The Finns know their way around baked goods for sure! Spiced with cardamom and sprinkled with pearl sugar or icing sugar, if you want, the Voisilmäpulla makes a perfect Sunday fika treat. These golden, cardamom-scented buns have a rich center bursting with butter and sugar. They look like delicious little butter volcanoes. Let’s make some to enjoy.

All you need is: 225 ml milk, 1 tsp salt, 100 g butter, 1 sachet dried yeast, 500 g wheat flour, 1 tbsp ground cardamom, 75 g sugar, 1 egg. 

To finish: 50 g butter, 50 g sugar, 1 egg, pearl or icing sugar for decoration

1. Begin by scalding the milk: pour it into a saucepan and heat gently to almost boiling point. Take off the heat and add the chopped butter and the salt, stirring to melt. Leave to cool.

2. Into a large mixing bowl sift the flour and the ground cardamom, stir in the yeast and sugar.

3. Beat the egg and add to the cooled milk/butter.

4. Add most of the liquid to the flour mix and begin to bring the dough together. You will probably need all the liquid, add a spot more milk if you need to.

5. Once the dough has come together, knead it for around 8 to 10 minutes until soft and smooth.

6. Place into a clean bowl, slash the top to help it relax and cover with cling film or a tea towel, allow to prove for up to an hour.

7. Preheat oven to 200º C and line a large baking sheet or roasting tin with parchment.

8. Divide the dough into 12 equally sized pieces and roll each into a bun.

9. Place the buns onto the prepared baking sheet and cover loosely with a tea towel. Allow to prove for 20 to 30 minutes.

10. Once the buns have plumped up from the second prove, use your thumb or finger to make a deep depression into each of them. Push one of the chilled cubes of butter into the hole and repeat with all the buns.

12. Brush egg wash over the exposed dough around the cube of butter then sprinkle half a teaspoon of sugar over the top of the cube of butter. Decorate with pearl sugar before going into the oven or with icing sugar after the oven.

13. Bake in the preheated oven for around 10 to 12 minutes until risen and golden, the butter bubbling.

14. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy them fresh! (They are also perfect for freezing)