The Danish Brunsviger cake is a buttery, sweet yeast dough baked with swirls of rich, buttery brown sugar caramel sauce. The bread is very light and airy with a soft caramel interior and toffee crunch on the top and edges. While called a cake, it resembles more of an American coffee cake, monkey bread (pull-apart bread), or another version of cinnamon rolls. If you like these American sweet treats, you’ll absolutely love this Danish cake.
Danish Brunsviger Origins
While the Danish Brunsviger (BROHNZ-vee-AH) roots are in German baking, this specific cake originated on the Danish island of Fyn or Funen but pronounced “fewn”. Fyn is an old historic Viking island also known as the birthplace of fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen, who, of course, authored many of Disney’s stories like “The Little Mermaid”. This Danish cake is often served as a birthday cake in Denmark. For the kiddos, it’s commonly shaped and baked into a boy or girl called a Kagemand (KAY-man) and topped with candy for decoration prior to serving.
My Brunsviger Inspiration
When I saw an image of a version of this cake, the caramel sauce sold me immediately. I knew I had to create one. Can you go wrong with a brioche-style yeast dough and caramel? Not only that, but there’s no fancy rolling or shaping. After learning about the traditions and specifics of this recipe, I went to work creating one of my own. In fact, this buttery, sweet, toffee-like bread is richer and more indulgent than it looks. I was so in love with this bread, I had to share it! So here it is…
Danish Brunsviger Ingredients
This is an amazing, sweet breakfast bread or dessert with so few ingredients. For the dough ingredients, you’ll need milk, granulated sugar, yeast, all-purpose flour, salt, and butter. For the caramel sauce, in addition, you’ll need brown sugar and vanilla extract.
Activate the Yeast
Add 295 milliliters (1¼ cup) of milk to a measuring cup. Heat it in the microwave 30 -60 seconds until it reaches 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C). Measure out 50 grams (¼ cup) of granulated sugar. In a small bowl, add 14 grams (4 ½ teaspoons or 2 packages) of active dry yeast. Take 1 tablespoon from the measured-out sugar and mix it with the yeast. Pour in ~59 milliliters (~ ¼ cup) of the warmed milk. Stir the mixture until well combined and set it aside for 10 minutes to become bubbly and frothy.
TIPS: Whole milk is preferred as it adds richness, softness, and chewiness to the overall bread crumb. Sugar feeds the yeast and warm liquid activates the yeast.
Make the Danish Brunsviger Dough
Mix Dry Ingredients
In the bowl of stand mixer, add 480 grams (4 cups) of all-purpose flour. Add the remaining sugar and 3 grams (½ teaspoon) of salt, if using salted butter. If using unsalted butter, add 4.5 grams (¾ teaspoon). Whisk to combine.
TIPS: If not using a stand mixer, use a large bowl. Stir the ingredients as described with a spoon and knead by hand. Too much salt in any yeast bread will slow the yeast growth. The rule of thumb is there should be no more than 2% of salt per total flour weight in any yeast bread recipe. When I create recipes, I always do the math to ensure no more than 2% salt is in my yeast dough.
Combine Butter & Milk
Dice 113 grams (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) of butter. Add it to the remaining milk. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir. If solid pieces remain, heat for another 10 seconds. The butter should be just melted. If needed, allow the butter and milk mixture to cool to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C) before pouring it into the flour.
TIP: Diced butter melts more quickly since there is less mass per dice to be heated.
Stir Together All Dough Ingredients
With the dough hook attached and the machine on low, slowly pour in the activated yeast mixture. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture. Use a spatula to scrape down the bowl edges as needed. Knead on low to medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be tacky and pull away from the bowl edges but not sticky. Add flour or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to reach a tacky consistency. The dough should be very soft, pliable, and almost ooze through your fingers when holding it.
TIP: If using a large bowl and spoon. Stir the ingredients together until you reach a shaggy mass. Then, turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Dough Rise Time
Mound the dough in a ball and place it in the bottom of the bowl. Oil the top and sides with cooking spray or a neutral oil and rotate the dough to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 30-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
TIPS: The oil covered dough prevents a crust from forming as it sits. If the dough rises in a warm environment, the rise time should only be 30 minutes.
