The BEST Nordic and Scandinavian Recipes

On this page you can find the BEST and most delicious Nordic and Scandinavian recipes. Nordic recipes are in general full of great and healthy ingredients. However, you are also able to find some of the best and most delicious Nordic dessert recipes. Find the best Nordic recipes from a real Danish guy.

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Danish Tykmælk (Danish Fat Milk)

Categories: Nordic Dessert/ Snacks/ Traditional Danish

On this page you will be able to find the old-fashioned and traditional recipe for Danish Tykmælk. Not to get confused with the Tykmælk you can buy in the Danish supermarkets nowadays - this recipe for Tykmælk is a little different and not exactly the same. This recipe I am sharing here is a kind of Danish dessert or afternoon/evening snack and only consists of two main ingredients; whole milk (~3.5%) and buttermilk. Directly translated Tykmælk means 'Fat milk' or maybe even better 'Thick milk' and is a very-thick milk soup.

As mentioned above this recipe is old and therefore, it is not made that often anymore. But it does not change the fact that it is a very delicious dish. The Tykmælk is traditionally served with brown sugar mixed with small pieces of Danish rye bread. Of course, this topping is optional.

This dish is made by mixing the two ingredients and pouring it into a warmed deep plate. Cover the deep plate with another warm plate and let it all sit someplace warm/room temperature, like next to a heater or in the sun, for 24 hours. The idea is that the two dairy products will turn into a thick pudding-like milk soup - from here the name 'thick milk'. The only issue or challenge with this recipe could be that it is designed using the dairy products, and the quality they had, back in the 60-70-ies. Back then the dairy products had more impurities and were not homogenized (fat particles typed into the same size) to the same extent they are today. In this recipe we rely on milk bacteria to form and turn the liquid milk products into this thick pudding we are looking for. Maybe the dairy products we have today are too "clean" to facilitate this process.

If you are having issues with the recipe you can we advantage try using organic products and also substitute some of the whole milk with heavy cream.

Let me know in the comment section below if you like this recipe and if it has been a success.

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5 from 1 vote

Danish Tykmælk (Danish Fat Milk)

Recipe for old-fashioned Danish Tykmælk (Danish Fat Milk) which is a kind of Nordic dessert typically served with brown sugar and pieces of rye bread. This recipe only consists of two ingredients and is easy to make.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 1

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Danish

Servings: people

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

1 l whole milk 3.5% (opt. some heavy cream)
1 dl buttermilk

Topping

Brown sugar
Rye bread

Instructions

Mix whole milk and buttermilk
Pour the mixture into a deep plate which has been warmed a little. Cover the plate with another warmed plate
Let it all sit someplace warm/room temperature for 24 hours. After this time the mixture should have been turned into a solid pudding
Before serving it, let the Tykmælk cool off in the fridge for a minimum of one hour
Serve with a mixture of brown sugar and pieces of rye bread. You also use other toppings like fruit or jam

Danish Kammerjunker (Danish Double-Baked Cookies)

Categories: Nordic Dessert/ Traditional Danish

When it is summer time in Denmark there is one dish that almost every Dane eats regularly and that is the Danish Buttermilk Soup with kammerjunker also known as Koldskål med kammerjunker.

Danish buttermilk soup is a refreshing and five ingredient dish that is typically served with the Danish Kammerjunker as topping.

I already have the original recipe for Koldskål posted here on my blog. On this page I will be focusing on the Kammerjunker recipe and describe how to make them.

What is kammerjunker?

Let us start with the obvious question - what are Danish Kammerjunker? Kammerjunker are small and crisp cookies which are made from a few different ingredients which can all to be found in every grocery store.

Try also: Recipe for Danish Buttermilk Soup (Koldskaal) with a twist of rhubarb

Kammerjunker are typically made from butter, sugar, flour, egg, baking powder and sometimes a little lemon zest for extra taste.

How to serve Kammerjunker

As already mentioned, Kammerjunker are traditionally served as topping for Danish buttermilk soup.

It is my experience that there are two kinds of people - the people that prefer to serve the Kammerjunker as they are or the people that prefer to break them into smaller pieces.

I personally prefer the last option - breaking them into pieces and mixing them with the cold buttermilk soup. Super delicious if you ask me.

How to make Kammerjunker

Now to the big question - how to make homemade Danish Kammerjunker. To answer that question I have assembled my favorite Kammerjunker recipe just below on this page. However, before you jump to the recipe I would like to share a few details.

