The reputation of Midsummer, the Scandinavian summer solstice, was somewhat tarnished by Ari Aster with his film of the same name. But in reality, it’s a wonderful celebration with charming traditions worth adopting. One highlight is the strawberry cake — a fragrant quintessence of the gentle sun that lights up berry beds.
Swedish midsummer strawberry cake recipe
From a technical standpoint, a classic Midsummer cake is a white sponge cake, fresh custard, fresh strawberries, jam, and whipped cream. But like any traditional dish, it has many variations. The cake layers are baked with almonds, egg whites, or starch. Personally, I make a simple sponge cake with four eggs year after year — it’s easy to bake, convenient to slice, holds its shape well, quickly absorbs cream, and doesn’t tend to get soggy.
However, don’t relax: as reliable and predictable as the cake base is, the whipped cream is just as finicky. To increase your chances of success, chill everything well before whipping: the cream, bowl, and whisk. And don’t work near a hot stove. Start whipping at low speed and increase towards the end. Add the powdered sugar in the middle of the process when the cream starts to thicken. Finally, be careful not to over-whip, or you’ll end up with very sweet butter instead of fluffy cream!
Swedish Midsummer Strawberry Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Sponge Cake:
- Eggs – 4
- Sugar – 140 g
- Vegetable oil – 30 ml
- Flour – 140 g
- Baking powder – 1½ tsp
- Vanilla – ¼ tsp
Ingredients for Custard:
- Eggs – 2
- Sugar – 100 g
- Cornstarch – 30 g
- Salt – 1 pinch
- Milk – 500 ml
- Vanilla – ¼ tsp
- Butter – 25 g
Ingredients for Filling:
- Strawberries – 800 g
- Berry jam – 200 g
Ingredients for Whipped Cream:
- Whipping cream – 250 ml
- Powdered sugar – 70 g
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients.
- Start by making the sponge cake. Beat the eggs with sugar and vegetable oil until fluffy.
- Gradually add flour mixed with baking powder and vanilla. The batter will be not very thick.
- Line a 26 cm baking pan with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about an hour.
- The finished sponge cake should rise about twice its size and turn light brown. Check with a toothpick: it should come out dry. Remove from the oven, cover with a towel, and let cool to room temperature.
- While the sponge cake is baking, make the custard. Mix eggs with sugar, then add cornstarch and salt.
- Heat milk with vanilla in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling. Combine with the egg mixture and whisk well.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens. It will thicken further as it cools.
- Remove from heat and stir in butter until fully incorporated. Let the cream cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour, stirring a couple of times.
- Once cool, slice the sponge cake into three layers about 1–1.5 cm thick.
- Wash, dry, and hull the strawberries. Set aside about 200 g of the prettiest berries for decoration. Cut the rest into small pieces.
- Place the first layer on a serving plate. Spread a third of the custard evenly over it.
- Spread half the berry jam over the custard.
- Distribute half of the cut strawberries over the jam, pressing them slightly into the cream.
- Cover with the second layer and press gently. Repeat the process with the remaining layers. Coat the entire cake with the remaining custard and refrigerate for at least 12 hours to let the layers soak.
- Whip the cream with powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar in 2-3 portions.
- Spread the whipped cream evenly over the soaked cake and decorate with fresh strawberries. Keep chilled until serving.
Cake recipe: