Brunsviger is a classic Danish coffee cake whose recipe hails from the central Danish island of Fyn, where it is sold in nearly all bakeries. Today you can find this delectable pastry all around the country of Denmark.

Similar-looking to Italian focaccia, this is a sweet bread that’s drizzled with a generous amount of a caramel-like topping made from sugar and butter (and often cinnamon). Brunsviger is served lukewarm for breakfast or with an afternoon coffee or anytime you feel like having a delicious sweetsnack! In their hometown of Fyn, brunsviger are also used as a sandwich topping on Danish breakfast buns or rundstykker!

Brunsviger is thought to be named after the German town Braunschweig, referring to the very dark brown top.

The dough for brunsviger is also used to make what the Danes call a kagemand, (or kagekone), a cake made in the shape of a boy or a girl and served at birthday parties or anniversary celebrations and decorated with the Danish flag.

I’ve seen many ways to make brunsviger, but I find that the best texture is achieved when the dough is allowed to rest twice. The first rise is after all the ingredients are combined and kneaded for 18-20 minutes, then the second rice happens when the dough has been spread onto a sheet tray. If you’re in a hurry, you can get away with just one rise. In that case, spread the dough onto the sheet tray after kneading and let it rest there for about 1 hour.

I like to add a little ground cardamom to the dough as well, as it’s a wonderful companion to the brown sugar and cinnamon topping, but this is optional too.

The topping is made with dark brown sugar- which is why you see the ‘dimples’ in the dough appear quite dark. They are not burnt! But just oozing with lots of that rich, dark ‘caramelly’ flavor that dark brown sugar creates in the oven. You can of course substitute with light brown sugar if you prefer.

Cinnamon may or may not be added to the topping. Personally, I love the addition so this recipe includes it. Additionally, you will see many other creative renditions with marzipan, vanilla custard, honey, and more.

If you’re looking for a great alternative to cinnamon rolls, give brunsviger a try! And if you’re interested in more Danish recipes, I’m offering an on-demand cooking class trilogy entitled Norway vs Denmark where we dive into other Danish pastries and delicious dishes and compare them to their Norwegian counterparts. You can check out all my cooking classes here.

VEGAN BRUNSVIGER

For the dough:

1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
1 packet (8 grams) active dry yeast or 25 grams fresh yeast
1 cup (2.5 dl) milk
1/4 cup (70 ml) Just Eggs (optional)
4 cups (500 grams) AP flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1 stick (113 grams) butter, diced

For the topping:

5 ¼ oz (150 grams) butter
1 ¼ cup (250 grams) brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

To make the dough:

Add all ingredients minus the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and knead for 10 minutes on medium speed. Add the diced butter and knead for another 10 min until you get a smooth shiny dough that releases from the sides.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest until double in size, about 1 hour.

Line a 10×12 inch (25x30cm) baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the dough onto the baking sheet, cover with a clean kitchen towel and rest for another 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the topping. Combine all ingredients in a small pot and heat gently until melted and shiny, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Make dimples /indentations in the dough with your fingers, pour the topping over the bread to fill the dimples, avoiding the very edges of the dough..

Bake at 400℉ (200℃) in the middle of the oven for 18-20 minutes.

Let cool slightly before slicing into squares and serve!