It’s fastelavn! And as anyone who knows me will readily confirm, my favorite part of it is, of course, food-related (I know, total surprise!). If you live in Denmark, you’ll probably have had your fill of fastelavnsboller already this year. Whether you like them “gammeldags” (old fashioned) or the flaky kind, you’ll be sure to find them at your nearest bakery. Lagkagehuset alone has four or five different ones, which makes it super hard to decide! By the way, if you want a quick read-up on Danish traditions surrounding fastelavn, check out my post from last year here.
I contemplated doing a taste test of Copenhagen’s best fastelavnsboller this year, but then somehow didn’t really find the time for it (major bummer!). So to avoid acute fastelavnsbolle-deficiency, I set out to make my own.
As I browsed through recipes, I noticed that all of them make their own “wienerdej”, a sort of buttery, flaky dough not unlike puff pastry. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to shy away from a challenge in the kitchen, but I thought to myself, there has to be an easier way! Personally, I prefer the flaky buns with cream to the old fashioned, more yeasty buns with marcipan filling and chocolate topping, so that’s what I made.
Some people, and most recipes, will tell you not to use the store-bought “butter dej”, butter dough. I’m here to tell you that you totally can. It is slightly different from the “wienerdej” that’s normally used for fastelavnsboller, it’s a bit drier and more flaky. But in my (non-Danish) opinion, it works great and is an easy and quick alternative for when you don’t have a lot of time (or just don’t feel like trying your hand at a dough that can be rather tricky.
Now, I’m not saying that these buns are totally original or better than what you get at the bakery. BUT they are delicious, quickly made, and they’re smaller in size, which I think is a total plus if you want something sweet to snack on. They clock in at around 200kcal a piece, if you’re interested in that (see below for nutritional information).
For my buns, I chose a raspberry whipped cream filling, but I’m sure this would work just as well with strawberries or a simply vanilla-flavored cream. Let’s get to it!
Fastelavnsboller with raspberry cream
(makes 8 small buns)
1 pack (270g) “butterdej” (e.g. this one)
250g heavy whipping cream
1 cup (100g) frozen raspberries
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp powdered sugar
8 tsp raspberry jam (optional)
You want to begin by thawing the raspberries with 1 tbsp of sugar – this will take around an hour. When they are thawed, blend them using a stick blender or food processor. Take the butter dough out of the fridge and unroll, so it can get to room temperature.
To avoid all the seeds, strain the blended raspberries through a sieve. Set aside.
Pre-heat your oven according to the instructions on the butter dough package. Using a large cup or glass (diameter 9cm or 3.5 inches), cut out eight circles from the dough.
You won’t be using all the dough, but you can save the rests for another purpose. Line a baking sheet with baking paper and place the dough circles on it.
Bake for around 15min (follow instructions), but make sure the buns don’t get too dark. When the buns are done baking, turn off the oven and very slowly open the oven door a little bit – you don’t want to do that too fast to avoid the buns collapsing. Give it a little time, then fully open the door. Wait a minute or two before you take the buns out completely, and let them cool to room temperature.
When the buns have cooled, carefully cut them in half. If desired, put about a teaspoon of raspberry jam on each bottom part. I like the extra raspberry kick!
In a large bowl, combine heavy whipping cream with 1 tbsp of powdered sugar. With a hand mixer, beat until the cream is stiff, but still soft (you don’t want butter cream!). Add the blended raspberry mixture and carefully fold in.
Put the raspberry cream into a piping bag and, in one smooth, swirling motion, put the cream on the bottom halves of the buns. Leave a little bit of cream to decorate the top.
Put the top part on, and dust with powdered sugar. With the leftover raspberry cream, decorate the top of each bun with a little dollop.
How cute are they?! Don’t tell me you don’t want to snack one right now!
You better not go around causing trouble, because now you’ve got no reason NOT to have delicious buns!
Have you tried making your own fastelavnsboller? Share in the comments below!
Nutritional information: one bun contains 202kcal, 14g fat, 18g carbohydrates, 9g sugar, and 2g protein.
I love this idea! I think this is easy enough for the kids to get involved too (I have 2 teenagers). So glad I found your blog!
Hi Kristen, yes, they are super easy to make due to the pre-made dough! And you can easily customize the cream by adding other flavors, for example blended strawberries, melted chocolate, or a bit of espresso. Happy fastelavn!