The recipe for kammerjunker can basically be divided into four main steps. In this recipe you start by making the Kammerjunker dough which is easily done by kneading all the ingredients together into a nice and smooth dough. The dough is then rolled into a 30 cm (12 inch) rod.

Before continuing, let the dough cool off for one hour in the fridge.

Now cut the dough into 30 pieces and roll each of them into 30 balls. Place the balls on a parchment paper covered oven plate.

The next step is to pre-bake the 30 balls for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 225 C (435 F) oven.

Now comes the special part which gives the Kammerjunker their special look. Each of the pre-baked is now cut at the middle and divided into two. You should now have 30 top parts and 30 bottom parts which gives a total of 60 Kammerjunker.

The final step in the recipe is to bake the 60 cookies for another 20 minutes at 175 C (375 F). Arrange the cookies so that the cut face is facing upwards. When cooled off the cookies are done and ready to be served with some delicious buttermilk soup. You can find the recipe for koldskål here on my site.

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5 from 3 votes

Danish Kammerjunker (Danish Double-Baked Cookies)

Traditional recipe for Danish Kammerjunker which are used as topping for Danish buttermilk soup. These small cookies are easy to make and very delicious.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 30

Total Time1 55

Course: Topping

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: Danish Buttermilk soup, Koldskål

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

100 g sugar
130 g cold butter
275 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 lemon zest (organic)
1 egg

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a large bowl; add the cold butter, sugar, all-purpose flour and baking powder. Use your hands to mix all the ingredients into a crumble.
Add the zest from one organic lemon and one beaten egg. Again, mix everything into a smooth and little sticky dough.
Roll the dough into a rod with a length of about 30 cm. Let the dough rest in the fridge for one hour.
Cut the rod into 30 pieces and roll them into balls. Place them on a parchment paper covered oven plate.
Pre-bake the balls in a 225 C (435 F) preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the balls from the oven and remove them from the hot oven plate. Let them cool off a couple of minutes before cutting them in the middle using a bread knife. Now you could have 60 Kammerjunker. Again, transfer the cookies to the oven plate. The cut side should face upwards.
Bake the cookies for another 20 minutes at 175 C (350 F). Let them cool off and they are done.

Notes

keep the Kammerjunker in an airtight container to keep them fresh.

Nordic Carrot Bread with sunflower seeds (Gulerodsbrud)

Categories: Bread/ Nordic Bread/ Traditional Danish

On this page I will share a great recipe for Nordic Carrot Bread which is stuffed with sunflower seeds and lots of shredded carrots. In Danish we call this particular type of bread Gulerodsbrud. In Denmark we traditionally made bread where we use all kinds of different nuts, grains or vegetables. Normal white toast bread is in Denmark very often substituted with for instance rye bread, grain buns or this carrot bread.

See also: Recipe for Nordic Carrot Buns

It normally takes a little longer to make Nordic inspired bread but typically it contains a lot more dietary fibers, protein and in this case vitamins from the carrots. Continue reading on and learn how easily you can make a fantastic delicious and filling Nordic carrot bread.

How to folding the carrot dough and stuffing

As already mentioned these buns are stuffed with shredded carrots and sunflower seeds. Normally when I make bread I add all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead everything into a nice and smooth dough. In this recipe the shredded carrots and the sunflower seeds are added to the dough after it has been kneaded.

The kneaded and risen dough is placed on a flour covers table and a large indent is made in the middle. The shredded carrots, seeds and a beaten egg are placed in the middle. The dough is then folded over the stuffing and cut into random smaller pieces using a dough scraper/cutter. The dough is then again folded and cut.

We are looking to gently mix the carrots and seed into the dough but without kneading it into uniform buns. The result should be random and distorted buns with pockets of delicious carrots and sunflower seeds.

