If you’re looking to dive into baking more Swedish pastries (which, as the person behind a series called What’s For Fika, I highly recommend you do), a semla is a great place to start. And if you’re anything like me and spend all day looking at food pics on Instagram, one or two (or more) photos of a semla may have shown up on your FYP.
A semla is traditionally enjoyed around Shrove Tuesday (Fettisdagen, or what Swedes would call Mardi Gras) and throughout late winter. It’s a soft, cardamom-spiced wheat bun, hollowed out and filled with sweet almond paste, then topped with whipped cream. The top of the bun is cut off as a “lid” and placed back after filling, and then the whole bun gets dusted with powdered sugar.
