Description

A moist sponge cake with Nordic berries, topped with a chewy malt and barley caramel, offering a perfect balance of sweetness and tartness.

Ingredients

Units Scale

275 g flour (try old wheat varieties e.g. Øland wheat or spelt)
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. dried sweet woodruff (optional, or use vanilla instead)
3 large eggs
300 g sugar
90 g butter, melted
200 ml single cream or whole milk
175 g fresh/frozen black currants, red currants, lingonberries or blue berries.

Topping

200 g butter
75 ml single cream or whole milk
375 g brown sugar
175 g barley flakes (or rolled oats)
3 tsp. dark malt flour (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 185°C (365°F).
Sieve the flour, baking powder, and sweet woodruff into a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy, which takes approximately 12 minutes.
Gently fold the flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating with the melted butter and milk, until just combined.
Fold in the black currants and lingonberries.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured cake tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
While the cake is baking, prepare the topping. In a saucepan, combine the barley flakes, malt syrup, brown sugar, and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and becomes caramel-like.
Once the cake is baked, remove it from the oven and spread the caramel topping evenly over the cake.
Return the cake to the oven and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, until the topping is golden and set.
Allow the cake to cool slightly before serving.

Notes

For a different flavor, try using blueberries, seabuckthorn, or cloudberries instead of black currants and lingonberries. If Øland wheat is unavailable, spelt or stone-ground flour can be used as substitutes. The cake can be served warm with a scoop of ice cream or cold for afternoon tea. Store in an airtight container to keep it moist.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: Scandinavian

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 350
Sugar: 30
Sodium: 150
Fat: 12
Carbohydrates: 55
Fiber: 3
Protein: 6
Cholesterol: 70