Food

Jordgubbstårta recipe: Try this fresh twist on the classic strawberry cake this Midsummer

By Cecilia Hagerling Larsson

Photo: Kristian Bengtsson

With the simple addition of rhubarb, mint, basil leaves, lime and cream cheese, you can take your classic strawberry cake to the next level this summer. Read on for the full recipe

When it comes to Swedish summer staples, many have the attitude of 'don't mess with a good thing'. In this instance, the good thing is jordgubbstårta: the strawberry cake that punctuates countless summer meals and is the focal point of many a Midsummer table.

But our variations to the classic dish, as shared by Swedish baker and author Cecilia Hagerling Larsson won't do anything but enhance the refreshing and flavoursome qualities of jordgubbstårta that we all relish throughout the season.

With some fresh and zesty additions to the ingredient list, this is a recipe that is sure to 'wow' your loved ones.

Hit play to watch the step-by-step instructions below, or scroll on for the full recipe. Smaklig måltid!

Photo: Kristian Bengtsson

Ingredients

Cake base

  • 75g butter
  • 1 1⁄2 dl milk
  • 5 eggs
  • 337g sugar
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp vanilla powder
  • 270 g flour
  • 45g potato flour
  • 1 tbsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cardamom seeds
  • 1 grated lemon zest
  • 2 krm salt

Strawberry jam with rhubarb

  • 200g rhubarb
  • 200g strawberries
  • 50g water
  • 1⁄2 tbsp lime juice
  • 135g sugar

Cream cheese filling

  • 300g cream
  • 200g Philadelphia
  • 65g icing sugar
  • Topping
  • 500 g fresh strawberries
  • Basil or mint leaves

Topping

  • 500g fresh strawberries
  • Basil or mint leaves

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 175 degrees. Prepare a tray, 30×40 cm, with baking paper.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and pour in the milk.
  3. Beat eggs, caster sugar and vanilla sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Mix wheat flour, baking powder and cardamom. Sift a little at a time of the flour mixture into the egg mixture and mix together with a spatula, alternating with the buttermilk.
  5. Add lemon zest and salt.
  6. Pour the batter into the tin and bake in the middle of the oven for about 30 minutes.
  7. Check that the cake is ready with a test stick, it should not be sticky in the middle.
  8. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting it in half into two bottoms.

Strawberry jam with rhubarb

  1. Peel the rhubarb if it has a slightly rougher surface.
  2. Cut into centimeter-sized pieces and put in a saucepan with sliced ​​strawberries, water, lime juice and sugar.
  3. Allow to boil into a jam, about 10 minutes.
  4. Stir every now and then.

Cream cheese filling

  1. Whisk together cream, Philadelphia and icing sugar to a fluffy cream.
  2. Store in refrigerator.

Assembly

  1. Cut the cakebottom in half so you get two smaller bottoms.
  2. Edge-cut the bottoms so they are the same size and have straight edges.
  3. Slice 150 g of the fresh strawberries.
  4. Spread a generous layer of jam on one bottom.
  5. Spread some cream cheese filling onto the fourth layer and then spread out a layer of jam on top.
  6. Add the sliced ​​strawberries and place the other bottom.
  7. Pipe on the rest of the cream cheese filling and top with strawberries and basil leaves. I use a dense star tulle.

Photo: Helen Pé