The ultimate guide: Here are Aalborg’s best cinnamon rolls
It just so happens that we have made a lot of guides for the various culinary wonders her in Aalborg but we have not yet had the good fortune of writing a detailed rundown for one of Denmark’s most popular baked delights.
Yes, the baked good in question is actually so popular here in town that we, on several occasions, could not even get to taste one from some of the city’s great bakeries as they were completely sold out.
We are, of course, talking about the humble cinnamon roll: A true gem in the pastry heavens of Denmark.
The Danish cinnamon roll is an extension of the Swedish kanelbulle, which has been named Sweden’s national bun.
In fact, they are so proud of the bun that it has its own celebratory day on October 4 where over 8 million cinnamon buns are sold in a single day.
Since its birth in Sweden, cinnamon buns have spread to the rest of the world, meaning today you can find and enjoy one in England and the USA among many other countries… Here in Denmark though, they go by the name of kanelsnegl (… and apparently also a “Jew cakes” or jødekage here in North Jutland).
Where can you find Aalborg’s best cinnamon roll?
Enough talk.
We asked our lovely Instagram followers where we should go to get the city’s best cinnamon roll and there were MANY suggestions.
We have visited every spot on the list and may have gone into cinnamon overload along the way.
During the challenging task of tasting our way through cinnamon roll after cinnamon roll it became clear that it would be simply impossible to declare a winner. There are almost as many different types of cinnamon rolls as there are donut shops and burger bars in all of Aalborg. It wouldn’t be fair to crown only one.
So instead, we’ve decided to describe each individual roll as detailed as possible – and highlight the special characteristics that make them each unique. It’s then up to you to decide what you’re into and hence exactly which roll is your favourite.
We have assigned a score of 1-6 cinnamon rolls on three different scales:
Gooeyness (1-6 = no goo to a lot of goo)
Dough (1-6 = firm/dry to very soft/fluffy)
Flavour (1-6 = no spice to a lot of spice)
NB: Naturally, none of the bakeries in this guide have paid to be included, and we’ll present the rolls in alphabetical order.
Bauns Bageri, Vestre Alle 28:
At Bauns Bageri, you can cherish the nostalgic art of baking and get a real bargain with a delicious cinnamon roll for just 13 kr.
That was an offer we couldn’t resist.
Even without having tasted it, we could quickly conclude that it was without a doubt one of this guide’s most gooey varieties. The cinnamon butter oozed out of the almost completely dissolved dough.
If you are the type that consistently goes for the middle of the roll to get the really gooey bit then you definitely don’t have to settle for only the middle with this particular roll.
Taste-wise it is reminiscent of a brunsviger (a special kind of cinnamon cake) but there was not so much cinnamon spice to taste… beyond the explosion of sugar. For us, a little extra shot of cinnamon wouldn’t have gone astray.
You should try this roll if you simply cannot get enough gooey goo… and goo.
Price: 13 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Behag Din Smag, Slotsgade 16A:
The coffee shop on Gabels Torv is especially well known for its exceptional coffee but their baked goods are also up there.
At Behag Din Smag, you can get a so-called “kanelsnurre”, which could be confused with the IKEA variety at first glance but the appearance is also where that similarity ends.
Behag Din Smag’s version of the cinnamon roll is a compact little morsel, which offers neither a gooey centre nor a fluffy dough.
On the contrary, it does not shortchange on the spice and is probably the most flavourful of all those we tried on the cinnamon grand tour. The taste of cinnamon and cardamom is perfectly balanced and makes you forget everything about a buttery filling.
Actually, the roll is so well-spiced that it continues to delight the palate well after the last crumb is swallowed.
This cinnamon roll is a clear winner if you’re on your way to a meeting and don’t want to risk getting brown spots down the front of your shirt…
Price: 22 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Guldbageren, Kastetvej 115:
Good old Guldbageren. The taste of Saturday morning in our childhood when Dad had been out for a drive and brought home four bread rolls and a cinnamon bun.
That’s just how it was.
In the west end of town, there’s still a good olden’ days baker where the shelves are overflowing with classic bread and cakes – and of course, there is also the iconic onsdagssnegl (Wednesday cinnamon roll).
The Guldbager’s roll was the most “wet” we had tried so far. The dough was so soft and spongey that is almost voluntarily slid down our throats without a lot of chewing needed. And as for the filling, it flowed around between the layers.
In terms of taste, the sweetness is really dominant, and, beyond the icing, there were not so many other components to build on.
You should choose this roll if you never think a cinnamon roll can be sweet or greasy enough – and when you have plenty of napkins on hand.
Price: 16 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Hasseris Bageri, Hasserisvej 133:
At the classic bakery in Hasseris, there is almost always a battle to get a spot at the counter when you need some delicious cakes and bread to take to work or home to the family.
Hasseris Bageri’s version of the cinnamon roll is also in the category of jødekage, and it tastes completely like you would expect a morning cake to taste.
We were not sensuously overwhelmed when we tasted it but the advantage is that the taste is 100% predictable.
You should choose this roll if you like variety in your diet and want something other than “just” goo since the roasted almond flakes really hit the spot. The roll is also delightfully caramelized in the base.
The taste of cinnamon did not quite shine through though.
