Yay for May! And layer cakes!
With 17 May (syttende mai) soon approaching, there is always a heightened sense of enthusiasm and anticipation in the air. The National Day of Norway – with parades, national costumes, flags, drummers, sausages, games, family and friends – is one of the most special days in Norway. And the cake table is no exception. (more…)
Change is in the air. That time again when the sun stays a little longer each day and the once, all-white landscape has become a collage of earthy tones. We are edging towards spring and that means we are also edging toward the cusp of lent with the celebration of Fastelavns, ‘the fast evening’.
The typical fare for Fastelavns in Norway is a sweet bun with a layer of whipped cream in the middle called Fastelavnsboller (you can find my recipe and the history here). You will also find different names and slightly different ways of serving these buns across Scandinavia, but the heart of the treat is always the same. The bun. (more…)
Tropisk Aroma-Kake, or tropical aroma cake, conjures up an incredible scenery in the mind. Thoughts of palm trees and exotic fruits, perhaps, or even a sandy beach and bright, blue waters. A cake laden with colors and tastes from paradise. At least that’s what my mind envisioned as the words fell out of my Norwegian friend’s mouth. She explained to me that there was this cake, which her aunt always made, which she adored, and which I just had to make myself. An old fashioned cake and a reminder of her childhood. A Norwegian cake, with a tropical name.
When Irene sent me the recipe, I eyed the ingredient list waiting to spot pineapple or banana or coconut. Instead, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to bring me straight to a lush paradise. A few spices, some cocoa, and I suppose what could be interesting in some eyes, the addition of strong coffee. I was a little surprised, a little curious. Perhaps even a little disappointed. Disappointed that I fell into the trap of reading into a name. But surely there was more to this cake. (more…)
Some days, you just need to bake. Whatever the occasion, whatever the sky.
My baking day turned into days. Baked goods all around. A seamless stream of sweet things. Anytime I begin contemplating about what to bake, there is always a request for one in particular. Boller. Perhaps the most popular baked good in Norway. And perhaps one of the simplest.
Boller are Norway’s answer to a sweet bread and instead of just being a simple yeast dough that is lightly sweetened, cardamom is added. This distinctive and flavorful spice takes baked goods to a whole new level. Anyone will tell you that cardamom is a key player in Norwegian baked goods. What’s even better about boller, is that it acts as a base to so many other great variations. One variation, in particular, looks like snowfall on a sunny day. And perhaps, in one way or another, this time the sky was my inspiration to get in the kitchen and bake. (more…)
2016 has been an extraordinary year, to say the least. This past January, I launched the blog to bring people into the Norwegian kitchen, the Norwegian landscape and the Norwegian culture. A reflection of my journey. My interactions with the community around me. My take on local ingredients. The seasons came and went. Spring’s nettles, ferns and rhubarb, summer’s berries, autumns’s harvest and winter’s cakes and hearty fare. Here we are, coming full circle once again.
As 2017 draws near, I look back with such awe of all that has transpired and all that I have experienced and been a part of. All of the recipes. All of the stories. All of the people. All of the traditions and all of the innovations. All the highs. So many highs. (more…)
The sound of wood crackling in the fireplace. A good friend stopping by for the day. The trickle of snow seen from the window. Folk music resounding and the smell of fragrant spices filling the air. The atmosphere seems too enticing, as if you could eat it all up. It can only mean one thing. Holiday baking has begun.
Quite recently I visited the Rollag Bygdekvinnelag, a wonderful group of ladies who meet throughout the year to swap stories, share meals, go on excursions, and maintain traditions, which have been shared and passed down through the women in the area. I was invited to look through some old cookbooks that had been kept within each respective family for generations. Some dated back to the 1800s and some were as recent as the 1970s. Mostly all were handwritten and well-used with smudges and small tears caressing the pages.
Pages filled with exciting and interesting recipes. Some still popular today, some forgotten, some a bit more unusual and some, perhaps, better left as ink on the page. With the holiday season fast approaching, a few of the traditional baked goods popped out at me. One of them being, sirupskake or syrup cake.
