious tart raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream. The perfect combination!
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 150 ml milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5 fresh yeast)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 grams sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 375 grams all-purpose or bread flour
- 57 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
RASPBERRY FILLING
- 340 grams frozen raspberries
- 150 grams sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest (optional)
WHIPPED CREAM
- 360 ml heavy cream
- Splash of vanilla extract
- 3 tsp sugar
Instructions
- To make the raspberry filling: add all your ingredients (raspberries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, lemon zest) to a small saucepan and place on the stove over medium heat.
- Stir until the raspberries have thawed and the sugar has dissolved, then allow to simmer and thicken for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so nothing burns.
- Once you can see the bottom of the pan when you scrape a spoon or spatula through the jam, and it has darkened in color, it should be thick enough to set once cooled.
- Transfer to a bowl or tupperware and let it cool briefly at room temperature before transferring to the fridge to fully cool.
- For the bun dough: if using active dry or fresh yeast – heat up the milk, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is “fingervarm” (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. If using instant yeast – just add the yeast and milk in the next step.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom, and salt to a large bowl. Mix well. If you're using instant yeast, add the yeast and milk in this step.
- If you’re using active dry yeast, once the yeast has bubbled up, add the milk and yeast mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
- Add the flour and the softened butter, stirring with a wooden spoon. Once the dough starts to come together, you can start kneading.
- Knead until smooth and elastic, probably around 10-15 minutes. Add a bit of flour if the dough sticks to your hands or the surface. If you prefer not to get your hands messy, feel free to use a stand mixer for this step. The texture of your dough before its first rise should be soft and smooth, not sticky and not too dry.
- Cover and let your dough rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, dump it out on a flat surface. Divide into 12 equal pieces. If you want very even-looking buns, weigh the total lump of dough, then divide this by 12 and weigh each piece to ensure that all buns weigh the same.
- Shape the pieces into buns. How to: take a piece, pinch together into a ball shape, then place it seam-side down on an unfloured surface. Cup it in your hand with the top of the roll touching your palm. Move your cupped hand in quick, tight circles – this will cause the seam to come together and create tension on the surface of the dough.
- Place the shaped buns on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Let them rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Once the buns have risen, egg wash the buns and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow-sounding when you tap them. Let them cool completely.
- While the buns are cooling, prepare the whipped cream. Whip the heavy cream using a stand mixer, a handheld mixer, or a whisk, and add sugar and vanilla extract. Whip until it reaches stiff peaks.
- To fill the fastelavnsboller, cut off the top third of the bun and remove some of the center (about 1 tbsp's worth).
- Fill the center of the bun with about 1 tbsp of raspberry jam.
- Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle with the whipped cream mixture, then pipe whipped cream in a thick layer on the top of the jam. We usually pipe a circle around the edge, then fill in the middle to create an even layer. Add back the top of the bun, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and enjoy!
