On our Swedish vacation we had of course cinnamon rolls, but also butterkaka which means butter cake and I immediately thought I have to try this at home. These buns are just so fluffy, the custard in between is scrumptious and I love anything with cinnamon and cardamom flavor. Topped with some pearl sugar…perfect.
This may look like a lot of work first, but it’s actually no more time-consuming than making cinnamon rolls. It is a yeast dough as well, which is rolled out and filled. One more thing to add is the vanilla custard, but that’s easy to make. Since I prefer overnight proofing in the fridge, it takes a little longer, but personally it allows me to plan better.
You can make most of the recipe the day before, so the next day you only need to proof the buns at room temperature, fill them with custard and put them in the oven.
Tools & Equipment
- 25cm/10-inch cast iron skillet
- Aluminium foil
- Cutting board
- Fine mesh strainer
- Food processor
- Large bowl
- Liquid measuring cup
- Kirchen towel
- Offset spatula
- Parchment paper
- Paring knife
- Pastry brush
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling pin
- Silicone spatula
- Small pot
- Stand mixer fitted with the dough hook
- Whisk
- Wire rack
Recipe Tips
The Dough: This recipe makes 12 buns. I placed 8 buns in a 25cm/10-inch skillet and the other 4 buns in a separate 15cm/6-inch skillet. You can do the same or just reduce the dough recipe by 25%.
Vanilla Custard: The custard is enough for a small blob in each bun. In case you want more custard filling inside of the buns, you can simply double the custard recipe to make sure you have enough filling for all buns.
Proofing: After shaping and placing the buns in the skillet, you can let them proof for 40-60 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge overnight. If you choose the fridge method, remove the pan from the fridge the next morning and let the buns proof at room temperature for 60-90 minutes. Check if they are ready for baking. To do so, press the dough gently with your finger, if the indentation slowly bounces back, leaving a small indentation, it is ready.
Directions – How to Make Butterkaka
Ingredients for the Dough
Make the Dough
Heat the milk to 37°C/98°F and place in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the yeast and stir with a whisk. Add butter, sugar, cardamom, flour and salt and attach the dough hook.
Knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and shiny and doesn’t stick to the bowl, for about 13-15 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let proof until doubled in size, for about 60-90 minutes.
Ingredients for the Almond Paste Filling
Make the Almond Paste Filling
Put ground almonds, sugar and water in a food processor. Pulse until a paste forms. Add butter, cinnamon and salt and pulse until smooth. Transfer the paste to a small bowl.
Roll out the Dough
Line the skillet with parchment paper. Grease you surface with some oil and roll out the dough to a large rectangle about 48x25cm/19×10-inches.
Spread the almond paste filling in an even layer over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly from one long side. Cut into 12 slices of 4cm/1,5-inch each. Place 8 buns in the skillet, make sure to leave a little bit of space between them. Cover with plastic and place in the fridge overnight.
Ingredients for the Vanilla Custard
Make the Vanilla Custard
In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolk, sugar and cornstarch until combined.
In a small pot combine heavy cream and milk. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and add seeds and bean to the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot but not boiling, for about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour the hot milk mixture over the egg yolk mixture, stirring constantly.
Remove the vanilla bean, return the mixture to the pot and place over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, for about 6 minutes. Strain the custard into a small bowl and cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap to avoid a skin from forming. Let it cool completely in the fridge.
Finish and Bake Butterkaka
Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F. Remove the buns and the vanilla custard from the fridge. Let the buns proof for 60-90 minutes at room temperature. Carefully make a small hole in the center of each bun and put a blob of custard in each hole.
Whisk the egg and brush the buns with the egg wash, try to work around the custard filling. Sprinkle the top with pearl sugar. Bake until golden brown, for about 30 minutes. If the tops are browning too much, place aluminum foil on top. Remove the buns from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: These buns are best eaten the same day, but they’re still delicious the next day. Keep leftover buns well covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat them briefly in the microwave or oven before serving.
Freezing Instructions: Butterkaka freezes well when baked. Let it cool completely before freezing. Place leftover buns in an airtight container or a ziplock bag and freeze up to 2 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat before serving.
My Summary for Butterkaka
Difficulty: Simple.
Taste & Texture: This butterkaka is sweet and has a lovely almond, cinnamon and cardamom flavor. The vanilla custard is creamy and so delicious in combination with the buns. The pearl sugar on top adds a little crunch and the texture of the bun itself is so fluffy, I just love it.
Time: Making the dough takes about 30 minutes, preparing the almond paste filling takes only a couple of minutes and making the vanilla custard takes about 25 minutes. Plan about 15 minutes for rolling out the dough and shaping the buns. Place the vanilla custard and the shaped buns in the fridge overnight. Filling the buns with vanilla custard only take a minute and baking time is about 30 minutes.
