Brunsviger (Danish coffee cake)

Brunsviger, Danish coffee cake or Brunswick Bun is a yeasted cake that is coated in a rich spiced caramel.

It begins with a buttery brioche dough that is shaped in a rectangular pan. Before it is baked, it is dimpled the same way as focaccia and coated in a rich caramel – known in Denmark as ‘remonce’. This gives the cake a wonderful gooey top, while retaining a fluffy base. The dimples fill with caramel, so there are wonderful, oozy pops of sweet and spice with every bite.

Brunsviger is very popular in Denmark. It is often eaten with a cup of coffee or tea. It is even eaten for breakfast! It is also made to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Sometimes the cake is made in the shape of a child and decorated with candy.

I have slightly veered from tradition with by Brunsviger by adding gold chocolate and a generous dose of ground cardamom. The gold chocolate adds rich caramel notes. And the cardamom? Well, caramel and cardamom are a match made in heaven. They feature together in so many of my favourite sweets such as Persian sohan.

This is only one of a range of classic baked recipes on my website – many based on classic recipes from across the globe. Check out the full range of recipes here!

Ingredients

For the brioche dough

2 3/4 cups (410g) bread flour

1.5 tsp (7g) flaky salt

1.5 tsp (5g) instant yeast

3 tbsp (40g) caster sugar

1 cup (230g) lukewarm water

1 egg (50g)

1/4 cup (60g) milk

3 tbsp (40g) butter, melted

For the ‘remonce’ topping

175g unsalted butter

220g brown sugar

1 tbsp molasses

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp ground cardamom

1/2 cup (80g) gold chocolate chips

1/2 tsp flaky salt

1 tsp vanilla paste

Method

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, yeast and sugar. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, water, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine into a sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap, place in the fridge and let rise overnight (around 12 to 18 hours).
2. The next day, grease a 23cm x 23cm square baking tin and line with baking paper. Remove the dough from the fridge and transfer to the tray. Use finger tips to very gently ease dough to cover the base. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled in size (anywhere from 60 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the room temperature).
3. About 30 minutes before fully proved, preheat the oven to 200C and adjust the rack to the lower third. Prepare the topping by adding all ingredients except chocolate into a saucepan over medium heat. Melt together without bringing to the boil. Pour over the chocolate and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes. Then gently stir to combine.
4. One dough is doubled in size, puffed and bubbly, use fingertips to poke dimples into dough, without reaching the bottom – like making focaccia. If the dough is sticky, lightly wet fingers first. Pour 3/4 of the topping evenly over the dough, ensuring the entire surface is covered, then gently dimply again.
5. Bake for 25- 30 minutes, until evenly golden, bubbly and an instant-read thermometer registers 95C or higher. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting. It’s best eaten warm, and can be gently reheated by the slice in the microwave (only a few seconds is needed).