Smultring — Norwegian cardamom doughnut rings

i. Origin & history

Smult is Norwegian for lard and ring means what it does in English, so smultring (plural smultringer) literally describes the cooking fat. Frying in pork fat was the norm in Norwegian farm kitchens, where butter was precious and lard was plentiful after the autumn slaughter, and fried sweets were among the treats made for Christmas when good flour, sugar and spices came out of storage.

Smultringer belong to the Norwegian tradition of julekaker, the 'Christmas cakes' — really a set of biscuits and small fried and baked sweets prepared in December. The custom of having at least seven kinds (syv slag) is well known, and smultringer often feature alongside the twisted fattigmann, crisp krumkaker, sandkaker and berlinerkranser. Unlike many of those, though, they are also eaten all year round: sold from stalls at fairs and Christmas markets, from bakeries, and from supermarket bakery counters, often still warm.

The defining flavour is cardamom. Norway, like Sweden and Finland, adopted the spice enthusiastically from the trade routes that brought it to northern Europe, and it now runs through Nordic sweet baking in a way it does nowhere else in Europe — in breads like the cardamom bun, in waffles and in these doughnuts. A smultring without cardamom tastes, to a Norwegian, like an American doughnut.

Smultringer are cake doughnuts — leavened chemically, with baking powder and often hjortetakksalt (baker's ammonia) — rather than yeast doughnuts like the German Berliner. That makes them quick to mix and gives them a close, tender crumb and a craggy crust that holds sugar well. Denmark and Sweden have similar fried rings, but the name and the cardamom-buttermilk dough are distinctly Norwegian.

ii. Why the dough is chilled and the fat kept at 175 °C

Smultring dough is soft and sticky because it is rich in liquid, egg and fat, which is what makes the finished doughnut tender. Warm, it cannot be rolled or cut. Chilling it for at least an hour, and ideally overnight, firms the butter and lets the flour hydrate fully, so the dough can be rolled with only a light dusting of flour. Adding extra flour to make it manageable instead is the classic mistake; it gives a dry, heavy, bready doughnut.

The leavening works in two stages. Baking powder releases some gas when the dough is mixed and more when it hits the hot fat; baker's ammonia, used in many Norwegian recipes, decomposes in the heat into gas and evaporates entirely, giving an especially light, crisp result. Ammonia's sharp smell is only noticeable during frying and disappears from the finished doughnut. Buttermilk or sour cream adds acidity, which tenderises the crumb and gives the baking powder something to react with.

Temperature is the most important part of frying. At around 175 °C the outside sets and browns quickly while steam puffs and cooks the inside. Too cool, and the dough absorbs fat before it seals, turning greasy and heavy. Too hot, and the outside goes dark brown before the middle has cooked, leaving a raw, gummy centre. A thermometer, and frying only a few at a time so the oil does not cool, makes all the difference.

Turning them once, when the underside is golden and the doughnut has puffed and floats high, produces the pale band around the middle that marks a well-fried ring.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 24 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 2 eggs
• 200 g sugar
• 300 ml buttermilk (kulturmelk) or soured cream
• 75 g butter, melted and cooled
• 650 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baker's ammonia (hjortetakksalt), optional
• 2 tsp freshly ground cardamom
• ½ tsp salt
• 1500 ml lard or neutral oil, for deep-frying
• 100 g caster sugar, for coating (optional)

Freshly ground cardamom — seeds crushed from the pods just before use — is far more aromatic than pre-ground; this is the flavour that defines the doughnut. Kulturmelk (Norwegian cultured milk) is best replaced by buttermilk, kefir or thinned soured cream. Baker's ammonia (hjortetakksalt, also sold as hartshorn salt) gives the lightest, crispest result but is optional: replace it with an extra teaspoon of baking powder. Lard is traditional and gives a crisp, clean-tasting crust; sunflower or rapeseed oil is the modern standard. Some families add lemon zest or a little vanilla sugar alongside the cardamom.

iv. Method

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and thick. Whisk in the buttermilk and the cooled melted butter.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, baker's ammonia, cardamom and salt together, then stir them into the egg mixture to a soft, sticky dough. Do not knead.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight, until firm.
4. Heat the lard or oil in a deep, heavy pan to 175 °C (350 °F). It should come at least 5 cm up the sides, with plenty of space above.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough to about 1 cm thick. Cut out rings with a doughnut cutter or two round cutters (about 7–8 cm outside, 2–3 cm inside). Re-roll the scraps once.
6. Fry 3–4 rings at a time for about 1½–2 minutes per side, turning once when the underside is deep golden and the doughnut has puffed. Keep the fat at 170–180 °C between batches.
7. Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper, and roll in caster sugar while still warm if you like. Fry the holes too — they take about 1 minute.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Chill the dough well. Cold dough rolls cleanly with minimal flour. Adding flour to warm sticky dough makes dense, dry doughnuts.
• Grind the cardamom yourself. Pre-ground cardamom quickly loses its aroma. Crushing seeds from the pods gives the classic flavour.
• Use a thermometer. At under 165 °C the rings soak up fat; above 185 °C they burn outside before cooking through. Hold 175 °C.
• Do not crowd the pan. Too many rings at once drop the oil temperature sharply. Fry a few at a time.
• Test the first one. Break open the first doughnut to check that the centre is cooked; adjust time or temperature before frying the rest.
• Do not over-roll the scraps. Re-rolled dough is tougher. Gather and re-roll only once, then fry the last odd shapes as they are.

vi. Variations

Sugared smultringer are rolled in caster sugar while warm; plain smultringer, the more traditional style, are eaten with no coating. Some recipes use sour cream (rømme) for a richer dough, or add lemon zest or vanilla. Smultringhull, the holes, are fried separately and sold as snacks. Modern bakeries dip them in chocolate or glaze.

In Scandinavia, other fried Christmas sweets include the Norwegian fattigmann and Danish klejner, both twisted diamonds of dough. Further afield, compare the Dutch New Year oliebollen, the German Berliner and the American cake doughnut, its closest relative in technique.

vii. Serving & storage

Smultringer are best warm, within an hour or two of frying, with a cup of coffee. In Norway they are served at Christmas with the other julekaker, sold at winter markets, and eaten at children's parties and coffee breaks throughout the year.

They keep for 2 days in an airtight tin at room temperature, though they lose their crisp edge. Revive them for a few minutes in a 160 °C oven. They freeze well for up to 2 months unsugared; thaw, warm through and roll in sugar just before serving.

ix. More from Scandinavian

• Fattigmann — Norwegian fried Christmas twists
• Klejner — Danish twisted crullers
• Skolebrød — Norwegian custard school buns
• Cardamom Bun — Nordic spiced knots
• Oliebollen — Dutch New Year doughnuts
• Berliner — German jam doughnuts