Smörgåstårta (Swedish Sandwich Cake)
Smörgåstårta is a fabulous, old-school Swedish sandwich cake, and I've long been a fan. This version features savory smoked salmon and shrimp salad fillings.
Calories: 410kcal
Ingredients
For the smoked salmon filling
- 4 ounces (113 grams) smoked salmon, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup (60 grams) whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (60 grams) mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh horseradish or prepared horseradish sauce
- 2 hard-boiled eggs finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the shrimp filling
- 1 pound (454 grams) cooked shrimp, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh dill
- ⅓ cup (80 grams) mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons (22 grams) whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: 2 hard-boiled eggs finely chopped
To assemble the Smörgåstårta
- 8 slices firm white bread crusts removed, and 3 of the slices cut in half crosswise
- 4 tablespoons (56 grams) salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups (360 grams) whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
To decorate
- Thinly sliced cucumber
- Carrot sliced lengthwise with a vegetable peeler
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Parsley leaves
Instructions
- To make the salmon filling, combine the salmon, mayonnaise, cream cheese, dill, horseradish, eggs, and pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine well.
- To make the shrimp filling, combine the shrimp, dill, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and pepper in a medium bowl and stir to combine well.
- To assemble the Smörgåstårta, start by buttering the bread slices, either on one or both sides. Lay 1 ½ bread slices on a cutting board to form a long rectangle.
- Top with half of the salmon filling.
- Layer another 1 ½ bread slices on top, and top with half the shrimp filling.
- Repeat with the remaining bread and fillings, ending with a layer of bread. You will have half a slice of bread left over.
- Press gently on the sandwich from the top and sides to compress the layers a bit.
- To frost the smörgåstårta, spread the top and sides with cream cheese.
- Decorate with the vegetables and parsley (or other ingredients of your choice), any way you like.
Notes
- You can use your favorite variety of smoked salmon or gravlax — whatever makes you happy.
- Small wild shrimp from the freezer section are perfect here. They're less expensive than larger shrimp, and you'll be chopping them anyway. I like to buy them peeled and cleaned, either with tails on or off. You can transfer them straight from the freezer to a pot of simmering, well-salted water and cook for a couple of minutes, just until opaque.
- A good-quality grocery store mayo is a perfect fit for this recipe.
- Prepared horseradish is grated horseradish that's been mixed with vinegar and salt. It comes in a bottle but is not the same as horseradish sauce, which is creamy and not what you're looking for here. Drain it well before adding to the mixing bowl.
- I prefer to use fresh dill when possible, but ½ teaspoon of dill weed (dried dill) can work as a substitute for each 1 ½ teaspoons of fresh dill if necessary.
- Arnold Country White is my bread of choice for this recipe. It's not too thin, not too thick, and easy to work with. You can use virtually any sandwich bread that you like in this recipe, from dark rye to sourdough, depending on the flavor profile and shape you'd like to achieve.
- You'll lightly butter the top of each bread slice (or both sides, if you'd like) to add flavor and create a barrier against the filling. Here and virtually everywhere, I start with a cultured, salted butter from grass-fed cows. This sounds fancy but doesn't have to be. Kerrygold, for example, is sold in most supermarkets at a reasonable price.
- Whipped cream cheese acts as the frosting for this savory cake. Most brands are light and soft enough at room temperature that all you'll have to do is spread it on. If not, you can whisk in a tablespoon or two of milk.
- Traditional Swedish sandwich cake decorations usually include thinly sliced vegetables, herbs, and sometimes filling ingredients such as small shrimp, smoked salmon, and hard-boiled eggs. Here I've used a mandoline slicer to thinly slice some rainbow radishes and English cucumber, and a vegetable peeler to create long, thin ribbons of carrot to roll up into rosettes. I've plucked a few pieces of flat-leaf parsley from their stems and added those as well. You can get as creative as you like with this part of the process, or keep things very simple.
- You can also include basically any sandwich filling that holds together well, in addition to or in place of the ones recommended here. Traditionally, a Swedish sandwich cake includes either meat or fish fillings, but you can make a vegetarian or vegan one if you like.
- Many smörgåstårta recipes call for chilling overnight either before or after frosting to let the layers come together. I don't find it necessary, but you can do so if it helps you out schedule-wise. Leftovers will keep for a day or two in an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 410kcal | Carbohydrates: 19.2g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 32.4g | Fiber: 1.1g