What is a Smörgåstårta? Smörgåstårta is a dish from of Swedish origin. It also can be found in Finland “voileipäkakku” and Iceland “brauðterta”. It is a savoury cake, a sandwich shaped like a cake made with bread layers and large amounts of filling, covered in a cream cheese icing and garnish, similar to a layered cake.

Ingredients: For the bread layers

• 7 g active dried yeast
• 250 ml (1 cup) water at 37ºC/99ºF
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. dark syrup
• 1 tsp. cooking oil
• 85 grams (1 1/4 cup) whole wheat flour
• 200 grams (4 1/2–5 cups) all-purpose flour

Ingredients: For the shrimp salad

• 1 lb Cooked shelled shrimp
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
• Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
• Chopped Celery
• Chopped Green Onion
• Chopped Parsley

Ingredients: For the salmon spread

• 12 oz Smoked Salmon
• Lemon Zest
• Dill
• Ground Black Pepper
• 8 oz Cream Cheese
• Capers

Ingredients: For the cream cheese icing

• 2 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Salt
• Ground White Pepper

Method:

1. Make the bread. This can be done the day before assembling your Smörgåstårta. Dissolve the yeast in water. Add salt, syrup, oil. Mix in whole wheat flour and white flour. Knead and put back into a bowl (or mix in a stand mixer). Cover and let rise 45 minutes. Remove dough from bowl, knead, and make a round cake. Let it rise in a greased, 8 in round dish, ideally a springform pan. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/GM6. Bake the bread for about 35 minutes. Cool under a cloth.
2. For the shrimp salad: Chop shrimp very fine and add to a bowl. Chop very fine 2-3 stalks of celery. Chop 1-2 green onions and mince a few stalks of parsley and add to the bowl. Add mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper to taste. You want a slightly dry shrimp salad for ease of assembling.
3. For the salmon spread: Chop smoked salmon into small pieces. Add one block cream cheese to a bowl and add your salmon, zest of a lemon, chopped dill, capers and black pepper.
4. For the cream cheese spread: Mix together the cream cheese and sour cream. Season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.
5. To assemble: Slice the bread into 3 even slices horizontally. You may want to cut a bit of the top off to create nice even layers. Put the first layer on a dish. Spread mustard over the bread layer. Spread with an even inch covering of shrimp salad. Press the next bread layer down. Spread mustard over the bread. Spread an even layer of the salmon spread. Press the top bread layer down. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the tops and sides of the cake. Garnish with your choice of decorations such as salmon, shrimp, egg, radish, parsley, caviar etc. Sandwich cake benefits from a couple of hours in the fridge before serving. Great paired with a salad and some sparkling wine.