Prepare Baking Pans
Traditionally, Danish Brunsviger cakes are baked in square pans, a 16- x 16- inch pan. However, that size isn’t quite as popular in some countries. You can use two 8-x8- inch square pans or one 9-x13- inch pan. Regardless of the dish(es), grease the pan(s) with cooking spray or butter. Place parchment paper in each pan and use scissors to cut the paper down vertically in each corner to the bottom of the pan. Overlap the flaps so the paper sits flush. Trim off the flaps as desired.
TIP: A 9-x 13- inch pan will yield a taller cake as it is a little smaller than a 16- x 16- inch pan or two 8- x 8- inch pans.
Pan the Dough
Use a spoon to deflate the dough. If using two pans, divide the dough in half by eyeballing or weighing the dough. The total dough weight should be around 940 grams; thus each half should be around 470 grams (if using 2 pans). If using one large pan, place the entire dough in the pan. Regardless of the number or pan size, flatten out the dough to reach the edges and corners of the pan. Push the dough out as needed dusting your hands with flour if your fingers or hands are sticking to the dough.
TIP: If the dough retracts while pushing it out to the edges, allow it to sit untouched for a few moments giving it time to relax and adjust to the stretched shape. Then, continue to push it out to the edges.
Cover the Dough & Rise
Cover the pan(s) with a towel or plastic wrap. Set the pan(s) aside for 20 minutes in a warm area to rise. The dough will puff but not double in size.
Make the Caramel Sauce
Combine Butter & Brown Sugar
In a small saucepan, add 113 grams (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) of butter cut into chunks. Then, add 255 grams (1⅓ cups packed) of brown sugar. Heat on low until the butter is melted. Stir frequently to prevent any burning. The mixture should be very hot, but careful not to boil the mixture. If you want more of a breakfast coffee cake or a sweet yeast bread with holiday flavors, add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, mixed spice (British spice; recipe below), pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice. Stir the mixture until the butter is completely melted and all ingredients are combined.
Add Milk
Once the butter is melted and combined with the brown sugar, stir in 60 milliliters (¼ cup) of milk. Continue stirring until heated through and the sugar is dissolved (5 minutes or so).
TIP: Whole milk is preferred as it provides creaminess, richness, and thickness to the caramel sauce.
Remove From Heat & Add Vanilla
Remove the caramel sauce from the heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble significantly. Continue to stir until the bubbles subside. Set the sauce aside for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.
TIP: To cool the sauce a little quicker, pour the sauce into a separate small bowl.
Preheat Oven
Preheat the oven to 400˚F (204˚C).
Add Dimples to the Dough
While the topping cools slightly, remove the covering from the pan(s) of rising dough. Use your clean fingers or put on kitchen gloves and make deep dimples all over the dough like making focaccia bread. Add dimples along the edges of the pan so the caramel sauce bakes into the edges as well. The dimples will hold the caramel sauce so they should be deep enough to almost reach the bottom of the pan without exposing the pan.
Pour Caramel Sauce over the Dimpled Dough
Spoon the caramel sauce all over the top of the dough. Divide the mixture evenly between the two pans, if using two. Ensure the mixture seeps into each dimple including along the edges. If using 2 pans, use a ladle to spoon the sauce over the dough pouring 1 ladle per pan at a time to ensure equal division of the sauce. Since the sauce is warm, it will encourage the dough to rise again. If the sauce isn’t oozing down into the dimples, use your fingers to make more or deeper holes- messy task but it works. Much of the sauce will sit on top.
Baking Time!
Place the pan(s) in the preheated oven. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly on top. If using 1 large pan, bake an additional 5-10 minutes.
Danish Brunsviger Hot out of the Oven
Allow the cake(s) to sit in their pans for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Then, lift the parchment paper to remove the cake(s). Place them on a serving plate or cutting board to cut into 12 individual slices (squares/rectangles). Stack the slices on a serving plate and serve.
