Dear Reader,
I'm sharing one of my favorite cookbooks with you today: The Nordic Baking Book by Magnus Nilsson. It’s truly a tome of Scandinavian baking. With 450 recipes, it takes up a fair bit of space on my bookshelf—right next to its companion, The Nordic Cookbook. But it's space well used: I've tried many recipes from this book, and every single one has worked perfectly on the first try.
One recipe that caught my eye recently while flipping through it was for Danish Brunsviger. At first glance, it looks like a sweet version of Italian focaccia with its dimpled top—and in many ways, it is, just without the olive oil.
It starts with a sweet brioche-style dough, topped with a mixture of butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar (doesn’t that sound amazing?). You press the topping into the dough with your fingertips, creating little pockets that fill with sugary, buttery goodness as it bakes into a rich, tender cake.
The recipe blurb explains that Brunsviger originated on the Danish island of Funen but has since become beloved across the entire country. It's often enjoyed lukewarm for breakfast, but there's another uniquely Danish way to eat it: placing a slice on a buttered breakfast bun (rundstykker) and eating it like a sandwich. Talk about decadent—a cake sandwich!
Every time I make a Scandinavian dessert, I’m struck by how flavorful and sweet it is. European treats often get labeled as “not very sweet,” and that might be true for German baking, which tends to be more restrained. But Scandinavian desserts? They're often drenched in sugar. Take Norwegian school bread: soft sweet rolls, filled with pastry cream and topped with icing. Instant sugar fix! I made a video on these a few years ago, and still find an excuse to make them every now and then.
This Danish coffee cake was no exception. I try so many recipes that I rarely remake them, since there’s always something new to try. But Brunsviger passed the test. I’ll be finding every excuse to bake it again. Fluffy and soft with a rich caramelized topping, the base was so tender you’d never guess it was a yeast cake. I might film this one for a video sometime because the world needs to know about Brunsviger!
Until next week, happy baking!
Kristin
P.S. In case you missed the first email in this series, you can read it here: https://bakeacrosseurope.beehiiv.com/p/in-my-kitchen-italian-almond-cherry-jam-cookies