I recently took out my mother’s old favorite recipe book and started going through the recipes. I decided to test bake one that caught my eye, one that seemed easy enough. I’ve missed making easy cakes, the ones that are light and fluffy and don’t require 25 ingredients. So I made this one, first as a test as I halved the original recipe, but then I realized that all Midsummer cake recipes make huge cakes for like 20 people, and maybe not everybody wants or needs that? So here is a small one, simple and delicious just as it is. Feel free to add some lemon or lime zest, or vanilla if you want to take it up a notch. And, if your strawberries are less sweet, you may need to add a little bit more sugar depending on your preferences. Personally, I prefer the cake the day after it’s put together aswell, it’s just more moist and I feel like the flavor really become more prominent.
Easy Mini Swedish Midsummer Cake
Serves 3-4
INGREDIENTS
CAKE
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 dl (90 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 dl (30 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 dl (40 g) potato starch
- 1 tsp. baking powder
FILLING & TOPPING
- 3 dl (300 ml) whipping cream (35-40% fat)
- 300 g fresh strawberries
- 1 tbsp. granulated or powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Grease a 15 cm (6 inch) baking pan, then line the sides and bottom with baking paper (the cake will rise quite a bit).
- In a medium bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy – about 3 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flours and baking powder.
- Sift the dry mixture into the egg mixture and gently fold until completely smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the lower part of the oven for 20-22 minutes.
- Gently remove the pan from the oven, and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. The cake will sink a little bit as it’s cooling. Remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely.
FILLING & ASSEMBLY
- Cut the cake into two thinner layers using a serrated knife. Place the first layer on a plate or cake stand.
- Remove the stems from 1/3 (100 g) of the strawberries and dice them.
- In a medium bowl, whip the cream with 1 tbsp. sugar until medium to stiff peaks. Mix about 1/3 of the whipped cream with the diced strawberries and spread it onto the first layer of the cake. Place the second layer on top.
- Spread the remaining whipped cream over the cake. Top with the remaining strawberries and decorate with edible flowers or leaves.
