Cakes are associated with birthdays, weddings and other special celebrations, in general. But we usually associate cakes with sweet stuff.
Every heard of savoury cakes? In Japan, what is popular is salad cakes, which a new restaurant in Nagoya introduced earlier this year. Mitsuki Moriyasu, a food stylist and healthy lifestyle designer, has patented her new salad cake concept as vegedeco salads.
Vegedeco salads are made with seasonal vegetables in the form of a cake. What looks like a cake on the outside reveals layers of shredded fresh vegetables when sliced. A soya flour-based sponge is used instead of the traditional cake sponge. The salad cake is covered with a cream cheese icing or a tofu-based icing incorporating natural colours from vegetables. Edible flowers, sliced vegetables, herbs and sprouts are used as decorative garnishes. There are gluten-free and low carbohydrate options as well.
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The salad cake may be a new concept in Japan but Smörgåstråta, a savoury sandwich cake from Sweden and Finland, has been around for many decades. It is usually served in family gatherings and cut during birthdays. A Smörgåstråta, typically, has layers of creamy prawns and salmon sandwiched between layers of bread with a savoury cream cheese and dill icing on top.
Having devoured a Smörgåstråta for one of my birthdays while in Sweden, I suddenly remembered it when I wanted to make a cake for someone special. Smoked Salmon is a key ingredient and other seafood like prawn and crab add more flavour and complexity to the final cake. As my first attempt, I put together a sandwich cake with layers of white and brown bread filled with egg salad, prawn cocktail and a smoked salmon and gravlax sauce layer. Gravlax is a creamy mayonnaise based sauce with mustard and fresh dill, which is a classic combination with cold smoked salmon.
A savoury cream cheese icing was finally applied, like on any other cake. Chopped fresh herbs like parsley, dill and chives can be used as a garnish. Slices of radish and boiled eggs and whole boiled prawns also make interesting garnishes. The sandwich cake needs to be made at least two hours ahead of serving, as it needs to set. It is also an excellent one-dish meal especially on picnics.
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Vegetarian versions of a sandwich cake can also be made. Just remember to use creamy fillings, as that is what this is all about. Creamy avocado, hummus, cream cheese with herbs or vegetables will make ideal fillings for a vegetarian Smörgåstråta. Curly vegetable peels and micro greens will make attractive garnishes on top of the cream cheese icing.
Many cake trends rise and fall. But a savoury cake is truly out-of-the-box. It is the perfect cake to make for a special occasion and will leave a lasting impression, for sure…