History

La Cabra introduced the cardamom bun to Aarhus in 2012 and made it the pairing item for their specialty filter coffee. The Nordic cardamom bun tradition is older, but La Cabra's version using freshly ground cardamom seeds rather than pre-ground powder set a new standard that influenced bakeries across Scandinavia.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Eggs

Make it at home

Yield 10Hands-on 45 minTotal 4 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • For the dough: 500g strong white flour
  • 70g caster sugar
  • 12g instant yeast
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 20g freshly ground cardamom (from green pods, ground in a mortar)
  • 1 egg
  • 250ml warm milk
  • 100g softened unsalted butter
  • For the filling: 150g unsalted butter softened
  • 150g caster sugar
  • 4 tbsp freshly ground cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • For the syrup: 100g sugar, 100ml water, 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • Egg wash: 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp milk

Method

  1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, salt, and cardamom in a bowl. Add warm milk, egg, then knead in soft butter for 10 minutes to a smooth elastic dough.
  2. Cover and prove 90 minutes until doubled.
  3. Beat filling butter, sugar, and ground cardamom to a thick paste.
  4. Roll dough to a 50cm x 30cm rectangle. Spread filling evenly to the edges. Fold the long side in three.
  5. Cut into 10 strips, each 3cm wide. Take each strip, hold one end, and twist it lengthwise 4 to 5 turns. Wrap around two fingers to form a knot, tucking the tail underneath.
  6. Place knots on lined trays, prove 60 minutes until visibly puffed.
  7. Heat oven to 220C. Brush with egg wash. Bake 12 to 14 minutes until deep amber.
  8. While baking, simmer sugar, water, and ground cardamom 3 minutes to a syrup. Brush hot buns with syrup immediately out of the oven for a glossy crackle finish.

Tip from the editors. Crack 30 to 40 green cardamom pods, discard the husks, and grind the seeds fresh in a mortar within an hour of baking; supermarket pre-ground cardamom has lost most of its aromatic oils.

Where to eat cardamom bun (kardemommesnegle)

Cardamom Bun (Kardemommesnegle) in Aarhus

La Cabra Bakery ★ 4.7

Bakery$Mon-Fri 07:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-15:00Walk-in onlySourdough and Scandinavian pastry

The cafe counter and bakery operation of La Cabra in the Latin Quarter. Open mon-fri 07:30-17:00, sat-sun 08:00-15:00. Reservations advised.

Worth the queue: Cardamom bun

Graven 1, 8000 Aarhus C

Jumbo Bakery ★ 4.6

Bakery$Mon-Fri 07:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-16:00Walk-in onlySourdough bread and French-style viennoiserie

A small harbour bakery near Dokk1 that has become the croissant benchmark in Aarhus. Open mon-fri 07:00-17:00, sat-sun 08:00-16:00. At Mindet 4D.

Worth the queue: Butter croissant and sesame bun

Mindet 4D, 8000 Aarhus C

Schweizerbageriet ★ 4.5

Bakery$Mon-Fri 06:30-17:30; Sat 06:30-17:00; Sun 06:30-14:00

The oldest bakery in Aarhus, founded 1898, charges less than most specialty cafes for a kanelsnurre that is genuinely better. At M.P. Bruuns Gade 56.

Try: Kanelsnurre and dark coffee

M.P. Bruuns Gade 56, 8000 Aarhus C

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