Recipe for Nordic Carrot Bread with sunflower seeds

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4.50 from 4 votes

Nordic Carrot Bread with sunflower seeds (Gulerodsbrud)

Easy and very delicious recipe for Nordic Carrot bread also known as Gulerodsbrud. These buns are packed with delicious shredded carrots and sunflower seeds. Healthy and very delicious at the same time.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 10

Course: Nordic bread

Cuisine: Danish

Servings: buns

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

4 dl lukewarm water
25 g fresh yeast (or equivalent dry yeast)
1 tbsp sugar
650 g all-purpose flour
50 g butter
1/2 tbsp salt
300 g carrots (coarsely shredded)
1 egg (beaten)
1 dl sunflower seeds

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a large bowl, add the lukewarm water and dissolve the fresh yeast and sugar. If you are using dry yeast then add this in the next step.
Add the all-purpose flour, salt and butter in small pieces. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. The dough should be assembled, soft and only a little sticky.
Cover the dough bowl with a clean dish towel and let it rise someplace warm for one hour.
Place the dough on a flour cover table. Make a large indent in the middle of dough and add a beaten egg, the sunflower seeds and the shredded carrots at the center.
Fold the dough over the stuffing so that it covers it all.
Use a dough scraper/cutter to cut through the dough at random places. Again, fold some of the dough and cut again. Try not kneading the dough but instead fold and cut it. We are looking for random and distorted buns.
Finally cut the dough into 12 buns and place them on a parchment paper cover oven plate.
Let the buns rise someplace warm for another 40 minutes.
Bake the buns in a 210 C (410 F) preheated oven for about 18 minutes. The total time in the oven might vary. Tap on the bottom of the buns - if they sound hollow then they are done.

Danish Pork Stew (Mørbradgryde)

Categories: Pork/ Traditional Danish

On this page you can find the classic and old-fashioned recipe for Danish Pork Stew which is in Danish known as Mørbradgryde. Mørbradgryde is the combination of the two Danish words Mørbrad and Gryde which translated means Pork tenderloin and Stew.

Danish pork stew is a very easy-to-make and super delicious stew made with bacon, mushrooms, cocktail wieners and of course pork tenderloin all served in creamy tomato and paprika sauce. Read below to learn how easy it is to make this fantastic Danish recipe.

Danish Pork Stew from the childhood

I remember this dish from my childhood and growing up with this dish. It was, and still is, one of my all time favorite Danish dishes - I guess it is a combination of the fact that it is super easy to make and that it is very tasteful.

It only takes about 10 minutes to prepare all the ingredients, the rest of the cooking time the stew is just taking care of itself. Most of the time it is just sitting on the stove by itself and working on bringing forward some delicious taste.

Classic recipe for Danish Pork Stew

The recipe is literally one of the easiest Danish recipes that you can find. The recipe can be divided into three main steps. Prepare and fry some of the ingredients, add the ingredients for the sauce and finally let it all simmer - simple.

Start by frying the diced onions and carrots, sliced mushrooms, bacon in bite-sizes and cocktail wieners for a couple of minutes. Add the pork tenderloin which has been cut in bite-sizes and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the spices, chopped tomatoes and heavy cream. Finally let it all simmer for 40 minutes - it is that simple to make this recipe for Danish Pork Stew. Serve directly in the pot together with rice.

Danish Pork Stew side dish

The traditional Danish Pork Stew is typically served with freshly boiled rice or mashed potatoes. Personally I prefer to serve my pork stew with brown rice as they contain more dietary fibers which are good for the body.

I normally make a large portion of this stew so that I have dinner for several days.

Recipe Danish Pork Stew (Mørbradgryde) Thumbnail

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4.34 from 6 votes

Danish Pork Stew (Mørbradgryde)

The recipe for Danish Pork Stew is in Danish known as Mørbradgryde and is a real classic and old-fashioned stew made with pork tenderloin, bacon, cocktail wieners and of course all combined in a creamy tomato sauce. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: Danish Food, Danish recipe

Servings: people

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (About 450 g / 1 lb)
150 g bacon strips
150 g mushrooms
150 g cocktail wieners
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 onions
3 carrots (diced)
2.5 dl heavy cream
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp thyme
ground black pepper

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Cut the baon in smaller pieces, peel and finely chop the onions and the carrots. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
In a large saucepan, fry the prepared bacon, onions, carrots and mushrooms. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Cut the pork tenderloin in bite-size pieces and add them to the saucepan along with the cocktail weiners. Fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, heavy cream, paprika, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Let the stew simmer for 40 minutes while preparing some rice or mashed potatoes.
Serve hot directly in the pot together with rice on the side.

Danish Dream Puffs (Flødeboller)

Categories: Desserts/ Nordic Dessert/ Traditional Danish

On this page I have assembled a recipe on how to make the traditional Danish Flødeboller which is also sometimes internationally known as Danish Dreams Puffs. A Flødebolle is a fantastic snack which is typically served as a kind of dessert for birthday parties or simply just as candy when you are looking for something delicious.

