It’s no secret that Swedes love their cake – and cookies, and candies, and everything sweet. So no wonder then that fika on National Day has its very own tasty confection…nationaldagsbakelse. Say that ten times fast! Just kidding, you don’t have to – just give it a taste instead!
2014 marks the ten-year anniversary of the National Day Cake, which was chosen in a competition back in the 1990s. This delicious confection was created by Helena Bergsmark at Cafe Gateau in Stockholm. And we must admit – it’s downright tasty and summery, perfect for Sweden’s national day!
National Day Cake
Recipe makes about 6 servings
For the cake:
10 ounces (300g) almond paste (marzipan)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
10 tablespoons (150g) butter
For the filling:
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
3.5 ounces (100g) almond paste
For the topping:
1 pint (liter) of strawberries
Lemon balm leaves to garnish
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Use the holes of a cheese grater to make shavings from the almond paste. Dice the butter into cubes.. Work the almond paste and butter together with a fork or a food processor until nicely blended. Add the eggs and mix everything well.
3. Line a cookie sheet with baking paper. Spread the batter out in an even layer 3/8″ (1cm) thick on the sheet. Freestyle it – it doesn’t really matter what shape the batter is in.
4. Bake in the lower part of the oven for 13-15 minutes. As it bakes the batter will start to thin out, but near the end of baking time it will suddenly become fluffy and spongey, so don’t worry! Remove from the oven when the edges are just brown and the middle is set. Let it cool completely.
5. Grate the remaining almond paste and mix it with the orange juice. When the cake has cooled completely, cut it into squares, circles, ovals…whatever floats your boat. If your cake turned out to be too thin, just cut two circles and stack them on top of each other.
6. Top the cake with a thin layer of the marzipan and orange jucie filling, add sliced strawberries, and top add the lemon. Mmm!
7. And finally – top it with a Swedish flag!
Featured Image: Press image from Nordiska Museet, Mats Landin
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