A birthday, a party and another Swedish cake

It’s now Sunday, and we are having a bit of a lazy morning before heading out for some food shopping and lunch.  After all the wet weather the past couple of days, the sun has come out, such a lift to the spirits.

Yesterday was Karl’s birthday, which we celebrated by having a few friends round for some food and drinks.  With 8 adults and 3 children, it was a fun afternoon.  The table was a mix of things associated with Swedish Midsummer, birthdays, and the reminder that it is midwinter here, with candles lit as the afternoon drew on.

Our mini table sized Midsummer pole

Being a birthday party, cake was naturally on the menu.  The apple cake featured in the last post was there of course along with a Prinsesstårta, or ‘Princess Cake’, a traditional celebratory Swedish cake that I bought from Moore Wilson, courtesy of Arobake.

The apple cake

Prinsesstårta

The Prinsesstårta  is basically a layer cake consisting of sponge, raspberry or strawberry jam, patisserie cream, and a thick layer of whipped cream. If that wasn’t rich enough, this is then covered with a bright green marzipan, dusted with icing sugar, and normally topped with a red marzipan rose.  As the photograph was taken with the light on, you can’t see just how green it is, but you can find a picture, and even a recipe, here.  This cake didn’t come with the rose, so I topped it with a little Swedish flag, naturally inedible.  It was a great hit with the children, and some of the adults, especially the birthday boy himself.

I made a couple of plates with canapes (smoked salmon and rye bread with sour cream and lumpfish roe caviar), and added a cheese board (a buffalo and cow milk blue cheese from Over The Moon, a Waimata camembert, an aged cheddar from Linkwater, and Ramara, a cheese ‘inspired by the setting west sun’, a washed rind, soft and creamy cheese from Kapiti) with my homemade chutneys (tomato and feijoa/apple) and a bowl of sausage rolls.  There was also chocolate from the Wellington Chocolate Factory, a very spicy chilli, lime and nuts and their salted, brittle caramel.

A space for sausage rolls.

Copious amounts of beer, wine and other beverages flowed, cake consumed and a birthday well and truly celebrated.

Another view of the table, still waiting for the sausage rolls