Fastelavn
February in Scandinavia is the season of Fastelavn and fastelavnsboller. In Denmark, this holiday is similar to Carnival and involves children dressing up in costumes and hitting barrels filled with candy. They also eat a lot of fastelavnsboller, which are delicious sweet cardamom buns filled with pastry cream and topped with chocolate. You can find the link to our recipe for traditional Danish fastelavnsboller here.
What are Semlor?
But, of course, traditions vary between Scandinavian countries, so today’s recipe is for the delicious semla (plural: semlor), the Swedish Lenten bun. The base is a soft and sweet cardamom bun with the top cut off. The bottom is then filled with almond paste, then with whipped cream and finally, the top of the bun is placed on the very top. It’s a beautiful and absolutely delicious dessert!
Semlor are eaten throughout February in the lead up to Lent, and especially on Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday. In Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia, they are only sold during this time period. Many bakeries will do a lot of variations, and people really enjoy trying different kinds of semlor or fastelavnsboller throughout February.
Making Semlor
The recipe itself may look intimidating, but it is just a lot of components that are actually quite simple to make! The buns are made with a yeasted dough that needs some time to rise, and you’ll have to whip up some marzipan and whipped cream, but the rest is just assembly. And then you get to enjoy the lovely final product! Please let us know below if you try out this recipe.
Semlor (Swedish Lenten Buns)
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) milk
- 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5 fresh yeast)
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 375 grams (3 cups) all-purpose or bread flour
- 57 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg for egg wash
FILLING
- 250 grams marzipan (can also be store-bought!)
- 57 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream
- Splash of vanilla extract
- 2 tsp sugar
Instructions
- If using active dry 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 to a bowl.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom, and salt (and milk and instant yeast if using it) to a large bowl. Mix well.
- 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.
- Slowly 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, and shape into buns. How to: take a piece, pinch together into a ball shape, then cup it in your hand with the top of the roll touching your palm. Place your hand on an unfloured surface with the seam touching the table. 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.
- Let the buns 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.
- Let the buns cool completely. While they are cooling, prepare your filling by mixing together marzipan and softened butter to make a paste (it helps if your marzipan is on the softer side!). 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 semlor, cut off the top of the bun and remove some of the center.
- Fill the center of the bun with about a tablespoon of marzipan filling.
- Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle with the whipped cream mixture, then pipe whipped cream in a circle on the top. Add back the top of the bun, and enjoy!
