Name: Swedish Jordgubbstårta
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 240 min
Ingredients: 1/2 vanilla bean; 170 ml whole milk; 80 g caster sugar; 1 tbsp cornflour, (sifted.); 2 egg yolks; 1 tbsp salted butter; 1 tbsp salted butter, (melted.); 2-3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs ((see note 1).); 50 ml whole milk; 75 g salted butter, (diced.); 200 g caster sugar; 3 eggs; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 150 g plain flour; 10 g cornflour; 1/2 tsp vanilla; 250 g strawberries; 300 ml double cream; 1 tbsp icing sugar, (sifted.)

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Welcome to the newest instalment of my Baking Around the World series, where I (attempt to) bake delicious, sweet treats from around the globe, in an effort to broaden my foodie horizons! This time, we’re off to Sweden, with this jordgubbstårta, a light and summery strawberry cake.

A quick Baking Around the World disclaimer before we get into the recipe:

While I have done/will do extensive research for each of the recipes in this series, the recipes are unlikely to be 100% authentic because of differences in ingredient availability, variations within families/regions and multiple other reasons. I'm so sorry if I absolutely butcher your favourite childhood treat (and please let me know in the comments if I have made any unforgiveable errors), but please do give me the benefit of the doubt here- I am just a baker with a serious sweet tooth, trying to broaden her baking (and cultural) horizons through tasty snacks :)

Jordgubbstårta: Explained

Jordgubbstårta is a classic Swedish cake that is traditionally served on Midsommar, when the Swedish strawberries are at their best (and, I gather, at their most expensive, but I guess that’s supply & demand for you!). Because of this, jordgubbstårta is also sometimes called midsommartårta (and gräddtårta med jordgubbar, but that’s unrelated to the festival). Admittedly, I made this cake after Midsummer’s Eve, so mine is definitely a jordgubbstårta, but it’s such a lovely, summer-y cake either way (plus, it’s very Wimbledon-coded, so I think it would be a perfect treat to make to watch this year’s finals!)

Like any popular cake, jordgubbstårta comes in a variety of shapes, sizes and variations. The basic elements, however, are a vanilla sponge cake (known in Sweden as a sockerkaka, or ‘sugar cake’: from what I can tell, this is a foam cake similar to, but not exactly the same as, a French genoise sponge), a vanilla pastry cream filling, whipped cream and, of course, fresh strawberries! Some variations contain lemon, elderflower or even cardamom, and are sometimes decorated with additional touches like mint leaves and edible flowers!

Flowers are an important part of Midsommar traditions in Sweden (apparently, there’s a custom where you are supposed to silently pick 7 different types of flowers and place them under your pillow, so that you’ll dream about your future spouse!), so edible flowers would make such a lovely, fitting decoration!

Ingredients

To make a jordgubbstårta, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Vanilla

Aside from the strawberries, vanilla is the main flavour in this cake. The pastry cream is flavoured with a vanilla bean, so you get all of the delicious flavour of vanilla plus the pretty, speckled-y appearance of the beans themselves. The cake is flavoured with good vanilla extract. Many Swedish recipes tend to call for substituting a small amount of the sugar with ‘vanilla sugar’ to impart the flavour, but this isn’t a readily available product here in the UK (and the sugar you infuse yourself is unlikely to provide enough of a vanilla hit!), so the bean & extract combo is your best bet!

Whole milk

It’s important to use whole milk for this recipe (even if, like me, you live in a mainly skimmed milk household), for the creamiest, moistest, most delicious results.

Caster sugar

You can use either golden or white caster sugar for this recipe (I used golden). Some recipes do call for granulated sugar instead (which I believe is more readily available in the US), but I find caster sugar works better for foam cake.

Cornflour (or cornstarch)

A small amount of cornflour (or cornstarch, as it’s also known) is added to the cake to give it a delicate, tender crumb. You’ll also use cornflour to thicken the pastry cream filling.

Eggs

Whole eggs are used in the sponge cake, while egg yolks are used in the pastry cream. You don’t need the remaining egg whites for this recipe, so you can either use them for another recipe straight away (perhaps some macarons!) or freeze them for another time.

Salted butter

In my research, I discovered that butter is more commonly found in its salted variety in Sweden, unlike here in the UK where you would expect to find an array of both salted and unsalted butters in the supermarket. Unsalted butter is available in Sweden, but it tends to be more of a specialist item. Because of this, I’ve used salted butter throughout this recipe: for the sponge, the pastry cream and even greasing the cake tin!

Baking powder

Baking powder is added to give the cake a little extra lift and fluffiness.

