Swedish Birthday Cake

I came across this recipe from a Swedish friend of the family, Margitta.  She is well-known for her culinary skills and my daughter, Emily,  spent a week in Stockholm with Margitta in May, so I felt inspired to make this cake for my birthday. It is deliciously different from our North American perception of birthday cake, easy to put together, and classy in it’s presentation. It uses an odd sized pan — 12×4 inch loaf pan –I picked one up at a kitchen store for $10, but if your feeling brave, try it in your regular 9×5 loaf pan and let me know the result.  It is 3 layers of strawberry/banana/whip cream in a vanilla cake, and it’s absolutely delicious. It will serve 8-10 people, so  try it at your next birthday celebration – the recipient will feel extra special and  everyone I served it to -and  I’ve made it twice so far — loved it.

Swedish Birthday Cake

from Margitta Wendin

serves 8-10

For the cake:

3 large eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup cream or milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Line pan with parchment paper (holding paper to pan with a few dabs of butter). Spray parchment with non-stick cooking spray. Place pan on a baking sheet.

Beat butter and sugar until combined, then add eggs, one at a time, and mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and almond extract and mix until combined. Combine flour, salt and baking powder. Add to sugar/egg mixture alternately with cream, ending with flour. (Flour = 3 additions, cream = 2 additions). Mix until well combined.

Pour into prepared pan, bake 40 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan, and let cool on rack. When fully cooled, slice into 3 even layers using a serrated knife.  Make filling and topping. Assemble. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

cake baked but not filled

slice into 3 layers with serrated knife

For the filling and topping:

500ml 35% whipping cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup strawberries, mashed, or strawberry jam (I used freezer jam)

1 banana, grated

a few sliced strawberries or some mandarin slices for garnish

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Add icing sugar and vanilla, continue to beat until firm peaks form.

Place first layer of cake on platter and top with mashed strawberries or strawberry jam and spread with about 1/2 cup of the whipped cream. Top with second layer. Grate banana into about 1 cup of whipped cream. Mix and apply to second layer. Top with 3rd layer. Cover completely with remaining whipped cream, top with sliced berries or mandarins.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy! Excellent cake when strawberries are in peak season.

strawberry jam, banana, cake, whipped cream. Easy and delicious.

apply berries and cream to first layer

mix grated banana and whipped cream, apply to second layer

top with third layer, then apply whipped cream all over.

top with berries, finished product

layers of awesomeness