These Swedish Lenten buns, filled with marzipan custard and topped with whipped cream, make a gorgeous alternative to hot cross buns. The cardamom dough is brioche-like and a real pleasure to work with too. If you fancy, add a splash of rum or brandy to the cream – not traditional but very delicious!
For the dough
- 230ml whole milk
- 80g unsalted butter
- 400g bread flour
- 9g fine salt
- 5g fast-action yeast
- 50g caster sugar
- 15 cardamom pods, seeds removed and ground to a powder
- 1 medium free-range egg, plus 1, lightly beaten, for glazing
For the filling
- 200g marzipan, chopped into small cubes
- 100g shop-bought fresh custard
- 300ml double cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar, plus a little extra to dust
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
1. To make the dough, gently heat the milk and butter together until the butter has just melted, then cool to lukewarm. Mix the flour, salt, yeast, sugar and cardamom in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the liquid and the egg, and mix everything together. Beat on medium for 15 minutes, then transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave somewhere warm to rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
2. Meanwhile, put the marzipan and custard in a mini blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside in the blender.
3. Once the dough has risen, knock it back and divide it into 12 equal portions – around 65g each. Stretch and roll each piece into a neat ball, then transfer to a large, lined baking tray and cover with lightly oiled clingfilm. Leave to proof for 30-40 minutes until puffed, then brush all over with egg and bake in the top third of the baking oven for 20 minutes, until dark golden, risen and glossy. Allow to cool on a rack.
4. Once cool, slice the tops off and scoop out 2/3 of the insides. Put the crumbs into the marzipan blender and blitz again until you have a thick, pipeable paste. Transfer to a piping bag, then divide between the buns.
5. Mix the cream with the sugar and vanilla and whip until it very softly holds its shape. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe swirls onto the buns. Replace the tops, dust with icing sugar, and serve.