Plain flour

Don’t use self-raising flour here, as you’ll end up with too much raising agent in the cake batter. Plain, or all-purpose flour, is what you want here.

Breadcrumbs

This was a new technique to me, but the majority of sockerkaka recipes that I found lined the cake tin with melted butter and breadcrumbs, instead of just butter/greaseproof paper. This makes it super easy to remove the cake from the tin, but also gives the cake something to cling to as it rises, which is super important for a foam cake like this (often, genoise recipes recommend not greasing the sides of the tin at all!). I admit, I was sceptical about this technique (because… breadcrumbs?), but it was so easy to do and worked SO well! Plus, you genuinely couldn’t tell the breadcrumbs were there when you looked at the cake/ate it.

You do need to use a specific type of breadcrumb for this: dried and very finely ground. You can buy these kind of breadcrumbs in the supermarket or you can make your own.

Double cream

You could use whipping cream here instead, if you prefer.

Icing sugar

A small amount of icing sugar is added to the cream to help stabilise it AND give it a gentle sweetness. I also like to dust the cake with a little icing sugar just before serving, to make it extra pretty!

Strawberries

The star of the show: you need strawberries for a strawberry cake! It’s best to make this cake when strawberries are in season, when they’re at their most delicious!

Making Vanilla Pastry Cream

This was actually my first time making pastry cream (crazy, right?), so it was a bit of a learning curve for me. The first time I made it, I undercooked the custard, which led to a very thin pastry cream that, bafflingly, just kept getting thinner in the fridge! Luckily, the second time worked much better and I was able to make the perfect, vanilla-y pastry cream to fill my jordgubbstärta with!

Start by infusing the milk with the vanilla bean. To do this, run a small, sharp knife down the length of the bean, then scrape out the seeds.

Add the bean halves and the seeds to the milk in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat.

Allow the milk to come to just below a simmer (small bubbles will be starting to form around the edge of the pan and the milk will be steaming slightly), then remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.

While the milk is infusing, place the sugar into a medium bowl. Sift in the cornflour (I like to do this just to remove any lumps, so that my pastry cream is super smooth!), then add the egg yolks.

Whisk these ingredients together, just until they are smooth and combined. You don’t want to incorporate too much air at this stage, so try to use a stirring action rather than a whipping action. The mixture will seem very thick and stiff at first, but it will loosen up a little as you mix it.

Once the milk has finished infusing, remove the vanilla bean halves (I like to strain it through a heatproof sieve here, just in case there are any errant bean shards!) and place it back on the heat, bringing it back up to just below a simmer.

Gradually add the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously as you do so.

Pass the custard back into the saucepan through a fine, heatproof sieve, just to remove any little pieces of cooked egg/unincorporated ingredients and ensure your pastry cream is silky smooth.

Return the pan to a medium heat, switch to a spatula (I prefer to use a spatula here, rather than a whisk, to keep the pastry cream silky smooth, as opposed to frothy) and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Once the mixture thickens, set a timer for one minute and continue stirring it over the heat. This is really important, as it ensures that the eggs are cooked enough to keep the pastry cream thick and creamy (this is where I went wrong the first time around: I didn’t cook it long enough and ended up with a runny mess, so learn from my mistakes!).

After that, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, stirring (or whisking, if you prefer) until it is fully incorporated.

Transfer the pastry cream to a shallow bowl, cover the surface directly with clingfilm, then allow it to cool to room temperature before placing it into the fridge to chill fully (at least 2 hours), before using.

Making the Sockerkaka

With the pastry cream made, you can get on with the sockerkaka: the cake itself! This is a foam cake, where you whip the eggs with the sugar until they reach the ribbon stage, before carefully folding through the other ingredients.

Start by preparing your baking tin. You’ll need an 8-inch, circular, springform tin for this recipe (the cake is baked in one, deep layer, then sliced horizontally into two thinner layers after it has been baked and cooled). Brush the bottom and sides of the tin with a thin layer of melted butter, then line the base with a circle of greaseproof paper (this might not be strictly traditional, but it gives you much more peace of mind!). Then, add 2-3 tbsp of dried breadcrumbs and turn/rotate the tin so that they stick to the butter and coat the sides of the tin. After a bit of manoeuvring, you’ll have a fully-lined, breadcrumb-y tin, ready for your cake! Tap out the excess breadcrumbs and discard them, then set the tin aside for now.

Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional oven, not fan), then you can get on with making the batter.

Start by preparing the wet ingredients. Warm the milk and butter together until just melted (you can do this in the microwave or on the hob: I used the microwave). Set this aside to cool to room temperature before you add it to the batter.

