History

The semla descends from the medieval Lutheran Lent fast: the bun was the only sweet allowed on Fettisdagen (Shrove Tuesday) before the fast began. King Adolf Fredrik of Sweden died in 1771 from eating 14 semlor at his post-fast feast, the country's most-cited royal indigestion case. Vete-Katten (1928) and Tössebageriet (1920) bake the canonical Stockholm versions; pre-orders for Fettisdagen run two weeks ahead.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield Makes 10 semlorHands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g strong white bread flour
  • 75g caster sugar
  • 10g salt
  • 7g instant yeast
  • 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
  • 75g butter, soft
  • 1 large egg
  • 250ml whole milk, warm
  • 1 beaten egg for glazing
  • For the almond filling: 200g blanched almonds, 100g icing sugar, 100ml whole milk, 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • For the cream: 500ml double cream, 1 tablespoon icing sugar
  • Icing sugar to dust

Method

  1. Mix flour, sugar, salt, yeast and cardamom in a large bowl. Rub in the butter. Beat the egg and milk together; pour into the dry mix.
  2. Knead 10 minutes by hand, 6 minutes in a mixer with the dough hook, until smooth and elastic. Cover and prove 1 hour until doubled.
  3. Knock back. Divide into 10 equal pieces, roll into balls. Place on a lined baking tray, cover, prove 45 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush the buns with beaten egg. Bake 12-14 minutes until deep gold. Cool fully on a rack.
  5. For the filling, grind the almonds with the icing sugar to a fine paste, then loosen with the milk and almond extract.
  6. Cut a triangular lid off the top of each bun. Scoop out a hollow in the bun. Mix the scooped crumb with the almond paste. Spoon back into the hollow.
  7. Whip the cream with icing sugar to soft peaks. Pipe a generous swirl onto the almond filling. Replace the lid at an angle. Dust with icing sugar.

Tip from the editors. The cardamom must be freshly ground from green pods; pre-ground loses the perfume in days.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat semla (lent cream bun)

Semla (Lent cream bun) in Stockholm

Vete-Katten ★ 4.6

norrmalmMon-Fri 08:00-19:30, Sat 09:30-17:00, Sun 11:00-17:00Walk-in onlyClassic Swedish konditori baking

Vete-Katten on Kungsgatan in Stockholm's Norrmalm has baked the classic Swedish konditori canon since 1928; the semla in Lent and princess cake year-round are the references.

Tip: Semla counter from Fettisdagen (Shrove Tuesday) through April. Order ahead online for the saffron-pearl-sugar version.

Worth the queue: Semla cream bun (February-April)

Kungsgatan 55, 111 22 Stockholm

Tössebageriet ★ 4.5

ostermalmMon-Fri 07:30-18:00, Sat 09:00-16:00, Sun 10:00-16:00Walk-in onlyClassic Swedish konditori

Tössebageriet on Karlavägen in Stockholm's Östermalm has been a working bakery since 1920; the Tössetårta layered cake and the saffron semla in February are the references.

Tip: Pre-order semla in February via the website; over-the-counter sells out by 11:00 in peak weeks.

Worth the queue: Tössetårta layered cream cake

Karlavägen 77, 114 59 Stockholm

Lillebrors Bageri ★ 4.6

vasastanTue-Fri 07:30-17:00, Sat-Sun 09:00-16:00Walk-in onlySourdough and viennoiserie

Lillebrors Bageri on Rörstrandsgatan in Stockholm's Vasastan bakes the Vasastan cardamom bun the city's food press argues about; the brown-butter cardamom is the talked-about variant.

Tip: Closed Monday. Pre-order the semla in February or it sells out by 11:00.

Worth the queue: Brown-butter cardamom bun

Rörstrandsgatan 12, 113 40 Stockholm

Fabrique Stenugnsbageri ★ 4.5

sankt-eriksplanMon-Fri 07:00-18:00, Sat-Sun 08:00-17:00Walk-in onlyStone-oven sourdough and cardamom buns

Fabrique on Rörstrandsgatan in Stockholm's Vasastan exported the modern Swedish cardamom bun to London and Berlin; the stone oven still runs the flagship counter daily.

Tip: The cardamom bun is the buy. Bread sells out by 14:00 on weekends; arrive by 11:00.

Worth the queue: Cardamom bun (kardemummabulle)

Rörstrandsgatan 12, 113 40 Stockholm

More cities are in research. Want semla (lent cream bun) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →