Swedish Sandwich Cake (Smörgåstårta)
MAKES
one 9 inch / 23 cm square ‘cake’
TAKES
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook time: n/a
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
This smörgåstårta was actually one of the first recipes I worked on when I started testing when I began to work on my book Savory Baking. This beautiful ‘cake’ is not dessert at all, but a giant, sliceable sandwich, with all the grandeur of a layer cake. The fillings can be just about anything, but I usually opt for my favorite egg salad, with layers of smoked salmon, sliced cucumbers, and mashed avocado. I recommend using herbs, edible flowers, fresh veggies, and microgreens to decorate the cake with the same abandon you’d normally use with sprinkles. This is the stuff of my fairy-tale tea party dreams—just be sure your guests are standing nearby when you slice into it, because that’s part of the fun.
INGREDIENTS
Herby Egg Salad
226 g / 4 large eggs
60 g / ¼ cup mayonnaise
30 g / 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
100 g / 2 stalks celery, minced
80 g / 8 scallions, thinly sliced
6 g / 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 g / 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
6 g / 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sandwich Cake
340 g / 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
345 g / 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
3 g / 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 g / ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf Perfect White Sandwich Bread, cut into sixteen ½ inch / 1 cm thick slices
30 g / ¼ cup capers (optional)
226 g / 8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
400 g / 2 avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
15 g / 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
300 g / 1 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced
about 35 g / 1 heaping cup sprouts (like radish or broccoli), rinsed and drained
Garnish / Decor Ideas:
microgreens, shoots, fresh herbs, more sprouts, and/or edible flowers
crushed pumpernickel or dark rye crackers (for “dirt”)
cherry tomatoes, seedless cucumbers, and/or radishes
snap peas, tender pea pods, and/or pea shoots
Bake This Recipe With Me!
METHOD
1. Make the egg salad: Place the eggs in a small pot, cover with cool water by about 1 inch/2.5 cm, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 6 minutes. While the eggs cook, fill a bowl with ice water.
2. Drain the eggs, transfer to the ice water, and cool for 5 minutes. Drain, peel under cool running water, and finely chop.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, celery, scallions, parsley, dill, and chives to combine. Stir in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Use the back of a fork to mash the mixture lightly—this will thicken it and make it easier to slice the “cake” later.
4. Assemble the cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the yogurt, lemon zest, and pepper and mix until well combined.
5. Place 4 slices of bread on a serving board or platter, arranging them to make a square shape. Spoon 100 g / 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture onto the bread and spread into an even layer, covering up the seams. If using, sprinkle the capers evenly over the top. Arrange the salmon in an even layer over the cream cheese. Place 4 more slices of bread on top of the salmon and press gently down to adhere slightly. Scoop the egg salad on top and spread in an even layer. Place 4 more slices of bread on top.
6. In a medium bowl, toss the avocado with the lemon juice, then use a fork to gently mash the avocado. Spread the mashed avocado in an even layer over the top layer of bread. Arrange the cucumber slices in an even layer on top, and then the sprouts. Finish the cake with the remaining 4 slices of bread.
7. Use the remaining cream cheese mixture to “frost” the top and sides of the cake. Chill the cake for at least 30 minutes. Just before serving, decorate the sides and top of the cake with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, capers, snap peas/ pea shoots, and microgreens and sprinkle with everything seasoning, if desired.
8. Once the cake is assembled, the bread will start to absorb moisture from the fillings (just like a regular sandwich). In my book I said it could be made up to 4 hours ahead, but since I’ve experimented a bit more, and I think you can push it to 8 hours if needed, which is helpful since this is definitely party fare!
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