I like to make foam cakes using an electric hand mixer, as opposed to a stand mixer, because I find it easier to ‘feel’ whether the egg/sugar mixture is ready that way. If you’re used to using a stand mixer (or find a stand mixer easier/more accessible), feel free to use that instead! I wouldn’t recommend making this with a regular hand whisk though, because it requires a lot of whipping!

Place the eggs and the sugar into a large bowl and whisk on high speed until they reach the ribbon stage. At this point, the mixture should be thick, pale and creamy . Most importantly, you should be able to draw a quick figure of eight with the batter before the shape disappears back into the rest of the mixture. This takes longer than you might expect, so be patient!

In a separate bowl, mix together the plain flour, cornflour and baking powder just to combine them. Sift these ingredients right over the egg/sugar mixture, in a relatively even layer across the surface (this helps to prevent too much air being knocked out of the batter).

Using a large, metal spoon, fold the dry ingredients into the egg/sugar mixture.

Add the vanilla to the cooled milk/butter mixture and stir to combine.

Gradually add the butter mixture to the cake batter, folding it in as you go.

Once you have a smooth batter, it’s ready to go! Pour it into the prepared cake tin, aiming for the centre of the tin as you pour, so that you don’t disrupt the breadcrumb coating on the edges of the tin.

Place the cake into the preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is pulling away from the sides of the tin. The cake might still seem very soft when you first take it out, but it will firm up as it cools.

Allow the cake to cool in the tin before running a knife around the edge of the tin and removing it, making sure to peel off the baking paper from the bottom!

Assembling the Jordgubbstårta

The jordgubbstårta is best eaten straightaway once it is assembled, so, if possible, wait until the last minute to assemble it. You can store the unfilled/decorated cake in an airtight tin for a day or so, if necessary, and you can store any assembled leftovers in the fridge for around 2 days (depending on the best before date on the cream/strawberries), just be aware that the cake can get quite dry in the fridge.

When it’s time to assemble the cake, start by splitting the cooled cake into two separate layers. I like to use a large, serrated palette knife for this, running it around the edge of the cake to score a guideline for myself before running it back and forth right across the cake to cut through it.

Next, prepare the strawberries. I like to chop the strawberries two ways: a fine dice for filling the cake (about 1/3 of the berries) and a thick slice for topping the cake (the remaining 2/3 of the berries), but you can do this however you would like: it’s just personal preference!

Sift the icing sugar into the cream and whisk it until it just holds it shape. Cream can over-whip so quickly, so err on the side of caution: it should be holding its shape, but still be soft and billowy.

Finally, remove the pastry cream from the fridge and give it a good stir to bring it together and make sure it’s nice and smooth. With that, you’re ready to assemble!

Place the first layer of cake on a serving plate (making sure the plate will fit in your fridge, just in case of leftovers!).

Spread the pastry cream on top of the cake layer, reserving a small spoonful for later. Don’t push it all the way to the edges, because this might cause it to ooze out at the sides and cause problems later.

Cover the top of the pastry cream with the diced strawberries.

Then dot the reserved pastry cream on top of the strawberry layer, just to help the next cake layer stick.

Place the second cake layer on top, making sure it is level and lined up with the layer below. If your cake is a bit unsteady at this point, you might want to put it into the fridge to chill for 5-10 minutes, otherwise you can press on!

Generously cover the top and sides of the cake with the whipped cream, using an offset palette knife (or a regular knife, spoon or spatula, if that’s what you have!). I like to make this purposely messy: there should be a thick enough layer of cream here that you don’t have to worry too much about being perfect.

Pile up the sliced strawberries in the middle of the cake, then, if desired, dust the whole thing with icing sugar just before serving.

Final Thoughts

This jordgubbstårta took me a couple of tries to nail, but it was SO worth the wait: it’s such a simple, classic, summer-y and fresh treat, perfect for this time of year (and, as I mentioned, very Wimbledon-esque, strawberries & cream-y, so it’s right up my alley!).

This is definitely a cake where the ingredients/elements are very simple, but they require a specific technique to get them right: the pastry cream is straightforward once you get the hang of it, but you need to cook it thoroughly and pass it through a sieve during the process to make it silky smooth. The sockerkaka is a pretty simple foam cake, but you need to whisk the eggs/sugar long enough to ensure they reach the ribbon stage, you need to be very gentle when folding in the other ingredients and you need to line the tin correctly! It’s a simple cake, but a slightly temperamental one (luckily, it’s also a delicious one!).