A flødebolle is made from only five ingredients and is actually easy to make once you have learned a few tips and tricks. On this page I will walk you through the different steps in the simple recipe so that you can have success the first time you are making homemade Flødeboller.

The base of a Flødebolle

A Flødebolle consists of a base and a chocolate-covered white stuffing. The base of a traditional flødebolle is typically made from some kind of biscuit or baked marzipan.

In this particular recipe, I have listed below, I have used normal American Oreos. Then I just separated the Oreos and scraped away the stuffing and used the two biscuits.

You can also use pure Marzipan, which is very popular in Denmark. Just fatten the marzipan using a rolling pin and cut small rings. Shortly bake the marzipan rings for 5-8 minutes at 180 C (360 F). Then the rings are ready for Flødebolle stuffing.

In theory you can use whatever you like as base - just use your favorite cake/biscuit.

How to make Flødebolle Stuffing

The Flødebolle stuffing is actually really easy to make if you follow the instructions closely. The stuffing consists of only three different ingredients - sugar, water and egg whites.

Start whisking the egg whites for several minutes until they are stiff.

In a saucepan add the water and sugar and let it boil for two minutes.

Then add the boiling sugar-water mixture in a very slow stream into the stiff egg whites while continually whisking at full speed. When all the sugar mixture is added continue whisking for 15 minutes until you have a nice, sweet and airy Flødebolle stuffing.

In this step you can with advantage use a stand mixer. Also remember that this recipe does not require any baking. It is therefore important to use eggs of a good quality which has been pasteurized.

How to chocolate-coat a Flødebolle

As already mentioned, it is actually quite easy to make homemade Flødeboller. However, there is a small "but" - you need to learn the small tips and tricks first.

Once the white Flødebolle stuffing is made and sprayed on the biscuits then they need to be coated with a thin layer of chocolate. I have to admit this step can be a little tricky - but I have a few tips and tricks how this can be done easily.

I have investigated and talked to several people how they coat their Flødeboller. The method I have described below is a combination of different methods and the one I find the easiest.

After you have sprayed the white Flødebolle stuffing on the biscuits and before you start coating the Flødeboller with chocolate it is important that they have been sitting at room temperature for a minimum one hour. This allows the stuffing to form a harder surface which makes the chocolate coating easier.

Then place one Flødebolle on an oven grid and place a bowl below. Then you pour a tablespoon of melted chocolate over the stuffing and let it run down the sides. The excessing chocolate will go through the oven rid and into the bowl below - then you can reuse this chocolate.

Finally use a small kitchen brush to gently distribute the chocolate on the entire Flødebolle. When done use a fork to push the chocolate-covered Flødebolle aside and continue with the next one.

How to make different variations of the Flødebolle Stuffing

The traditional Flødebolle stuffing is made with sugar, water and egg whites - three ingredients which gives a delicious white and sweet stuffing. However, you can easily change and adjust the original recipe to match your own preferences.

You can try to add a little food coloring to the stuffing and maybe add different flavors. You can for instance try to add a few drops of red food coloring and some strawberry flavor - then you have your own homemade Strawberry Flødeboller.

In general you can add almost whatever you like. What about adding orange peel, lime peel, freeze dried fruit, coffee essence and so on. It is only your imagination that is the limit.

Feel free to share your favorite Flødebolle recipe in the comment section below on this page.

Recipe for Danish Dream Puffs (Flødeboller)

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4.91 from 11 votes

Danish Dream Puffs (Flødeboller)

Danish Dream Puffs are also known as Flødeboller in Danish. These traditional chocolate-covered marshmallow puffs are fantastic, delicious and actually easy to make once you have learned the few tips and tricks. Only five ingredients needed.

Prep Time45

Cook Time2

Total Time2 45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: Danish dessert

