Sweet Buns

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl - flour, sugar, salt and cardamom.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter, pour the milk in and wait until the mixture is lukewarm at about 100F (38C). Mix with fresh yeast**.
3. Pour the butter and milk into the flour mixture along with one egg.
4. Knead together for about 10-15 minutes using a stand or hand mixer. Knead until the dough lets go of the bowl and turns into a ball.
5. Add a little flour on top, and place a kitchen towel or plastic wrap over the bowl. Leave it for about 1-1.5 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Take the dough onto a lightly floured surface and start to knead a little with your hands and form a long tube of dough. Cut into 18 equal parts. Start to shape into a ball with your hands and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
7. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 40 more minutes (make vanilla custard now) or until doubled in size again. And when that's done, make a hollow in each one. It should be large enough to fill 1 tbsp of vanilla custard.

Vanilla Custard - alternative 1

1. Pour everything into a saucepan and whisk until incorporated. You want medium heat, enough for it to start bubbling eventually. Whisk constantly, and when it begins to thicken, place the saucepan in cold water for it to cool quicker.

Vanilla Custard - alternative 2

1. Pour the milk, half of the heavy cream and half of the sugar into a saucepan. Cut open and scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean. Place everything into the saucepan. Heat up to the point of boiling, constantly stirring.
2. In another bowl, whisk together the rest of the heavy cream, egg yolks, cornstarch and the rest of the sugar. Cool the milk mixture a little bit before slowly pouring it into the egg mixture while constantly whisking.
3. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan, make sure you bring with you the vanilla seeds. Heat the mixture back up, until it is thickening. Remember to stir. Place the saucepan into a tub of cold water to cool, remove the vanilla beans.

Baking and Assembly

1. Pre-heat oven to 445F (230C).
2. Once the vanilla custard is semi cool to cool, take 1 to 1 heaping tbsp of vanilla custard and place it into one of the hollowed out buns. Continue with the rest. Most likely you'll have leftover custard. Brush with egg wash.
3. Bake in the middle rack for about 11-12 minutes. Cool completely on a cooling rack before continuing.
4. Pour powdered sugar and a little bit of water in a bowl. Mix until you get a slightly thick frosting. It needs to be pliable, and not so runny that it just slides off the buns. Take a butter knife or a spoon and spread the frosting around on the bun (not over the custard). Before it has a chance to dry, dip the bun onto a shallow plate with shredded coconut. You want it evenly covered. Let dry on a cooling rack. Repeat with the other buns.
5. They are definitely best the first day, but delicious for several days. They can be frozen, but without the glaze and coconut (do that when they are thawed).