Danish Brunsviger Up Close
Check out the top and sides of the cake. If using parchment paper, the cake easily lifts and can be placed directly on a serving platter (after removing the paper). You can also slice it into chunks and stack them as desired. Check out the dimpled top, crusty toffee edges, and swirls of melted caramel that oozed down into the dimples.
Storage Suggestions
Store slices covered at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, place slices in a freezer bag or sealed container in the freezer for up to several months. Remove desired amount and heat until warm.
Danish Brunsviger Final Thoughts
Oh, my goodness! This is a heavenly sweet bread! This Danish cake is an incredible bread eaten warm out of the oven with its soft, buttery, yeasty smell, taste, and texture. Don’t forget the gooey, rich swirls of caramel throughout. In addition, how about that light caramel toffee crunch on the top, edges, and bottom? Can I possibly say more? WARNING!! There is absolutely NOTHING healthy about this bread… full of butter and sugar! I suppose that’s why it’s called a cake and served for birthdays in Denmark. I think I know what my next birthday cake will be…😉
Danish Brunsviger Baker’s Perspective
For such a rich and indulgent yeast bread, this one is not difficult to make. It’s a regular mix and knead enriched bread, but the dough is very easy to manipulate since it has so much butter and milk to keep it soft. It’s light and fluffy even after kneading. The easiest part is putting it in the pan! There’s no real dividing or shaping, just plop in a pan and pat it out. How easy is that for a yeast bread? The butter and brown sugar sauce only takes a few minutes to make. All in all, aside from about 30 minutes of rising, you can move from one step to another until you put it in the oven. You can make the dough the night before you want to bake it, just simply cover it and place it in the fridge until you’re ready to put it in the pan(s) and make the topping.
Danish Brunsviger Taster’s Perspective
Are you looking for a yeasty, light, airy, buttery enriched bread with pockets of rich, buttery, soft, and gooey, caramel? Well, that describes this Danish cake… or bread. The caramel that oozes along the bread edges and on the bottom creates a light, crispy toffee exterior once baked. The bread is buttery, lightly sweetened, and soft. If you like cinnamon rolls and monkey bread (aka pull-apart bread), this would be very close to their textures and flavors, particularly if you add cinnamon to the butter and brown sugar caramel sauce. This bread is a definite keeper for a nice weekend breakfast with guests, holiday sweet treat, or anytime you’re craving a sweet yeast bread.
Check out my YouTube Video on making this Danish Brunsviger Cake. “Danish Brunsviger Cake: A Tantalizing Brioche-Style Yeast Dough with Swirls of Caramel Sauce”
Danish Brunsviger Cake: A Tantalizing Yeast Dough with Caramel Swirls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 295 ml (1¼ cup) milk whole preferred (heated to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C)
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 14 g (4½ tsp / 2 pkg) active dry yeast
- 480 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour fluff, scoop, and level off is using a measuring cup
- 3 g (½ tsp) salt (if using salted butter) 4.5 g (¾ tsp) salt (if using unsalted butter)
- 113 g (8 tbsp / 1 stick) butter diced
Caramel Sauce:
- 113 g (8 tbsp / 1 stick) butter diced
- 255 g (1⅓ cups packed) brown sugar
- 60 ml (¼ cup) milk whole milk preferred
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Caramel Sauce Additions: Spice is not traditional in this dish.
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or British mixed spice (recipe in Notes below)
Instructions
Activate the Yeast: 10 minutes
- Pour milk into a measuring cup. Heat in the microwave 30 -60 seconds until it reaches 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C).TIP: Whole milk is preferred as it provides richness, softness, and chewiness to the bread crumb.
- Measure out the sugar. In a small bowl, add yeast. Take 1 tbsp from the measured-out sugar and mix it with the yeast.
- Pour in ~59 ml (~ ¼ cup) of the warmed milk. Stir until well combined. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes to become bubbly and frothy.TIP: If the yeast doesn’t activate (bubbly and frothy), the yeast might be old or the milk may not be warm enough. Allow a few more minutes if after 15 minutes, you don’t see any changes, it’s time to start over with a fresh batch of yeast.