Servings: pieces

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

300 g sugar
1 dl water
150 g egg whites
250 g dark chocolate
22 Oreos

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Whisk the egg whites airy and stiff. A drop of water or egg yolk will make this process impossible.
In a saucepan, add the sugar and water. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
Add the hot and boiling water/sugar mixture very slowly to the stiff egg whites while constantly whisking. Continue whisking for about 15 minutes. The result should be an airy, fluffy and slight stiff mixture.
Add the Flødebolle stuffing to a plastic bag and cut a small hole in one of the corners.
Separate the Oreos and scrape away the Oreo stuffing. Use the biscuits as a base for the Flødebolle. Add the stuffing to the biscuits by extruding it from through the small hole in the plastic bag. This step is easiest if you place the biscuits on a clean dish towel.
Let the Flødeboller rest at room temperature for a minimum of one hour. This makes the stuffing harder and makes it easier to cover with chocolate.
Melt the 2/3 of the dark chocolate over a water-bath. When the chocolate is melted, turn off the heat and add the rest 1/3 of the chocolate. Stir in the chocolate while it all melts.
Place the Flødeboller on an oven grid and pour some chocolate over. Gently use a spoon and a small brush to make a thin chocolate coating. This step can be a little difficult - practice makes perfect.
When the chocolate is still soft, decorate the Flødeboller with coconut flakes, freeze dried berries or similar. Let the chocolate harden (about 1-2 hour).

Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup (Koldskål)

Categories: Lunch/ Traditional Danish

This recipe for Danish buttermilk soup is probably the most traditional Danish summer dish you have.

In Denmark we call this dish Koldskål, which translated means Cold Bowl. [Read more...]

How to make Danish Remoulade

Categories: Jam - Spread - Dip/ Traditional Danish

How to make homemade Danish remoulade? This is the question I would like to answer on page here. I have made some thorough research on the subject and would like to share the results here. I hope that you be just as happy about this recipe as I am - It is simple fantastic! [Read more...]

Danish Marzipan Ring Cake with Icing (Kransekage)

Categories: Desserts/ Traditional Danish

Homemade Marzipan Ring Cake (kransekage)

I think that new year eve is one of the best evenings at the year. This evening I always get together with some really good friends, eat some great food and just have a good time. My new year’s eve is packed with many good traditions. We always spent the afternoon cooking a delicious three course dinner and then spent some hours eating it. After the dinner we make some nice drinks, play some games and just have a good time. At midnight we have some champagne and eat some Kransekage - Kransekage is basically a marzipan cake shaped in rings, decorated with icing and assembled on top of each other. [Read more...]

Danish Red Cabbage (Rødkål)

Categories: All Recipes/ Nordic Christmas/ Side Dish/ Traditional Danish

This recipe for Danish Red cabbage is a traditional and very popular side dish for many different dishes. Red cabbage is served all year around, however, it's very popular at Christmas where it's served together with the traditional Christmas eve dinner the 24th of December. In Danish we call this side dish Rødkål which translated simple means Red cabbage. We have used this recipe several times and its way better than the red cabbage you can buy at the super market. It's really simple to make and you only need five different ingredients, red cabbage, vinegar, currant juice, sugar and salt. You can easily change this recipe into a more personal dish by adding different spices according to your taste.

Normally we would use currant juice in this red cabbage, however, we have sometimes used elderberry juice instead which is just as good. [Read more...]

Nordic Granola Berry Pie

Categories: Desserts/ Nordic Dessert/ Traditional Danish

If you want to make something really delicious for yourself or impress your friends and family, then you are landed on the right page. This Nordic Granola Berry Pie is easy to make and the result is nothing but fantastic.

A crisp granola crust covered with a layer of dark chocolate and topped with creamy Mascarpone cheese and fresh berries - simply delicious and mouthwatering good. Continue reading on and learn how easy it is to make this Nordic Granola Pie.

Granola Berry Pie for brunch or dessert

This granola berry pie is something in-between a brunch pie and a dessert pie. By changing a few ingredients and leaving out a few, then you can easily convert this dessert-like granola pie into a pie which is perfect for the breakfast/brunch.

The recipe I have listed further down on this page is a delicious Nordic dessert pie. However, if you leave out the dark chocolate in the bottom of the crust and change the Mascarpone cheese with Greek yoghurt - then you have yourself a fantastic delicious pie for a brunch.

Delicious Mascarpone cream

This recipe calls for a Mascarpone cream which is an Italien cheese which is similar to cream cheese but slightly milder. Mascarpone is often used in desserts where the most famous one is probably Tiramisu. When Mascarpone is whipped together with heavy cream, vanilla and honey then you have the most delicious airy cream.

Mascarpone is a very traditional ingredient in Europe but I am also quite sure it is possible to purchase in bigger supermarkets around the world. Let me know in the comment section if you have problems finding this ingredient at your place.

Prepare the Granola crust in advance

Granola Berry Pie is a perfect choice if you are expecting guests. The granola crust can be prepared a couple of days in advance and then kept in an airtight container. This way you can keep the crust crisp until you are going to serve it.
Then you only have to prepare the berries and cream filling on the day. That is easy! And we all know that is what we want, when we are expecting guests and are busy with all kinds of things.

