Fastelavnsboller (Danish Carnival Buns)
These pastry cream filled cardamom buns are one of the most delicious treats - they're fluffy, creamy, sweet, and just taste absolutely amazing! In Denmark, we eat these in the lead-up to one of our favorite holidays as children - Fastelavn!
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
FILLING AND DECORATION
- 1/2 portion kagecreme (for these fastelavnsboller, you will likely only need half of the kagecreme recipe - we usually just make a whole portion anyway and then eat the leftover pastry cream or use it for something else!)
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Powdered sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Water
- Colorful sprinkles
Instructions
- We would recommend making your kagecreme ahead of time so that it has sufficient time to cool in the fridge.
- 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 rest for about 20 minutes on the table, covered with plastic wrap or a damp dishtowel. I also like to spray or brush the tops of the dough with a bit of vegetable oil, just to make sure they don't form any skin or dry spots.
- Next, you are going to fill the buns with kagecreme. To do this, take a bun, place it on your table or surface dome side down (seam side up) and flatten it, just by hitting it with the heel or palm of your hand. You may need to pick up the circle of dough and use your hands to enlarge the circle a bit, that's totally fine. Either pipe or spoon a dollop of filling (a dollop on the smaller side; we can usually get a few teaspoons of filling in each - just be careful not to overfill, or else your buns will explode) into the center of the dough circle. Pull up the sides and pinch them together. You do not need to do anything else to shape the buns at this point! This will only create weak spots where the filling can run out during baking. Place your filled bun on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Let the filled buns rise another 30 minutes. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 F (175 C).
- Once your buns are about doubled in size, egg wash the buns. Then bake them in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and hollow sounding.
- Let the buns cool on a wire rack. Once cool, prepare your decoration. Mix together about a cup of powdered sugar, a tablespoon of cocoa powder (to start), and a tiny bit of water. Keep adding water, or sugar, or cocoa powder until the icing reaches the consistency and taste that you like.
- Spoon the icing onto each bun, letting it drip down the sides. Add colorful sprinkles on top, let the icing harden a bit, and enjoy!