Classic Swedish Semla, the Fat Tuesday Bun

Semlor are a classic Swedish sweet bun that are eaten at Fastelavn just before the start of Lent. They used to only be eaten on Shrove Tuesday called Fettisdagen in Swedish and (fun fact!) it was illegal to eat them at any other time.

The sweet cardamom bun is filled with a delicious almond filling and topped with whipped cream. Of course we have to remember to dust generously with icing sugar as well!

Although you don't see semlor all through the year in Sweden (you might do in other countries serving Swedish style food), you certainly see them in the weeks and months leading up to Lent. On a recent trip to Sweden to do a little bit of shopping (a harryhandel, but that's another story!), they were for sale in the middle of January. Perhaps so everyone could really make the most of the semlor and enjoy them fully. I certainly like to have them as a little end of the week treat, or as we call it in Norway, fredagskos.

My recipe makes twelve good sized semlor so there are enough to share with some deserving friends or family.

Classic Swedish Semla, the Fat Tuesday Bun. Makes 12

Ingredients

For the buns:

650g / 1 lb 7 oz plain, all purpose flour

100g / 3.5 oz sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1.5 teaspoons ground cardamom

350ml / 12 fl oz milk

1 egg

50 g / 2 oz fresh yeast or 25g / 1 oz dried yeast

100g / 3.5 oz butter at room temperature

For the filling:

200g / 7 oz marzipan

75g / 2.5 oz sugar

75ml / 2.5 fl oz water

A few drops of bitter almond essence. This a classic Swedish ingredient and is slightly less sweet than a standard almond essence

300ml / 10 fl oz double or heavy cream

2 tablespoons icing sugar or powdered sugar

Method

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom and egg into the bowl of a stand mixer. Crumble over the yeast, add the milk and mix together to form a dough. Knead on low speed with a dough hook for 10 minutes.

Add the butter to the dough in small pieces, mixing all the time. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute then reduce the speed to low and knead again for a further 10 minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and allow to rest and prove at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and on a floured surface divide it into 12 equally sized pieces. Shape each one into a neat ball and place on a baking sheet that is lined with baking paper. Leave plenty of speace between each ball for spreading. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to prove at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F

Brush each roll with beaten egg and bake in the centre of the oven for about 12-14 minutes or until a golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling put the sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Boil for 1 minute then remove from the heat. Cut the marzipan into small pieces, place in a bowl and add about a third of the syrup and the almond essence. Mix together really well to form a paste. Add enough of the syrup to make a soft spreadable paste. If you like to you can add a handful of chopped almonds.

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and whisk again.

To assemble the semlor, cut the top off the buns at about a third of the way down. Scoop out some of the centre and fill with some of the almond mixture. Top with whipped cream and the lid of the bun. Dust well with icing sugar and serve.

Perfect for fika with a cup of black coffee.