Make the Dough: 15 minutes
- In the bowl of stand mixer (or large bowl), add the flour, remaining sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine.TIP: If not using a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and spoon to stir the ingredients.
- Add diced butter to the remaining milk and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds or just until melted. Add another 10 seconds, if needed. Allow to cool down to 100˚F-110˚F (38˚C-43˚C) if needed.TIPS: Diced butter melts more quickly as each small piece has less mass to melt. Stir the butter in the milk after 30 seconds as any remaining small pieces should melt while stirring.
- With the dough hook attached and the machine on low, slowly pour in the activated yeast mixture. Pour in the warm milk and butter mixture. Use a spatula to scrape down the bowl edges as needed.
- Knead on low to medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be tacky and pull away from the bowl edges but not sticky. Add flour or water, 1 tbsp at a time, as needed to reach a tacky consistency.
- Mound the dough in a ball and place it in the bottom of the bowl. Oil the top and sides with cooking spray or a neutral oil. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise in a warm area for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.TIP: Oil prevents a crust from forming on the dough as it sits.
Shape Dough in Pan: 5 minutes
- Grease two 8-x8- inch square pans or one 9-x13- inch pan. Place parchment paper in each pan and use scissors to cut the paper down vertically in each corner. Overlap the flaps so the paper sits flush. Trim off excess flaps if desired.TIP: This cake is traditionally baked in a square pan, hence the two small square pans. However, you can use a larger square pan like a 16×16. A 9- x 13- inch pan may yield a taller cake since it's a little smaller than the other suggested pan sizes.
- Deflate the dough and remove it from the bowl. If using two pans, divide the dough in half (940 g total = 470 g per half) and flatten each out to reach the edges and corners of each pan. If using one large pan, place the entire dough in the pan and flatten it out to reach the edges and corners of the pan.TIP: Dust your hands with flour to push out the dough if it’s sticky.
- Cover the pan(s) with a towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes in a warm area to rise.
Make Caramel Sauce: 10 minutes
- In a small saucepan, add the butter (cut into chunks) and brown sugar. Heat on low until melted stirring frequently. The mixture should be very hot, but careful not to boil the mixture.TIP: If you want more of a breakfast coffee cake or a sweet yeast bread with holiday flavors, add 1 tbsp of cinnamon, mixed spice (British spice recipe in Notes section below), pumpkin pie spice, or apple pie spice.
- Stir in milk and continue stirring until heated through and the sugar is dissolved (5 minutes or so).
- Remove the caramel sauce from the heat and stir in vanilla.
- Set the sauce aside for about 5 minutes to cool slightly.TIP: To cool a little quicker, pour the sauce into another bowl.
Add Sauce & Bake: 10 minutes + 35 more for baking
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (204˚C).
- While the topping cools slightly (5-10 minutes), remove the covering from the pan(s) of rising dough. Use your fingers to make deep dimples all over the dough like making focaccia bread. Add dimples along the edges of the pan so the caramel sauce bakes into the edges as well.TIP: The dimples will hold the butter and brown sugar caramel sauce and they should be deep enough to almost reach the bottom of the pan without exposing the pan.
- Spoon the caramel sauce all over the top of the dough dividing the mixture evenly between the two pans, if using two. Ensure to get the mixture into each dimple including the edges.TIPS: If using 2 pans, use a ladle to spoon the sauce over the dough (1 ladle per pan at a time) to ensure equal division of the sauce. If the sauce isn’t oozing down into the dimples, while super messy, use your fingers to make more or deeper holes. Much of the sauce will sit on top.
- Place the pan(s) in the preheated oven and bake 35-40 minutes until golden brown and bubbly on top. After cooling, lift the parchment paper to remove the cake and place on a serving platter. Serve warm and enjoy!TIP: Bake 5-10 minutes longer if baking in 1 large pan.
Video
Notes
You might be interested in these other sweet treats.
New Zealand Kiwi Quick Bread (GF Option)
Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it. Check out my YouTube Channel as well to see videos of kitchen tips, blog bakes, and dishes. Until next time, go bake the world!