Metro Detroit’s Svenska Cafe Serves Swedish Semlor Pastries on Fat Tuesday | Eater Detroit

"I've discovered a compact coffee bar along Maple Road that has been enticing customers for the past three years with Swedish open-faced sandwiches, kanelbullar (cinnamon rolls), and kolasnittar (caramel shortbreads). One standout is the semlor—palm-sized cardamom buns made with white flour, sliced so the triangle-shaped golden-brown lid can be dusted with powdered sugar, and filled with generous helpings of almond paste and swirls of whipped cream; Ingela Oginsky, who makes all the pastries, recommends removing the lid and dipping it in the cream to avoid a mess. Oginsky learned to bake semlor from her mother and perfected the soft, brioche-like buns after moving to the U.S., and Christina Bakalis opened Svenska in September 2016. The shop's reputation has grown by word of mouth among expatriates and Swedes in metro Detroit—several Swedish Detroit Red Wings players are regulars—and Oginsky prepares hundreds of semlor annually, selling them from just after New Year through Easter and accepting orders by direct message on Facebook. Many pastries are prepared with almonds and perfumed with cardamom, with cardamom cake among the most popular items, and for patrons with Swedish heritage eating a semla here is a way to reconnect with traditions." - Brenna Houck