Strawberries are a must at a Swedish midsummer's eve celebration and one of the biggest hallmarks of summer according to many Swedes. This cake is usually made together with the children making the cakes look extra inviting and fun. There are a million ways to the making of the Swedish Strawberries cake and every Swede has their own favourite cake recipe often passed down for generations from their grandmothers.
Traditionally Strawberries are either eaten as they are, with sugar, cream or ice cream, or as a lovely layered strawberry cake. The Midsummer's eve celebration is a solstice celebration and a big deal in Sweden that is celebrated with songs, dances, bonfires, flowers and lots of traditional food and drinks. This celebration occurs at the beginning of the relatively short strawberry season so every Swede is on the hunt for these wonderful berries for their summer party.
The history of the Swedish Jordgubbstårta
The strawberry cake "Jordgubbstårtan" is often referred to in cookbooks under the recipe pages as a classic, but is in many cases called "gräddtårta" with translates to "cream cake". Gräddtårta is the original classic recipe for this type of cake made out of a sponge cake, cut into thin layers, with an added cream filling. The cake can then be changed depending on the season by adding autumn berries, winter apples or any other type of fruits and berries.
The strawberry cake Jordgubbstårtan was not invented until later on when strawberries were imported from France around the year 1740. That being said, the strawberry cake has been a favourite for a long time, even though the recipes for Gräddtårta are slightly older still.
Each household has its recipe and favourite version
Every household has its version and most of them are equally delicious. The filling usually consists of cream or vanilla custard, jam or mashed or thinly sliced berries. The jam and berries can differ as well from just strawberries to mixt berries consisting of blackberries, raspberries, and currants some even make their variations with chocolate and banana in the filling. The cake base is usually made of sponge cake, cut into thin layers but cake bases made out of meringue is also common.
Eaten all year round
Not only is this strawberry cake an absolute must on the Swedish midsummer celebration, but it is also eaten all year round as a celebration cake or as a popular birthday cake and is one of the most eaten desserts in Sweden. Due to the relatively short strawberry season, it can be a mix of strawberries and other berries and fruits as well as chocolate for the rest of the year.
This recipe is one of the easiest, most basic recipes for Strawberry Cake, which can be customized to your own preferences, adding fruits and berries after the season, so that you can enjoy this delicious cake all year round.
For the sponge cake you need:
4 eggs
200 ml sugar
100 ml potato starch
100 ml all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
For the filling and topping you need:
500 ml unsweetened full fat cream
1 litre or 500 grams of fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons of strawberry jam
A sprinkle of white sugar if the berries are sour
How you make the sponge cake:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Grease a round baking tin that holds about 2.5 litres and is 24 cm in diameter.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until porous. When the eggs become lighter and airy, gently add the potato starch and all-purpose flour.
Carefully fold it together without knocking the air out of the eggs.
Add the cake mix to the baking tin and try to make the cake as level as possible without pressing it.
Put the tin in the lower part of the oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden and set in the middle.
Remove the cake from the tin and let it cool completely on a cooling rack.
When the cake has cooled completely, slice it into 3 pieces to make a layered cake.
How you make the strawberry cake:
Take a quarter of the strawberries and slice thinly.
Take another quarter of the strawberries and mash them with a fork and add them to the jam.
Set aside the rest of the strawberries for decoration of the cake.
Whip the cream into semihard peaks.
Now you can start the assembly of the cake.
Pace the first sponge cake layer on a serving plate and top it with the jam mixture. Add ¼ of the wiped cream as a layer on top of the jam.
Add the second layer of sponge cake and top with the sliced strawberries. Add ¼ of the wiped cream as a layer on top of the strawberries.
Add the last layer of sponge cake and the rest of the cream on top and around the sides.
Decorate the cake with the rest of the strawberries.
Serve directly, preferably out in the sun with a cup of coffee or later on the same day.
Celebrate the summer solstice with strawberry cake
Try this Swedish classic recipe this year at the midsummer solstice or in the peek of your strawberry season. Enjoy the taste of Swedish summer or add your own twist on this true and beloved classic cake recipe. Celebrate this summer with loads and loads of fresh delicious fruits, berries and cake at home with friends and family.
