Swedes are known for having a sweet tooth and the 'fika' culture has given the country an incredibly high patisserie standard. World-famous pastries like the cinnamon bun and the Swedish 'semla' even have their own day. Already tasted them? Here are four more sweet treats to try when visiting Sweden.
If you want to know what Swedish summer tastes like, look no further than Swedish strawberry cake. For many Swedes, this cake is essential to midsummer and birthday celebrations. An authentic Swedish strawberry cake is as simple as it is spectacular. It is essentially a regular sponge cake filled with vanilla cream on the first layer, strawberry jam on the second and then smothered in whipped cream and strawberries. Once finished, the strawberry cake is a sight to behold in all its red and white glory – colourful, decadent, and absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious.
Follow this recipe to bake a classic strawberry cake – it's easier than you might think.
When it comes to birthday traditions, the Swedes are divided. While some prefer strawberry cake, others will say the only way to celebrate a birthday is with a princess cake. Princess cake is essentially a layered sponge cake filled with custard, cream and raspberry jam but what makes it truly remarkable is that it is draped with a bright green layer of marzipan. A feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds!
With this Princess cake recipe you can host a 'fika' worthy of a royal.
Literally translated as sticky cake, or even messy or smudgy cake, the 'kladdkaka' tastes much better than it sounds. This dense, sticky chocolate mud cake is like a Swedish version of a brownie. It gets its soft, gooey centre from not being baked all the way through, which is also what makes it so uncommonly tasty. Serve with whipped cream and raspberries and don’t be shy about going back for seconds.
The 'kladdkaka' can be found in cafés and grocery store freezers. You can also bake your own Sticky chocolate cake.
Named after Napoleon Bonaparte, it will come as no surprise that this classic Swedish pastry is based on a French recipe. It is essentially no different to a French mille-feuille vanilla slice, or a British custard slice, in the sense that it is full of cream and custard and smothered in fresh strawberries or strawberry jam.
What is different, however, is the Napoleon pastry has been awarded its very own day in the Swedish calendar, 17 November.
