ASI Travel Blog: Tasting Cardamom Buns in Stockholm

After working at ASI for four years as a Public Relations and Communications Specialist, I finally visited Sweden. It’s been nice to set eyes on the country I’ve been learning about all this time.

As a non-Swede and picky eater, I knew that there was one standout Swedish food I wanted to try everywhere: cardamom buns. Cardamom buns are extremely popular, and you can find them at almost every bakery, just like the infamous Princesstårta cake (but that’s a blog for my next trip to Sweden!).

FIKA Café’s Executive Chef Amalia Obermeier Smith said one of her most recommended foods to try was cardamom buns, and it was the first thing she tried when landing in Sweden. Following her expert advice, I did the same. 

My qualifications to rank these? Absolutely none, other than an extreme love for baked goods. Take my opinion with a grain of pearled sugar.

The only cardamom bun I’ve tried before this trip was from FIKA Café (still ranks as a 5/5 for me, hometown turf and all), which I’ve had to budget for each month. There’s nothing more tempting than smelling those freshly made buns in the morning.

I researched a few spots, took recommendations from my coworkers, and ended up eating at bakeries I stumbled upon during my excursions. I only had five days in Sweden and found that between all the other food stops, I could only try one bun a day. 

1. Svedjan Bageri in Sodermalm

Oh my goodness, this was amazing. You can tell from the moment you walk in that this bakery takes pastries very seriously. Love the dough texture, and there’s plenty of cardamom. It’s perfectly toasted at the top, with just the right crunch, and fluffy throughout the rest of the bun. Buttery. Love that they serve it on a warm plate. By far, the sweetest bun I’ve had, very sugary. 5/5

2. Princess Konditoriet in Sundygard

This was my first stop in Stockholm and it was near my hotel. Their buns were buttery and had slightly fluffy, croissant-like texture. The top glaze was nice, but it could have used a touch more cardamom. My first true cardamom bun bite in Sweden started strong at a 4.25/5 rating.  

3. Café Albert in Norrmalm

Stopped here for a quick coffee on the way to the Vasa Museum. The bun is swirled like FIKA’s, which I think makes it easier to share. I love the cardamom and sugar sprinkled on top, and I felt it was distributed evenly. A little buttery and a nice toast on top. It was a little drier in the middle than I would have liked.  4/5

4. Bröd & Salt

I wanted to try a regular chain that you can find all over Stockholm and not only individual bakeries, and Bröd & Salt was easy to find. My first thought was that it was dry but had that familiar dough-like texture. It wasn’t glazed as much, but I did enjoy the cardamom crunch on top. It gets a 3/5 for being a perfectly average bun.

5. Caffé Nero on Drottninggatan Road

This choice definitely fell into the “poor planning” category. I woke up on Saturday morning, excited to celebrate the delightful pick-and-mix Swedish candy tradition. I knew I wanted to go to Carmella (10/10), so I stopped at this cafe on the way. I knew that being on this touristy street wasn’t going to be my favorite, and my premonition was correct. Dry, too light on the cardamom, and minimal sugar. Acceptable at a 2/5. 

Honorary mention – Boulangerie in Vaxholm

Not in Stockholm, but have to mention. We took a ferry to the archipelago and stayed in Vaxholm for two nights, visiting Grinda and Rindö. Right off the ferry, there is a boulangerie welcoming you to the island. Their cardamom bun was delicious. Light, perfect dough texture; the glaze was light and didn’t make a “crunch” on the top of the bun, and the cardamom ratio was perfect. There were almond shavings, which, I think, fell from the buns next to it in the display case, as the other cardamom buns did not have almonds. I found them to be a delightful, albeit surprising, addition. 4.5/5