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5 from 2 votes

Nordic Granola Berry Pie

Easy to make and mouth watering Nordic Granola Berry Pie. This granola pie is covered with a layer of dark chocolate and topped with delicious Mascarpone cheese and plenty of fresh berries. Full of summer and crisp dark chocolate.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: Danish dessert, Nordic dessert

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

Granola crust

4 dl oats (fine or coarse)
1 dl pumpkin seeds
1 dl almonds
1 tsp vanilla powder (or essence)
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp honey
50 g butter (melted)

Topping

200 g dark chocolate
250 g Mascarpone
2 dl heavy cream
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla powder (or essence)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Granola crust

In a large bowl, mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped almonds, vanilla powder and salt.
Add the melted butter and honey. Mix it all together.
In a buttered pie pan add the granola mixture. Use the backside of a tablespoon to distribute and compress the granola into an even pie crust.
In a 150 C (300 F) preheated oven, bake the granola crust for about 30 minutes. When done, let it cool off.

Granola Berry Pie

Gently melt the dark chocolate and use it to cover the bottom of the granola crust. Let the chocolate cool off and harden.
In a bowl, whip the Mascarpone, heavy cream, honey and vanilla powder into an airy and wonderful cream.
When you are ready to serve the pie, distribute the Mascarpone mixture on the crust and top it with all kinds of your favorite fresh berries.

Notes

You can prepare the granola pie crust up to two days in advance. Keep it in an airtight container. When ready to be served, add the Mascarpone cream and your favorite berries. You can leave out the dark chocolate and substitute the Mascarpone mixture with pure Greek yogurt to make the pie more suitable for a brunch/breakfast table.

Danish Brunsviger Cake

Categories: Cake/ Nordic Dessert/ Traditional Danish

This recipe for traditional Danish Brunsviger Cake is easy to make and perfect if you are looking for an old-fashioned and classic Danish cake.

The Danish word Brunsviger cannot be translated into English but the meaning is well known by a Dane. The Brunsviger Cake is a delicious yeast dough cake topped with plenty of delicious butter and brown sugar mixture.

On this page I will show you how easy it is to make a Danish Brunsviger Cake and share a couple of tricks to avoid the common mistakes. Continue reading and learn how easy it is.

The history of Brunsviger Cake

The Brunsviger can be purchased from every pastry shop in Denmark but it is originally from Fyn which is the central part of Denmark. It is unknown when this cake was made and served the first time but it has for sure been around for generations. Today, it is well-known by almost all Danish people and is a very popular cake.

Traditional Brunsviger or Birthday Brunsviger

The traditional Danish Brunsviger is baked in a square pan and then later cut and served in smaller pieces. This is the classic way of making this cake. At some point in history somebody have developed this recipe and made this traditional cake into a birthday cake which is in Danish known as a Kagemand (Cake man). A Brunsviger birthday cake is easy made. You simply just make a traditional Brunsviger cake and then decorate it with all kinds of your favorite candy like wine-gum, M&M and so on.

The recipe is exactly the same as the traditional recipe shown further down on this page. However, the birthday version of this cake is not squared anymore instead it is shaped like a man or a woman depending on the gender of the person whose birthday it is.

Brunsviger made in square oven plate

The traditional Brunsviger is made in a square oven plate like I have done. However, it can also be made in a circular springform cake tin or whatever cake tins you have. The result will still be a delicious cake. The traditional cake is square but a circular cake is also fine - it is up to you.

Tips when making the Brunsviger cake

As already said, it is actually really easy to make a Brusviger cake. I just have a couple of tips that I would like to share with you. The first tip; in step seven in the recipe, we are going to make indentations in the dough. In these indentations we are going to add the butter-sugar mixture. It is important that these indentations deep but does not break through the bottom of the dough. We want deep indentation so that they can be filled with plenty of sugar mixture.

The second tip is closely related to the first. It is a good idea to make a moat along the edge of the dough. The moat will help keep the butter-sugar mixture on the top of the cake. Otherwise, it will run away and sugar coat the inside of your oven. This can be a little tricky. I have personally sugar coated my oven several times.

