Sigurd’s Summer Bløtkake

Bløtkake is a traditional Norwegian dessert that is often served on Norway's national day in May. But it's also the perfect end-of-summer cake with its airy whipped cream and juicy fresh berries.

In Norwegian, bløtkake is literally translated as wet, soft cake due to the extra milk or sherry that is used to moisten the layers. If you make the cake the night before serving, it allows the berry juice to soak into the cake, making it even more moist and delicious.

Ingredients:

5 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder

Filling:
4 cups heavy cream (for whipping)
6 tsp milk or sherry
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1-2 cups berries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Beat sugar and eggs until stiff (it will take about 10 minutes with an electric mixer). Sift the flour, and fold into the eggs and sugar mixture. Grease and flour a 10-12 inch springform pan (if not using springform, line the bottom with wax paper) and pour the mixture in.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes and cool on a wire rack when done.

When completely cool, split the base horizontally into two or three slices. Place the bottom on a serving dish (A gorgeous hand-painted cake plate from Royal Copenhagen, perhaps?) Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the milk or sherry over the bottom layer of the cake.

Whip the cream with powdered sugar and vanilla. Cover the bottom layer of the cake with 1/2 or 1/3 of the whipped cream and slightly-smashed berries depending on how many layers you have. Repeat with next layer. Cover the top of the cake with the remaining whipped cream and decorate with berries before serving with the Arne Jacobsen for Georg Jensen cake server pictured above.

Serve with Iittala cake forks and coffee or espresso (in Iittala Ego cups and saucers with Arne Jacobsen for Georg Jensen espresso spoons).

Velbekomme!