Brunsviger (Coffee Cake)

Danish Coffee Cake

“Brunsviger” has no direct English translation, but this cake can best be described as a Danish coffee cake. It consists of a soft yeast dough topped with a brown sugar and butter caramel. The cake tastes a bit like a deconstructed cinnamon roll, but without the cinnamon! Oh, and fun fact – this cake comes from the Danish island of Fyn, or Funen, the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen.

Kagemand: A Version of a Birthday Cake!

You can make brunsviger as a simple coffee cake, but many people also use them as a base for a Danish birthday cake, called a kagemand (cake man) or kagekone (cake woman). A kagemand/kagekone is shaped like a person, hence the name. It’s usually topped with marzipan or icing, and decorated with Danish sweets (including lots of licorice!) and sprinkles. It’s a really fun project for a birthday, so we would suggest giving it a try!

Tips & Tricks

The recipe for brunsviger is incredibly easy to follow! The dough is the same as our recipe for kanelsnegle, and the topping just requires a little patience to allow the sugar and butter to melt together. Brunsviger are actually really fun to make, because you get to poke holes in them! Weirdly, the process is quite similar to making focaccia, but the end result is definitely different taste-wise. Try out the recipe and let us know what you think! If you make our recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a rating below, or tag us on Instagram if you post a photo!

Brunsviger (Danish Coffee Cake)

5 from 5 votes

These soft, gooey brunsviger are one of the best accompaniments to a cup of coffee, and make a great base for a classic Danish birthday cake, called a kagemand or kagekone (cake man/cake woman).

Servings 12 servings

Prep Time 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

  

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DOUGH

• 150 ml (2/3 cup) milk
• 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active-dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1 egg yolk (room temperature)
• 50 grams (1/4 cup) sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 375 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour
• 57 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

TOPPING

• 100 grams (7 tbsp) unsalted butter *for even more sticky topping goodness, you can use 150 grams each of the butter and the brown sugar!
• 100 grams (1/2 cup packed) brown sugar

Instructions

 

• Heat up the milk until it is "fingervarm" (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to bloom and froth a little bit.
• Meanwhile, combine the egg, egg yolk, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
  
• Once the yeast has bloomed, add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture and whisk together.
  
• Slowly add the flour. Once the dough starts to come together, you can begin kneading.
  
• Add the unsalted butter and knead for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour if the dough is sticking to your hands or the table.
  
• Cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour at room temperature.
  
• Butter a baking tray. Once the dough has doubled in size, you can either roll it out or just stretch it with your hands to fit the tray.
  
• Poke holes in it with your fingers. Let this rise another 30-45 mins, and preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 C).
  
• In the meantime, make your topping. Combine the brown sugar and unsalted butter in a saucepan and place it over a low heat. You want the sugar to dissolve and the butter to melt, but if you rush it at a higher heat, they will separate. If that happens, add a little bit of hot water and stir to try to save the mixture. Let your mixture cool a little bit (but not harden or congeal!).
  
• Once the dough has risen again, add the (slightly cooled) topping, and use your fingers to poke more holes. You can also make the holes first and then pour the topping over that! You want to push pretty far down, almost to the bottom of the baking tray.
  
• Bake the brunsviger for 18-20 minutes, or until the top of the dough looks nice and golden brown. If you bake in a convection oven and use a glass pan, you may want to check the doneness as early as 15 minutes! Enjoy!
  

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: brown sugar caramel, butterscotch, caramel, classic, simple, soft, yeasted cake

Difficulty: Intermediate