Laskiaispulla – Finnish Cream Buns with Cherry Jam

It is time to celebrate y’all. When you are reading this the husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Ten years. Where does time go? As tradition has it I’ve been celebrating our anniversary on the blog with a Finnish recipe. Why Finnland you may ask. Well we received a surprise honeymoon trip to Finnland for our wedding and I love to relive that week, learn more about the culture and the foods. For the happy celebration I decided it needed to be a cake or pastry. When I came across Laskiaispulla – Finnish Cream Buns with Cherry Jam I figured they are perfect for a celebration.

I learned that Laskiaispulla is a traditional bun that is served on Shrove Tuesday. Isn’t interesting that certain dishes make an appearance on certain days throughout different cultures and countries? In Germany there is also the tradition to have some sort of bun or doughnut filled with jam. We forgo the cream though. I am currently at a blank if there is an equivalent on the North American continent. Feel free to share.

But for now let’s get into making Laskiaispulla. Here is what you need.

• 450g flour – have some more available when forming buns
• 30-50g sugar
• 1 pack of dried yeast
• 250ml warm milk
• 160g greek yogurt (10% fat)
• 75g melted butter
• ½ tsp cardamom

For the glaze you need:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp water
• some sliced almonds (optional)

For the cream filling you need:

• 175g greek style philadelphia or other similar cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 20g sugar
• 200g whipping cream (30% fat)
• 200g cherry jam
• powder sugar for dusting

Here is how you do it

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add yeast and stir well.
2. Warm milk and add butter until melted.
3. Add liquid into try ingredients and stir well until dough is forming.
4. Knead well and take your time. At least 5 minutes I’d say.
5. Cover your bowl with a cloth. Let rest for at least an hour in a warm place. I usually put it in the oven or on a heater. Only it should not be drafty.
6. Take dough out of the bowl and knead some more.
7. Form same size little buns. This recipe makes 8-10 depending on size.
8. But baking paper on a baking sheet and place buns on the sheet.
9. Cover up with the cloth again, put in oven and let rest. I like to do this over night.
10. Mix egg yolk, water and brush buns. Add almond slices.
11. Bake at 175°C in the middle shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top.
12. Take out and let cool.
13. For the cream cheese filling mix cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Whip cream and slowly fold unter the cream cheese.
14. Halve the buns and pipe the cream cheese on the outer edge leaving a hole in the middle. Add cherry jam and put other half of bun on top.
15. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top before serving.

The taste is very sweet but also fruity with the cherry jam. I can see this also working with black current or blackberry jam. I personally found the cream heavy on the whipped cream so I would probably reduce that next time.

I love the buns. Finns add cardamom to so many recipes and I love it. I can see me eating those buns for breakfast just with jam.

If you want to try out my previous Finnish recipes here is an overview.

Have you ever had a Finnish dish? Which one would you make yourself if you had to pick one? Do you have a special tradition on your anniversary? Is there a food that is linked to your wedding or an anniversary?