The Hirshon Swedish Cardamom Cake – Kardemummakaka

TFD continues our secret journey through Scandinavia – today, we have stopped outside the city of Gotebörg (Gothenburg) before continuing on to Norway by train for the annual Dictator conclave.

To celebrate our honored hosts, today TFD shares a recipe for my version of kardemummakaka – Swedish Cardamom Cake.

Basically a coffee cake heavily spiced with the cardamom beloved by Swedes, I have adapted the recipe to also include fresh vanilla and blueberries (since I am fond of both these ingredients combined with cardamom). You can leave them out if you prefer a more classic interpretation.

The Swedes REALLY like their coffee breaks, as noted on penandfork.com:

When Fika: The Art of The Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats landed on my desk I was vaguely familiar with the word “fika”. It’s a verb and a noun. Literally it means to drink coffee, but the larger meaning is to take a break with a cup of coffee (or tea) and definitely with a baked something (preferably home baked). It’s a smallish but jam-packed (no pun intended) book.

Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall do a great job explaining the history of Swedish coffee with recipes for traditionally served sweets like Kardemummakaka (Cardamom Cake), Fikonrutor (Figs Squares) and Syltgrottor (Jam Thumbprint Cookies). They interject Swedish words built around fika such as fikarum (the fika break room), fikasugen (to have a fika craving), and fikapaus (taking a break to have fika).

Modern-day baked goods recipes for fika include Kinuskikaka (Kinuski Caramel Cake), Mandelkaka (Almond Tart), and Kokostoppar (Coconut Peaks) – and also under the “modern day” heading, a Swede never boards a train or embarks on a long car ride without a fika moment. Other notable recipes are Semlor (Swedish Cream Buns), Glögg, and Pannkakor (Swedish Pancakes).

Most every heritage has a traditional coffee-break but doesn’t fika make it sound more fun? Even Rick Steves touts “When sightseeing Stockholm, it’ll all go better if you do as the locals do…and enjoy an occasional fika.” Bake these Chocolate Coffee Squares and invite a friend to share a fika with you.

I shall be fortifying myself with kardemummakaka (and much caffeine) before my clandestine border crossing this evening.

Enjoy, My Citizens! 🙂

Battle on – The Generalissimo