I do feel that my pastry cream was quite sweet: there’s only a thin layer and the other ingredients do temper it, but I wonder if I could decrease the sugar a little without affecting the consistency? Vanilla is a naturally sweet flavour, so this cake is always going to be sweet, but I think I could work on the balance a little.

Recipe

Swedish Jordgubbstårta

A vanilla sponge cake, filled with homemade vanilla pastry cream and fresh strawberries, topped with whipped cream and EVEN more strawberries: this classic Swedish cake is traditionally served at midsommar, but makes for a delicious treat throughout the whole summer season!

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Swedish

Keyword Foam cake, Pastry cream, Sockerkaka, strawberry, Vanilla, Whipped cream

Prep Time 1 15

Cook Time 45

Chill Time 2

Total Time 4

Servings 10 slices

Equipment

1 8-inch springform pan

Ingredients

For the vanilla pastry cream:

1/2 vanilla bean
170 ml whole milk
80 g caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour, sifted.
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp salted butter

For lining the tin:

1 tbsp salted butter, melted.
2-3 tbsp dried breadcrumbs (see note 1).

For the vanilla cake:

50 ml whole milk
75 g salted butter, diced.
200 g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
150 g plain flour
10 g cornflour
1/2 tsp vanilla

To decorate:

250 g strawberries
300 ml double cream
1 tbsp icing sugar, sifted.

Instructions

Make the vanilla pastry cream:

Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Add the bean halves, seeds and milk to a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring to just below a simmer, remove from heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks together until smooth and combined, but not aerated.
Remove the vanilla bean halves from the milk and bring back to just below a simmer. Add the hot milk gradually to the egg mixture, whisking all the time, until incorporated.
Pass the custard through a fine, heatproof sieve back into the saucepan, then cook over medium heat, stirring frequently with a spatula, until thickened. Once thickened, continue cooking for 1 more minute.
Remove the pastry cream from the heat and immediately whisk in the butter. Transfer to a shallow bowl, cover the surface directly with clingfilm and allow to cool to room temperature before placing in the fridge to chill completely (at least 2 hours), before using to fill cake.

Prepare the cake tin:

Brush the tin with a thin layer of the melted butter. Line the base with a circle of baking paper, then add the breadcrumbs and turn/rotate the tin until the crumbs have stuck to the butter and the sides are completely coated. Tap away any excess crumbs and discard, then set tin aside while you make the batter.

Make the vanilla cake:

Preheat the oven to 160°C (conventional oven, not fan).
Gently heat the milk and butter together until just melted (you can do this in the microwave, if you want). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Place the sugar and eggs into a large bowl. Using an electric whisk, beat until thick, pale and creamy (the ribbon stage). You should be able to draw a figure of eight with the beaters before the shape settles back into the rest of the mixture.
Mix the baking powder, flour and cornflour together in a separate bowl. Sift over the egg mixture, then use a large metal spoon to fold through.
Add the vanilla extract to the cooled milk/butter mixture and stir to combine. Gradually add the butter mixture to the cake batter, folding through gently as you go.
Once the batter is homogenous, pour it into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, until the cake has started to pull away from the sides of the tin. It will still seem quite soft, but will firm up as it bakes.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin, then run a knife around the edge and remove from the tin, removing the baking paper from the bottom of the cake too.

Assemble the cake:

Use a serrated palette knife to split the cake in half horizontally, so that you have two, thin layers.
Dice about 1/3 of the strawberries to go in between the cake layers, then thickly slice the remaining berries for the top of the cake.
Place the double cream and icing sugar into a large bowl and whisk until the cream is holding its shape, but still soft, smooth and billowy.
Take the chilled pastry cream out of the fridge and stir to smooth it out.
Place one of the cake layers onto a serving plate. Top with the pastry cream (reserving a small spoonful for later), spreading it out across the surface of the cake but leaving a small border around the edge, so that it doesn't ooze out later.
Add the diced strawberries over the top of the pastry cream, then dot the reserved pastry cream across the surface of the berries, to help the next cake layer stick.
Place the remaining cake layer on top, making sure it is level and lined up with the cake layer below. If the cake feels a bit unsteady, you can chill it at this stage for 5-10 minutes to help it firm up.
Cover the top and sides of the cake with a thick layer of whipped cream, then pile the sliced strawberries up in the middle of the cake. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar, if desired.
This jordgubbstårta is best served immediately. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a day or two (provided the cream/strawberries remain in date), but the cake will quickly start to dry out/toughen up. You can make the cake itself a day or so ahead of time, storing it in an airtight container before splitting, filling and decorating.