Swedish Semlor
If you like cardamom, almonds, and whipped cream, well come on over! These have been on my baking bucket-list for at least a year. Honestly, no regrets; they look all fancy-pants but the work isn't so bad.
The buns are fluffy and super soft. The cardamom (if you've never tasted) has a citrus and floral fragrance going for it. I suppose it's a "warming spice", but look at me talking here like I know something. There's a fair bit of cardamom in the dough itself. Inside, the buns are filled with almond paste blended with whole milk to make it soft enough to pipe, and more cardamom. It's a bit like marzipan but a lot less sweet. The cream is just a single ingredient, whipped. No sugar added or anything else; no vanilla, etc. So in an unexpected way, the whipped cream seems to "tame" the cardamom a bit while enhancing the almond flavor. I've seen lots of recipes and videos where whole almonds are roasted and roughly chopped and added to the almond paste for extra texture. That's something I'll definitely try next time.
This recipe is going to be super problematic in this house. Extremely delicious. One bun is filling. A bit of extra work for the whole production, but damn if it's not totally worth it.