Semla: Swedish cream puff
Fluffy yeast dough meets cardamom, almonds, marzipan and whipped cream: these are the delicious Semlor (singular: Semla) from Sweden. Originally served on Shrove Tuesday, the Swedish version of the cream puff is now available in almost all cafés aknd bakeries in Sweden between Christmas and Easter. If you want to enjoy delicious semlor either out of season or simply at home, you can easily bake them yourself with this recipe.
Semla Recipe
- 50 g Yeast
- 540 ml Milk at room temperature
- 300 g Sugar
- 1100 g Wheat Flour
- 200 g Butter
- 10 g Salt
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tbsp. Ground Cardamom
- 200 g Marzipan paste
- 100 g Chopped almonds
- 2 Cup Whipped cream
- 10 g Vanilla Sugar
- 1 Tbsp. Icing Sugar
- Bowl
- Hand mixer
- Tea Towel
- Baking paper
- Grater
- Pan
- Knife
- Fork
- Spout
- Ingredients
- 50 g Yeast
- •240 ml Milk at room temperature
- •100 g Sugar
- •350 g Wheat Flour
- Utils
- Bowl
- •Hand mixer
- •Tea Towel
Crumble the yeast into a bowl and pour in the milk. Stir until the yeast has completely dissolved. Add the sugar and milk and knead everything into an elastic dough for approx. 5-10 minutes using a hand mixer or food processor.
Then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should then have approximately doubled in size.
- Ingredients
- 250 ml Milk at room temperature
- •150 g Sugar
- •200 g Butter
- •10 g Salt
- •750 g Wheat Flour
- •1 Egg
- •1 Tbsp. Ground Cardamom
- Utils
- Baking paper
Cut the butter into pieces. Add to the yeast dough together with the remaining milk, sugar, salt, flour, egg and cardamom. Knead again for 10-15 minutes until you have a shiny, elastic dough.
Dust one surface with flour and divide the finished dough into small pieces (approx. 70 g per piece). Roll out into smooth circles and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Leave enough space between the pieces of dough. Cover again with a tea towel and leave to rise until double in size. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
- Ingredients
- 200 g Marzipan paste
- •100 g Chopped almonds
- •50 g Sugar
- •50 ml Milk at room temperature
- •2 Cup Whipped cream
- •10 g Vanilla Sugar
- Utils
- Grater
- •Pan
In the meantime, prepare the filling. Roughly grate the marzipan mixture. Toast the almonds in a pan and then leave to cool briefly. Mix with the sugar and marzipan. Gradually add the milk (it should not become too runny). Bake the dough pieces in the middle of the oven at 225 degrees for 10 minutes until golden brown. Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla sugar until stiff.
- Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. Icing Sugar
- Utils
- Knife
- •Fork
- •Spout
Remove the baked semlor from the oven and leave to cool. Then use a knife to cut off the top of the semlor (as a triangle). If necessary, scrape out some of the dough with a fork to create a hollow for the filling. Spread the almond and marzipan cream generously into the hollow and then pipe in the whipped cream using a piping nozzle.
Carefully replace the lid and then dust with powdered sugar.
Traditionally, Semlor was served in a deep plate with warm hot water. Those who prefer a more classic style can enjoy it with coffee or tea.
History and tradition of semla
In Sweden, a semla is also known as fastlagsbulle, fettisdagsbulle, which means Shrove Tuesday biscuit, or hetvägg. In Finland, the cream puff is called laskiaispulla. The name is linked to tradition: Semlor were eaten on Shrove Tuesday, the last day before Lent, when people could really feast one more time.
The word semla is related to the German word “Semmel”, the name for bread rolls in Southern Germany, as Semlor used to be prepared without a filling and therefore resembled a bread roll.
Nowadays, you can buy semlor in Swedish bakeries permanently between Christmas and Easter, because the Swedes love their sweet fika pastries. Cardamom is a particularly popular ingredient, for example in Kanelbullar or Pepparkakor. Although the preparation of the semlor is a little more time-consuming, you will see that it is worth it: they are perfect for the afternoon coffee table and to impress friends and family.
Tip: To make sure you don’t go wrong with your first time eating a semla – locals start with the lid of the semla and use it to scrape off some of the cream. The, the rest is eaten.
