Raspberry pancake cake, excerpted from The Nordic Baker: Plant-Based Bakes and Seasonal Stories from a Kitchen in the Heart of Sweden by Sofia Nordgren.
In The Nordic Baker, Sofia Nordgren guides you through a year of plant-based Nordic cakes, buns, breads, cookies and crackers and invites readers to keep things simple, go back to basics and cook with nature in mind.
From Thumbprint cookies, Kladdkaka and Rhubarb galette in springtime, Raspberry and cardamom cupcakes when the weather begins to warm up, and a Midsommar cake for summer celebrations, through to Lingonberry roll cake, pear tart and cardamom rolls for cozy fall nights and Gingerbread bundt cake, Saffron buns and Semlor for snowy winter days.
Set to the backdrop of stunning location photography and interspersed with advice on embracing the Nordic lifestyle, bringing the outdoors into your home and tips on seasonal slow living, this is a charming celebration of a magical corner of the world and the wonderful food it has to offer.
The Nordic Baker: Plant-Based Bakes and Seasonal Stories from a Kitchen in the Heart of Sweden is available at Amazon.com and Indigo.ca.
Raspberry pancake cake
pannkakstårta
Eating a piece of this cake is like time travelling back to my childhood and the first day of summer vacation. There is a little table with two chairs in a corner of the garden, just beneath the plum tree. The table is set with a gingham table cloth and a cake stand is ready with the most delicious cake—layers of pancakes, whipped cream and raspberry jam. You could even add a drizzle of chocolate, if you like.
makes 1 cake for the pancakes
240g (8½oz/1¾ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
Pinch of salt
50ml (1¾fl oz/3½ tbsp) rapeseed (canola) oil, plus extra for greasing
750ml (26fl oz/3¼ cups) oat milk
100g (3½oz) dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids or higher), plus 25g (1oz), to serve for the filling
500g (1lb 4oz/4 cups) fresh or frozen raspberries (or raspberry jam if you prefer), plus extra for decorating
200ml (7fl oz/scant 1 cup) vegan whipping cream
Begin with the pancakes. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt and make a well in the centre. Pour the rapeseed oil into the well, then gradually start adding the oat milk, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth batter.
Place a frying pan over a medium heat and grease it with a little oil. When hot, pour about 75ml (2½fl oz/5 tbsp) of the batter into the pan and tilt the pan to coat the base. Cook the pancake for a couple of minutes, or until the edges start to look golden, then flip the pancake over and cook for another 30 seconds.
Place the pancake on a plate or wire rack, and repeat until you have used up all the remaining batter. While you wait for the pancakes to cool down, prepare the filling.
Place the berries in a blender or food processor and blitz until you have a smooth purée. (Skip this step if you are using jam.)
In a large bowl, whisk the whipping cream until fluffy using a hand-held electric whisk.
Make sure all the pancakes have completely cooled before you start building your cake, otherwise the cream will melt and all you’ll have left is a mess. Place a pancake on a plate or cake stand. Spread a thin layer of the raspberry purée on top of the pancake, going right to the edges. Then, add a layer of the whipped cream (again, make sure to cover the entire pancake), before placing another pancake on top.
Repeat with the remaining pancakes until you have one pancake left. Place this final pancake on top of the cake, then top with the reserved raspberries.
Place your chocolate in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Once melted, drizzle the chocolate all over the top of your pancake cake.
Finally, grate over the remaining chocolate, serve and enjoy!
Recipe reprinted with permission from Hardie Grant Books.