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4.55 from 11 votes

Danish Brunsviger Cake

Traditional recipe for Danish Brunsviger cake. This cake is based on a soft and moist dough with a delicious brown sugar topping. So delicious and easy-to-make.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Cake

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: Danish dessert

Servings: people

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

Brunsviger Dough

3 dl milk (lukewarm)
50 g fresh yeast (or equivalent dry yeast)
50 g sugar
100 g butter (melted and cooled)
500 g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Sugar topping

150 g butter
250 g brown sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream (alternativ milk)
3 tbsp vanilla cake creme powder (optional)

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Dissolve the fresh yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk.
Melt the butter and let it cool off before adding it to the milk.
Add all-purpose flour and salt. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it assemblies into a nice and smooth dough. You can with advantage use a kitchen machine.
Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise into double size someplace warm. This takes about 30 minutes.
Flatten the dough into a square with a size of about 40 x 40 cm (16 x 16 inch). Transfer the dough onto a parchment paper covered oven plate. Let the dough rise for another 20 minutes. While the dough is rising prepare the sugar topping.
In a small sauce pan; melt the butter and brown sugar. When the butter-sugar mixture is hot add the heavy cream and mix it together. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool off.
Use your fingers to make indents into the dough. The indents should be deep and almost reach the bottom but without breaking through the dough. Also, make a small moat along the edge of the dough to keep the sugar topping on the top.
Distribute the prepared sugar topping across the dough and bake the cake for 12 minutes in a 225 C (440 F) well-preheated oven.
Let the cake cook off a little bit before serving it.

Danish Roast Pork with Crackling (Flæskesteg)

Categories: Dinner/ Nordic Christmas/ Pork/ Traditional Danish

Recipe for homemade Danish Pork Roast with Crisp Rind (flæskesteg)

This is the recipe for a traditional Danish roasted pork with a crisp rind. In Denmark this roast is called a Flæskesteg which translated simply means a pork roast and it is typically served during Christmas. However, many people also have it for dinner all year around. In many countries, a pork roast is normally prepared without the rind. In this Danish version the rind is always left on and then it is cooked into crisp and salty cracklings. In Denmark, you can get this piece of meat in every grocery stores. Outside Denmark, you properly need to contact you local butcher to get a cut where the rind is left on the meat. [Read more...]

Danish Liver Pate (Leverpostej)

Categories: Lunch/ Pork/ Traditional Danish

On this page, I would like to share a recipe for homemade Danish Liver Pate or Leverpostej as it is called in Danish. Danish liver pate is probably one of the most traditional Danish food that you can serve together with the Danish rye bread.

Homemade Danish liver pate is mainly based on pork liver and pork fat and then some extra ingredients like onions, eggs, milk and flour. Making a homemade liver pate is super simple and does not require any professional cooking skills. [Read more...]

How to make a Danish Hotdog

Categories: Dinner/ Traditional Danish

On this page, I would like to show you how to make a traditional Danish Hotdog. You might ask yourself, what is a Danish hotdog and how is it different from the original American hotdog? This is the question I would like to answer here. I promise, this recipe for Danish hotdogs is fantastic and absolutely worth knowing. Read more to learn how to make a Danish hotdog. [Read more...]

Danish Cold Buttermilk Soup with Rhubarb

Categories: Breakfast/ Fast and Easy Food/ Lunch/ Traditional Danish

During the summer time in Denmark we have a very traditional dish which is called Koldskål. Directly translated Koldskål means Cold Bowl which probably does not make much sense. Nevertheless, Koldskål is a super popular summer dish in Denmark. It is probably the second most consumed diary product, after regular milk, during the summer and especially on the very hot summer days it is probably the most consumed dairy product. In Denmark, this refreshing summer dish is mainly sold ready-to-serve in cartons. However, making homemade Koldskål is super easy and does not require any master skill in the kitchen - I will show you how this is done further down this page. [Read more...]

Danish Chocolate Biscuit Cake (Kiksekage)

Categories: All Recipes/ Cake/ Desserts/ Traditional Danish

This is a recipe for a very famous and traditional Danish chocolate cake with vanilla biscuits. This version is actually an improved recipe compared to the old recipe where the cake was based on cocoa powder and coconut oil (palmin). This version is based on dark chocolate and butter which we think makes the cake [Read more...]

Perfectly Roasted Duck

Categories: Dinner/ Nordic Christmas/ Traditional Danish

How to make a Danish Roasted Christmas Duck

This recipe for the perfectly roasted duck is super delicious and it's relatively easy to make. In Denmark we eat roasted duck all year around, however, it's a very traditional dish for Christmas where it's served for dinner at Christmas eve. A traditional Danish dinner at Christmas eve consist of roasted duck or pork, served with boiled potatoes, Danish sugar browned potatoes, Danish red cabbage, gravy and for dessert the very popular Danish Risalamande which is a kind of rice pudding with whipped cream and almonds. [Read more...]

