Smörgåstårta: Swedish Sandwich Cake

While I love to decorate cakes, I will usually opt to consume calories of the savory variety. I mean I will totally eat both but if I have to chose I’m Team Potato Chip. So imagine my delight when Jaime introduced me to a food that combined my passion for fancy food presentation and bagel plates. May I present Smörgåstårta, or Swedish Sandwich Cake. I had to make one.

Would you like to know how to make one for your Valentine? Your favorite Mother or Father, or a crowd of Easter Brunchers? Here’s what you do…
Start with a fresh loaf of dense light rye bread, or whatever you prefer. Store bought or home baked works. This loaf was about 4″ tall by 8″ wide. Slice the top of the loaf off with a bread knife, a level top about 6″ wide.

Use any circular template, like this 6″ cake pan,  and mark around the edge.

Slice straight down all the way around to create the cake shape.

Slice off the very bottom of the loaf to remove the hard crust.

Slice the bread in thirds, or as many slices as you would like layers.

Prepare the cake plate by adding small squares of parchment paper around edge, and a dollop of whipped cream cheese at the center. Add your first disk of bread.

Add a generous scoop of whipped cream cheese to the top center of the first layer. You can use store bought whipped cream cheese or combine brick cream cheese with sour cream in the mixer until it has the consistency of frosting.

With a frosting spatula, spread the cream cheese out until it extents beyond the edge of the cake.

Add the first layer of filling. We chose salmon but the options are endless. Anything you would like on a sandwich.

Next we added thinly sliced hard boiled eggs.

Add a layer of cream cheese to the bottom of the next bread layer and add to cake.

Next we added another layer of cream cheese, topped with thinly sliced English cucumbers and radishes, topped with another layer of bread with cream cheese spread on the bottom. Just like a giant sandwich! It will look something like this…

Resist the urge to eat it, there is more to do.

Add a seriously huge amount of whipped cream cheese to the top of the cake and start spreading the mixture out to the edge.

When you get to the edge, let the cream cheese “fall” over the edge and begin spreading down the sides.

Add more cream cheese and continue to cover the cake until it is completely sealed. Just like a real cake, the cream cheese protects the bread from becoming stale.

Remove the parchment paper to uncover a clean cake plate!

Now for the fun of decorating. Make some salmon roses by laying out a slice, or several pieces of salmon with the bottom folded up to create an interesting, curled edge.

Roll, pinching the bottom and spreading out the top.

Add to cake.

Make more.

Decorate the rest of the cake however you choose. We kept it simple with a circle of capers and a few sprigs of chives and dill but anything goes. This can be prepared the day before and stored, covered in the refrigerator until serving time.

Enjoy, Team Potato Chip!

by Jacinda