Fastelavns boller – a tasting

When Fastelavn* is approaching, the bakeries in Denmark start baking the popular “Fastelavns boller”, easiest compared to a choux bun; pastry with whipped cream, custard or jam. These are wildly popular, and a bit of a culinary sweet treat.

We made sure the panel were all seasoned ‘Fastelavns bolle’ eaters:  The girls, a school friend who loves cake, the Mr. and myself. Denmark is well renowned for their Danish (pastry) and these could easily fall into that category too.

We visited 5 Bakeries and these are the descriptions of each Fastelavns bolle:

Føtex, Fastelavns bolle with custard and chocolate icing. Price 5 kr.

Taffelbay, Fastelavns bolle with raspberry custard cream and raspberry icing. Price 32 kr.

Grannys house Old fashioned Fastelavns bolle with jam, vanilla chantilly cream and whipped cream. Price 38 kr.

Olivers, Fastelavns bolle with lemon chantilly cream and orange flavoured icing. Price 32 kr.

Lagkagehuset,Fastelavns bolle with raspberry jam and raspberry icing. Price 22 kr.

We cut the Fastelavns boller into 5 pieces and tasted them, one by one. After the 3rd Fastelavns bolle, we all had mild sugar rush and had to take half an hour break.  Then we finished  our feast, calculated the scores, and these are the results:

The winning bun was the lemon flavoured one from Olivers. The panel found it perfectly formed with just the right amount of cream. The pastry was tasty, good,  but could have been flakier.

The 2nd most popular were the Old fashioned Fastelavns bolle from Grannys house. It didn’t win, mainly due to the overload of whipped cream. Had it had half the amount, we think it would have won because it had the perfect combination of jam, chantilly cream.

The best pastry was on the one from Lagkagehuset. The pastry was perfect, crunchy, and delicious. 

The best value for money was the one from Føtex. Very cheap and tasty. For the money, it was a sure winner.

Our least favourite and the easiest one to forget was the one from Taffelbay. It was ok. But then again forgettable!!

Well, there you have it. I thoroughly recommend eating Fastelavns boller if you visit Copenhagen in the period leading up to Fastelavn. Or even better; have a tasting. It is tremendous fun, and hyggeligt sitting there scoffing (and tasting) Danish pastry. Just remember to drink plenty of water or milk, and go for a long walk afterwards to get rid of all the sugar.

We will be back with more fun tastings from the panel soon. Have a lovely weekend – and do remember to go and taste some Fastelavns Boller – they are delicious!!

* Fastelavn is the name for Carnival in Denmark, which is either the Sunday or Monday before Ash Wednesday. Fastelavn evolved from the Roman Catholic tradition of celebrating in the days before Lent, but after Denmark became a Protestant nation, the holiday became less specifically religious. This holiday occurs seven weeks before Easter Sunday and is sometimes described as a Nordic Halloween, with children dressing up in costumes, hit a barrel, and gather treats for the Fastelavn feast. The holiday is generally considered to be a time for children’s fun and family games. I will share more of the history with you in a post soon. Watch this space.