Price: 13 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
La Bonta, Gravensgade 1B:
At La Bonta in Gravensgade, there are good old-fashioned favorites on the menu – right from the cold-raised buns to luxury rum balls and sandwiches.
We knew in advance that La Bonta was good when it comes to cinnamon skills since we have had the good fortune of tasting their rolls on several occasions.
When you visit the bakery, you should without a doubt go for the Stor jødekage for 49 kr. For that price, you get a perfectly caramelized wonder that is the perfect balance of goo and spice.
The dough is lovely and soft without melting between your fingers, and it can definitely tolerate standing on the counter from breakfast until your afternoon tea if you (against our expectations) just can’t eat it all in one go.
You should try the store jødekage… when you want a big cinnamon roll. Simple as that.
Price: 49 kr. (for a large roll)
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Lagkagehuset
It’s no secret that we are, by almost all measures, fans of Lagkagehuset and the delicious treats they produce.
So could of course not just walk on by when hunting for Aalborg’s best cinnamon roll.
At Lagkagehuset, the cinnamon roll is made of pastry dough and is probably better categorized as a classic morning cake. At first glance, it looks a little dry, in any case, compared to the others we’ve slurped through for this guide.
But it isn’t! It crunches really well and it is certainly not lacking butter or filling.
However, we are still of the opinion that precisely this variation of the cinnamon roll is probably best enjoyed at the breakfast table.
Price: 19 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Othello Bageriet, Christiansgade 35:
The Othello Bageri prides itself on being “Aalborg’s best bakery” – and it’s like stepping into a time capsule when descending the stairs into the bakery.
In our case, it took us three attempts before we succeeded in grabbing two Othello’s cinnamon rolls – also classified as a jødekage. It was simply sold out again, again, and again.
In the end, we needed to have them put some aside for us so that this guide didn’t leave out this (apparently) extremely popular bun.
Now that we’ve tasted it, there’s only one thing to say: We get it. We understand why Othello’s cinnamon roll is popular. This roll really took it up a level.
The dough was perfectly soft, a balanced gooey filling and a delightful balance of flavour. By comparison, it tasted more or less like a thicker croissant – only better.
Price: 12 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Penny Lane, Skipper Clements Gade 1a:
At Penny Lane, we found the classic tall roll, which is of the guides absolutely prettiest rolls.
The tall roll is always standard among the assortment on offer in the busy café, and Penny Lane (like always) has a handle on their baked goods – also when it comes to the cinnamon roll.
This roll doesn’t drown in goo and was a little reminiscent of the classic brunsviger.
You should choose this cinnamon roll if you appreciate a good dough more than the gooey filling, and if you want the best icing in the guide. It complements the dough and cinnamon really well.
Price: 19 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Vejgaard Bageri, Hadsundvej 10:
There is probably not a single person in Aalborg that has not visited or at least heard of Vejgaard Bageri.
In any case, the bakery has excelled in several baking competitions and the line down Hadsundvej is often long.
When we came to Vejgaard Bageri just before midday on a fairly ordinary Wednesday, the bakery shelves were already almost empty.
Luckily, there was one “Large cinnamon roll” left, so we obviously just had to take what we could get.
This roll gets the prize for the largest on our route, and we have almost nothing but compliments for this big beauty.
The roll is actually so large that we couldn’t eat it all in one day (we were also disappointed), but we can gladly conclude that it is still almost as good the day after!
You should choose this roll if you want to share your cinnamon goodness with a lucky few because there is reeeeeally a lot of cake. It’s got the perfect balance between icing, spices, goo and buttery soft dough.
Price: 49 kr. (for a MASSIVE roll)
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Slotsbageren, Boulevarden 5:
No cinnamon roll guide can be written without the legendary Slotsbager. Here they always open on time – whenever that may be.
In any case, we visited the bakery several times in vain… but persistence can get you a long way. We finally managed to get two rolls one day, fresh out of the oven.
At Slotsbageren on Boulevarden, there was a choice between a tall or an ordinary; and why choose? We took them both.
After just a few bites we could easily conclude that there was not a huge difference in taste between the two. They were both… really good!
Here we really want to highlight the dough, which most likely stems from the same base as the famous Slotsbageren chocolate buns.
The consistency was almost velvety and inside the bun awaited a perfect wave of goo… or sugar paste, filling, cinnamon sweat? Call it what you want.
There is nothing more to say: Slotsbageren (yet again) does not disappoint!
Price: 12 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
Surdejsbageren, Budolfi Plads 16:
Any self-respecting bakery naturally has to have its own variation of the cinnamon roll so of course, that’s the case for one of the city’s newest bakeries, Surdejsbageren.
The cinnamon roll at Surdejsbageren is, like Penny Lane, almost a cinnamon tower, which stands out as an inviting jumble of dough, cinnamon, and icing.
The cinnamon roll is nicely spiced and you can really taste the cardamom and cinnamon clearly.
This roll, like others in the guide, is not one that you should be afraid of eating at (or before) an important business meeting… because there’s no goo to run down your hands, shirt or chin when you take a bite.
You should choose this cinnamon roll if you love dough. And a good dough it is, that’s neither dry nor something that’ll get stuck in your throat and require a half litre of coffee to feel human again.
Price: 25 kr.
Gooeyness (least to most):
Dough (firm to soft):
Flavour (least to most):