Danish Cold Potato Salad (Kold Kartoffelsalat)

Categories: All Recipes/ Dinner/ Salads/ Side Dish/ Traditional Danish/ Vegetarian

This recipe for Danish Cold Potato Salad, or Kold Kartoffelsalat as we called it in Denmark, is a great summer side dish and is a most-have for a traditional Nordic barbecue party. Cold Potato Salad is a fantastic side dish for most types of meat especially sausages and pork made on a grill. It is very easy to prepare and it has a great and fresh taste which is perfect for a hot summer day. For me, this dish has some great memories attached to it. I always remember it from my childhood and that we almost always had it as a side dish in the summer time. I did grow up in a family where almost all dinners, during the summer period, were prepared on a grill in the garden - so of course we did eat a lot of Danish Cold Potato Salad. [Read more...]

Danish Chicken and Asparagus Tartlets (Tarteletter)

Categories: All Recipes/ Chicken/ Dinner/ Side Dish/ Traditional Danish

Today, I would like to share another Danish recipe. In Denmark we refers to this recipe as 'Hens in Tartlets' or sometimes simply just 'tartlets'. Hens in tartlets is an old and very traditional Danish recipe. Even though, this is an old dish it is still very popular and is typically served at buffets at restaurants around in Denmark, at Christmas dinners or maybe just at home, a Saturday evening, when you are hungry for traditional Danish food. They are sometimes uses as a starter because of their relatively small size and 'lightness'. However, they are also sometimes served as the main course typically together with some other food. [Read more...]

Danish Meatballs In Curry (Boller i Karry)

Categories: All Recipes/ Pork/ Traditional Danish

Recipe for Homemade Danish Meatballs and Curry sauce (Boller i karry)

Today I would like to share a very old and traditional Danish recipe. This Danish recipe is called Boller I Karry which directly translated into English would be Danish Meatballs in Curry. I remember having had this dish since I was a kid and that it was one of my favorite. I know that my mother also liked making this dish because it is tasteful and easy to prepare.
[Read more...]

Swedish Hasselback Potatoes

Categories: Side Dish/ Traditional Danish/ Vegetarian

This recipe I have presented on this page is probably one of my top-3 ways of preparing potatoes. The recipe is an old and very traditional Swedish way of cooking potatoes. The name for this great side dish is in Swedish called Hasselbackspotatis. The literal translation is Hazelslope Potatoes. In Danish they are called Hasselback Kartofler or sometimes just Hasselbagte Kartofler. [Read more...]

Fastelavnsboller (Shrovetide Buns)

Categories: All Recipes/ Desserts/ Traditional Danish

Recipe for homemade Danish Fastelavnsboller

Fastelavn is a Nordic holiday celebrated on Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday. It has some similarities to the American holiday Halloween where children dress up in costumes and go house to house to beg for candy.It is also a tradition in Denmark to 'slå katten af tønden' - 'beat the cat in the barrel'. It is a wooden barrel that is filled with candy inside and in the old days they actually put real cats inside the barrel! The children takes turn hitting the barrel with a bat and the one that knocks the bottom out of the barrel is crowned “kattedronning” (queen of the cats). The one who knocks down the last piece of the barrel becomes kattekonge ("king of cats"). Both the king and queen gets a crown to wear. [Read more...]

Squash Cake with Nuts and Cheese Topping

Categories: Cake/ Desserts/ Traditional Danish

Today, I would like to share a recipe which is, and has been, really popular for many years in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Especially, in the 90ies this cake was super popular and I remember have had it many times in my childhood. [Read more...]

Creamy Curry Pasta

Categories: All Recipes/ Dinner/ Fast and Easy Food/ Salads/ Side Dish/ Traditional Danish

Today, I would like to share a great recipe for creamy curry pasta salad. I typically make this curry pasta salad in the summertime, where I use it as a side dish when I am having a barbecue party. Of course, this curry pasta can be served together with other food which has not been prepared on a grill - I it is just that this pasta salad is perfect together with most meat, sausages, vegetables and similar. It is my experience that most people find this pasta salad very delicious - it is always the first side dish to run empty or maybe it is just me making to small servings. [Read more...]