Cardamom bun bombe (kardemummabullar bombe)

If you have day-old, slightly stale buns lying around, this is a good way of using them up. I’ve also made this using bought buns when I’ve been short of time and need a quick and easy dessert for a dinner party.

Credit: The Little Swedish Kitchen

• serves

  6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 200 g golden or date syrup
• 200 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 300 ml thick (double) cream
• 2 L good-quality vanilla ice cream
• 12-14 shop-bought cardamom or cinnamon buns

Freezing time: 4 hours

Instructions

1. Start by making a caramel. Pour the syrup into a large, heavy-based pan, followed by the sugar, cardamom and salt. Place on a hot heat. Swirl the pot around every minute or so to help incorporate the sugar. Once the caramel starts to simmer, cook for a further 5 minutes or until a dark golden brown. Take off the heat. Gradually incorporate the cream – be careful, as the mixture will splutter and rise. Fill a bowl with water and ice, place the caramel pot on top of the ice and leave to cool.

2. Take the ice cream out of the freezer and put into the fridge to soften slightly.

3. Line a medium-sized bowl (1.5 L capacity) with cling film, leaving some excess to fold over the top to cover. Cut the cardamom buns in half and place some of them cut side down in the bowl, so the bowl sides are fully covered.

4. Beat the softened ice cream and swirl in a third of the cooled caramel. Set aside the rest for serving. Spoon the ice cream into the bowl and press it down. Cover the ice cream with the remainder of the bun halves. Wrap with the excess cling film and freeze for at least 4 hours.

5. To serve, take the bombe out of the freezer 15 minutes before serving. Open up the cling film at the top, place a serving plate over the bowl and turn upside down. Remove the cling film and leave to thaw slightly. Right before serving, pour over the remainder of the caramel sauce.

Notes

• Use a knife run under hot water to cut the bombe.

• Cardamom can be replaced with other spices, such as cinnamon, ground ginger and allspice.

Recipe and images from The Little Swedish Kitchen by Rachel Khoo (Michael Joseph, RRP $49.99).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.