Cardamom buns beat the pants off of cinnamon rolls. Yeah, I said it. Fight me.
Okay, let’s back up. While I like a good, fluffy cinnamon roll, cinnamon has been kind of a “meh” spice for me. (This may or may not be because I ate a pear crisp laden with cinnamon right before dealing with a stomach bug many, many years ago, but I digress.)
But give me a good, lightly sweet, buttery cardamom bun, and you’ve got me hooked.
I get asked a lot at markets, “What does cardamom taste like?” And you may be asking yourself the same thing, if you’ve never had a cardamom bun, or don’t know if you’ve had it before, or have truly never eaten the spice before.
I always lead with, “Have you had chai?” and if the answer is “yes,” I tell them it’s the spice that’s not everything else found in pumpkin or apple pie spice. And if the answer is “no,” well, I’ve been more creative with my answer, trying to pinpoint the flavor of cardamom. It’s a warm spice, like cinnamon, but it’s more floral, and tends to bloom more towards the back of the mouth/nose than cinnamon. And, unlike cinnamon, it doesn’t have any spicy kick to it if you eat a spoonful of it. (I don’t recommend eating a spoonful of any spice, mind you.)
It’s used in all kinds of global cooking, primarily the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Asia, where it grows. So, if you’ve had a good deal of Indian food, chances are, you’ve had cardamom.
But back to the bun itself. The recipe below is adapted from Swedish Cakes and Cookies, the book that apparently every Swedish woman gets in order to cross into adulthood. (Only half-kidding there, but I am assured by more than a few Swedes that just about every Swedish household has this book.) The dough comes together easily, and is a pleasure to work with and shape, not only for cardamom buns, but also for cinnamon ears, rolls, and so many more pastries. I’ve added eggs to the recipe for a little extra richness, but you can leave them out and still get a very tasty roll.
Next, the shape: you can shape these like regular cinnamon rolls or cinnamon ears, but I like to do a little twisty magic with the dough. As I’ll detail in the recipe, I cut the dough into strips, twist each strip into almost a spiral (like a corkscrew), and wrap it into a roll. This way, the beautiful filling is showcased, and every bite is filled with cardamom goodness.
Finally (and I’ve said this so many times on this site, so heed me), for best results, use freshly-ground whole cardamom seeds. Pre-ground spices have their place, but for a pastry that showcases the spice, do yourself a favor and break out that spice grinder. You won’t regret it.
Enough from me. Let’s make cardamom buns!
Kardemummabullar (Swedish Cardamom Buns)
Serve these with all of your coffeetimes! Be sure to use freshly ground cardamom for best results.
you will need:
- 1 c butter (2 sticks)
- 3 c whole milk
- 3 tablespoons active dry or instant yeast (about 3 packages)
- ¾ c granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tsp ground cardamom
- 7-8 c all-purpose flour For the filling:
- 6 oz almond paste
- 3 tsp ground cardamom
- 4-5 tbsp very soft butter For topping:
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
- pearl sugar or sanding sugar for topping
Directions
- Measure yeast into a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the milk and heat until lukewarm (110-115 degrees F). Pour butter and milk mixture in with the yeast, then whisk in sugar, salt, eggs, and cardamom, mixing to combine.
- Add half of the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon to combine. Gradually add more flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and cannot absorb more flour. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
- Lightly flour a work surface, and turn dough out onto the counter. Knead lightly until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer with a hook attachment on low.) Oil or butter a large bowl, turn dough in bowl to cover all sides, cover, and allow to rise for about 1 hour until doubled and dough rises slowly after being pressed with a finger.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling: combine the almond paste, cardamom, and butter in a small bowl, and set aside. The filling should be thick but easily spreadable, so add butter as necessary to achieve this consistency.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough into a large rectangle about 18 inches long and 12 inches wide. Spread half of the filling onto the bottom half of the dough, leaving about a half-inch border from the edge. Fold the top half onto the bottom half, and roll lightly to flatten and seal with a rolling pin. Cut 12 even vertical strips. With each strip, twist into a loose corkscrew shape, then wrap the strip into a roll or bun, and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with all strips of dough, and repeat with remaining dough. Allow to rise for 20-30 minutes until puffy.
- Brush each roll with the egg and water mixture (eggwash), then sprinkle with pearl sugar or sanding sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden.
The Crunchy Baker 
hey Laura. can lightly sour whole milk (low temp pasteurized organic) be used in this bun recipe? will it change consistency?
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Hi Amy! Thanks for reaching out. Yes, that milk should work fine. The consistency shouldn’t change noticeably if the consistency of the milk is about the same viscosity/liquid content. Depending on how sour the milk is may change the taste and add some acidity, but if it’s lightly sour, it shouldn’t do much. I’ve used a little buttermilk in pastry recipes when I’ve run out of regular milk, and they’ve come out well. Hope that answers your question, and happy baking!
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