Vastlakukkel — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A pillowy cardamom-scented wheat bun filled with almond paste and a cloud of whipped cream, Estonia's beloved Shrove Tuesday treat.

Ingredients

500g bread flour
7g instant yeast
80g sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
250ml warm milk
80g butter, melted
1 egg
300ml heavy cream
2 tbsp powdered sugar
100g almond paste or marzipan
Powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

1 Mix flour, yeast, sugar, cardamom, and salt. Add warm milk, melted butter, and egg. Knead 10 min until smooth.
2 Cover and let rise 1 hour until doubled.
3 Divide into 8 pieces, shape into smooth round buns. Place on a lined baking sheet. Rise 30 min.
4 Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 12-15 min until golden. Cool completely.
5 Cut the top off each bun. Scoop out a small hollow. Fill with a thin layer of almond paste.
6 Whip cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Pipe generous swirls of cream on top. Replace bun caps and dust with powdered sugar.

Did You Know?

Estonians compete annually over who makes the best vastlakukkel, and bakeries start selling them weeks before Shrove Tuesday, causing heated debate about whether early sales ruin the tradition.