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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 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chill Time 2 hours
Total Time 4 hours
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.

Notes

Notes:
  1. These must be finely ground and dried: fresh breadcrumbs will not work. You can buy dried breadcrumbs in the supermarket, or you can make your own.