Danish Carnival Bun Focaccia
Focaccia Took a Left Turn and Ended Up Somewhere Wonderful
If you have ever had a Danish carnival bun, a fastelavnsbolle, you already know what this recipe is chasing. A soft, pillowy dough filled with whipped cream cheese and sweet jam, topped with crumble, the kind of pastry that shows up at Scandinavian bakeries around Shrovetide and disappears just as quickly. Rich and sweet and deeply comforting in the way that only filled pastry can be.
This focaccia takes everything that makes a carnival bun worth seeking out and spreads it across a full pan. The same sourdough focaccia dough from this blog forms the base, dimpled and drizzled with olive oil the way it always is, but what goes on top turns it into something the focaccia category was not expecting.
Piped cream cheese filling, dollops of jam in every dimple, and a butter crumble across the surface that bakes into a golden, sandy crust over the whole thing. It is a showstopper on a table and somehow also something you can make on a weekend morning without a tremendous amount of effort. That combination is rare and worth holding onto.
The Cream Cheese Filling Sets in the Oven
Whipped with an egg, sugar, and vanilla until completely smooth, the cream cheese filling behaves more like a cheesecake layer than a spread once it hits the heat of the oven. The egg is what makes this happen. It gives the filling structure so it sets into a creamy, sliceable layer rather than melting into the dough and disappearing. The sugar keeps it just sweet enough without tipping into dessert territory before the jam even enters the picture.
Resting the filling in the refrigerator while the dough completes its second proof is worth doing for two reasons. Cold filling is easier to pipe or spoon over the dough without it running into the dimples before the oven can set it. It also means the filling goes onto the dough cold, which keeps the surface of the focaccia from warming prematurely and disrupting the final proof.
The Jam Is Yours to Choose
Any jam works here and the choice changes the character of the finished focaccia in ways worth thinking about. A tart raspberry or cherry jam plays against the richness of the cream cheese in a way that keeps each bite feeling bright and balanced. A sweeter strawberry jam leans into the dessert quality of the whole thing. Fig or apricot brings something more complex and slightly floral that pairs unexpectedly well with the sourdough tang in the base.
Dollop it evenly over the cream cheese filling rather than spreading it, so distinct pockets of jam are distributed across the surface and every piece of the finished focaccia gets some. The jam will bubble and set into the cream cheese as it bakes, creating a rippled, jewel-colored top underneath the crumble that is worth pausing to look at before the first piece gets pulled.
Crumble on Focaccia Is a Decision You Will Never Regret
The crumble here is intentionally simple. Melted butter, flour, and sugar mixed with a fork until the texture is shaggy and clumped. No spices, no additions, nothing to compete with the jam and cream cheese below it. It bakes into a golden, buttery crust across the top of the focaccia that adds crunch to every bite and ties the whole thing together visually.
The foil note in the method is worth heeding. At 450°F the crumble will darken faster than the interior of the focaccia will cook, so checking at the halfway point and tenting the pan if the crumble is getting ahead of itself keeps everything from going too far. The internal temperature of 210°F is the most reliable indicator that the dough is fully baked through, because the cream cheese filling makes visual cues harder to read than a standard focaccia.
Pull-Apart or Slice, It Works Both Ways
One of the quiet advantages of building this on a focaccia base rather than shaping individual buns is that it serves a crowd without any additional effort. Cut into squares for a cleaner presentation, or pull it apart the way focaccia is meant to be eaten, in irregular, generous pieces that don’t worry too much about their edges. Either way, each piece carries dough, cream cheese, jam, and crumble in every bite.
It is the kind of thing that works as a sweet breakfast, a brunch centerpiece, or a dessert that surprises people who thought they already knew what focaccia was capable of.
Danish Carnival Bun Focaccia
Ingredients
FOR THE DOUGH:
- Sourdough Focaccia Dough
- Olive Oil (for drizzling)
FOR THE FILLING:
- 227 g Cream Cheese (1 block)
- 1 Egg
- 50 g Granulated Sugar
- 7 g Vanilla Extract
- Jam (any flavor, around 1 cup)
FOR THE CRUMBLE:
- 60 g Melted Butter
- 150 g All Purpose Flour
- 30 g Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- Prepare your focaccia dough as usual and allow it to bulk ferment. Let the dough complete its second proof in an oiled 9”x13” non-stick pan.
- While the dough is completing its second proof, prepare the cream cheese filling. Add the cream cheese, egg, granulated sugar, and vanilla to a medium-sized bowl. Whisk with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Allow the mixture to rest in the refrigerator until the focaccia has completed its second rise.
- Prepare the crumble by mixing the melted butter, flour, and sugar together with a fork to create a crumbly texture.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. When the dough is ready, drizzle olive oil over the top and dimple the dough to create that classic focaccia look. Pipe the cream cheese filling over the top of the focaccia. Then, dollop the jam evenly over the top of the cream cheese filling. Finally, sprinkle the crumble on top.
- Bake the focaccia for 35-40 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 210°F. If the crumble begins to darken during the bake, place foil over the top halfway through to keep it from burning.
