Warm, gooey buns swirled with maple and cardamom: The seasonal baking trend taking over U.S. kitchens

As temperatures drop, fall baking brings richer flavors and warmer spices back to the kitchen. One combination getting attention this season pairs sweet maple with aromatic cardamom in soft, gooey buns designed to be served warm.

The recipe takes inspiration from classic cinnamon rolls but gives them a distinctly autumnal twist. A buttery cardamom filling is rolled into a tender yeast dough, then finished with a simple maple glaze.

What makes these maple cardamom buns so soft

The dough uses a simple cooking technique known as tangzhong, in which part of the flour and milk are heated together before being incorporated into the dough. This helps create a soft texture and keeps the buns tender after baking.

The dough is also enriched with eggs and butter, while the filling combines brown sugar with cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon. A splash of heavy cream added to the pan before baking helps create an especially rich, gooey result.

An easy maple and cardamom bun recipe

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 ¼ cups whole milk.
• ¼ cup water.
• 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour.
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast.
• ¼ cup granulated sugar.
• 2 large eggs.
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt.
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.

For the filling:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened.
• ¾ cup light brown sugar.
• 1 tablespoon ground cardamom.
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

For the glaze:

• 4 tablespoons butter.
• ¼ cup maple syrup.
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
• ½ cup powdered sugar.
• A pinch of salt.

For baking:

• ½ cup heavy cream.

Preparation

1. Warm the milk until steaming, then combine part of it with the water and a portion of the flour in a saucepan. Cook while whisking until the mixture thickens into a smooth paste. Let it cool slightly.
2. Add the yeast to the remaining warm milk and let it stand for several minutes. Mix in the rest of the flour, sugar, eggs and salt, then incorporate the cooled milk mixture.
3. Knead the dough while gradually adding the softened butter. Continue until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place it in a greased bowl, cover and let it rise until nearly doubled.
4. While the dough rises, mix the softened butter, brown sugar, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, and salt into a smooth filling.
5. Roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread the filling across it. Roll it into a log, chill it briefly to make slicing easier, and cut it into individual buns.
6. Arrange the buns in a greased baking dish, cover, and let them rise again until noticeably puffy. For a make-ahead option, the pan can be refrigerated overnight and finished with a longer second rise the next day.
7. Heat the oven to 350°F. Pour the heavy cream into the spaces between the buns and bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes. Let them rest briefly before glazing.
8. For the glaze, warm the butter with the maple syrup, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth, then pour the glaze over the warm buns and serve.