My kids have been requesting that I bake a dessert--they have loved this heritage recipe series because I've been baking--something I never used to do! I don't think I've gotten any better at baking (you've seen my screw ups) but I'm learning and some things turn out really good.
This drömtårta is one of them. Holy smokes, this is amazing.
Drömtårta means "dream cake" in Swedish. And after making this, I described it to the kids like "you know, those Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls that I used to buy"? (This is really embarrassing, but before I lost the weight, I would eat a whole box of those in one binge.)
This recipe is basically a very delicious, rich, authentic, Swedish version of a Swiss Cake Roll! It's not sickeningly sweet, either--the filling is very rich, but that's mainly due to the butter. There is relatively a small amount of sugar when you compare it to the amount of butter. Because the filling is so rich, I found that one piece of this (one-eighth of the roll) was extremely satisfying--I literally wasn't even tempted to eat more.
This recipe was submitted to the Rockwood, Michigan Area Historical Society by Marion Fields, in memory of her Swedish grandmother, Gerda Svenssen.
As usual with the heritage recipes, I am going to write this out exactly as written and follow the instructions without changes or substitutions. You can read my notes for anything that is unclear. The printable version is the recipe written out with any clarifications.
Here is a printer-friendly version!
Drömtårta (Dream Cake, Authentic Swedish Recipe
Cake:
3 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. cocoa
Beat eggs until foamy, gradually add sugar. Beat 10 minutes. Sift together twice the salt, baking powder, cornstarch, and cocoa. Sift dry ingredients over eggs. Fold in carefully. Pour into lined jellyroll pan. Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes. Turn out on waxed paper sprinkled with sugar, leave pan on. Cool. Remove pan and paper. Spread with filling. Roll up lengthwise jellyroll-fashion.
Filling:
3/4 c. butter
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. confectioners sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
Cream butter with egg yolk, vanilla, and cocoa. Beat in sugar.
My notes:
This recipe was really straight-forward. I knew all of the ingredients well and had them on hand. I had to look up the size of a jellyroll pan, because I didn't know if I had one--it's a 10x15 inch size, and I was in luck!
The only thing that gave me pause was the egg yolk in the filling. I know that eating raw eggs is a no-no, so if you are concerned about that, then you'll have to find a substitution. I, however, sampled my share of raw cookie dough, brownie batter, cake batter, etc. in my lifetime, and I'm probably immune to all illness that come inside of a raw egg. (I'm kidding! About being immune, I mean--I know the risks of raw eggs.) So, staying true to the recipe, I went ahead and made the filling with the raw egg yolk.
Interestingly (to me), there is no flour in this recipe! I have no idea how that works, but it does.
Here is what it looked like, step by step:
The sifted cocoa ingredients...
The texture of the batter before adding the cocoa mixture...
I'm impressed! My rolled cakes always seem to crack no matter what I do.
ReplyDeleteFor people who are nervous about a raw egg yolk, a lot of stores have pasteurized eggs.
I was SURE mine was going to be a disaster when I tried to roll it! After making this, I'd say it's a perfect recipe for beginners to the jellyroll-like process.
Deletethis looks delicious! I'm definitely going to be giving this a try. thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! Raw egg yolks should not be bad for you as it is the whites that will make you sick (if at all).
ReplyDeleteYou are not horrible at frosting! It's a normal issue to get crumbs in the frosting. There is even a specific technique for getting around it, called a crumb coat - check it out: https://blog.wilton.com/start-with-a-crumb-coat-for-a-smooth-cake-finish/
ReplyDelete@musicalsciencedoggies, I've often seen the comment that stores sell pasteurized eggs. I have never been able to find them, and I live in a suburb of Washington, DC, so I would think we would have everything in our huge supermarkets. Are they usually in a special section? I've also checked "organic" and similar sections...I feel like I may be literally missing something.
ReplyDeleteDavidson is the brand I usually can find -- you may have to check with a few stores to see if they carry them. There are also some online instructions for pasteurizing eggs at home. You're essentially bringing them up to and then holding them at a particular temp for a certain length of time. I think the insides need to reach 140F, but it's been a long time since I've done it, so I can't remember the exact temp and time.
DeleteHOLY SMOKES that looks so good!! I am bookmarking this one for sure!
ReplyDelete<3 Gingi
http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Your roll looks great! I learned from Duff Goldman that when you frost your cakes, make sure you've put it in the fridge for a few hours, and then it won't be "crumby" when you frost it. Works like a charm!
ReplyDelete