Swedish Sandwich Cake
Sandwich and cake are two words that you normally wouldn’t hear together, but this vegan version of the savory Swedish classic will have you saying these words over and over again in your head. And who knows, you might even catch yourself mumbling in Swedish: Smörgåstårta, smörgåstårta…
While Gunnar Sjödahl is often credited as having invented the modern smörgåstårta in 1965, the word itself first appeared in writing in 1951, in a Swedish cookbook But more than ten years earlier there was something called a sandwichtårta – a word which demonstrates that both the dish and “swengelska” (using English words even though Swedish equivalents exist) have been alive and well for a long time!
If you’ve never heard of a sandwich cake before, it’s basically a multilayered construction with bread as the foundation and different, often creamy fillings spread on top. There are countless things that can be used in these fillings, but we’re going to focus on two classics: Skagenröra (a kind of shrimp salad) and egg salad. But of course by now you know that we’re going to planticize them!
Despite Skagen being a Danish coastal town, this is only a Swedish affair. It’s main components are shrimp, often smoked, mayonnaise, dill and lemon. While I have access to vegan shrimp (check out this recipe and my Instagram) I know that many people don’t. Also, one of the allures of the vegan shrimp is their appearance, and in this recipe they get chopped up and hidden. (However, if you do have some, you could always use them on top, as a garnish.) Instead, try using smoked tofu or smoked tempeh, which I used this time. According to the Tempeh Shop, raw tempheh should be steamed before mixing it with things like oil and mayonnaise, to prevent the formation of bacteria. Even though I bought pre-smoked tempeh, I steamed it anyway to be no the safe side, since this salad is cold, and contains egg-free, vegan mayonnaise.
Tempeh is made from soybeans that have gone through a fermentation process, making it even healthier than normal tofu and since we are going to use tofu in the filing 2, I decided to mix things up a bit. Another fun ingredient in our Skagen filling, and one which may be new to you, is kelp or seaweed caviar! While not actually caviar, it’s appearance and taste is amazingly similar. It’s made from washed and cleaned seaweed, that is dissolved and shaped into small balls and lightly seasoned. The second filling is not so different from what you do when making a tofu scramble, with the vital kala namak, or black salt, and some turmeric for color.
Let’s not forget the bread. For this recipe I used round, slightly fluffy, wheat bread like the kinds in the photos above. If like me, you think that round form makes these a bit more special, you could try using something like these or these or these. Normally, a smörgåstårta is served as part of a buffet at parties and funerals, as one large cake. However, there’s no need to wait until someone dies or another one is born, just so you can dig in to one! One of the charms with this particular recipe, is that you can make one or two of these delicious, personal size, Swedish sandwich cakes for yourself, anytime you want!
Ingredients
-
Filling 1
- 4 oz (150 g) – smoked tofu or tempeh
- ¼ cup (ca ½ dl) – vegan mayonnaise
- ½ cup (ca 1 dl) – vegan crème fraiche
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) – liquid smoke
- 2 Tbsps (30 ml) – kelp/seaweed caviar
- 2 Tbsps (30 ml) – spring onions, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp (15 ml) – dill
- 1 tsp (5 ml) – lemon juice
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) – herb salt
- Pepper, to taste Filling 2
- 4 oz (115 g) – tofu
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) – vegan mayonnaise
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) – kala namak (black salt)
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) – turmeric
- Salt/Pepper, to taste ”Icing”
- ½ cup (ca 1 dl) – vegan crème fraiche
- ¼ cup (ca ½ dl) – vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tsp (5 ml) – horseradish Bread and Garnish
- 6 slices of your favorite bread – 3 for each sandwich cake
- Cherry tomatoes, red onion, kelp caviar, cucumber, lemon slices, dill, water cress, passion fruit, physalis and even vegan ham or vegan shrimp – the sky’s the limit!
Instructions
- If you plan on using raw tempeh, you should steam it for 20 minutes and let it cool prior to adding it to the mixture. (Apparently, when raw tempeh is coated with any kind of oily substance, like mayonnaise, it can acquire an unpleasant taste due to the formation of anaerobic bacteria.) Chop the smoked tofu/tempeh into small, bite-sized chunks and add them to a bowl along with the liquid smoke. Then add all the Filling 1 ingredients and mix.
- Crumble the normal tofu into another bowl and add all the Filling 2 ingredients and mix.
- Place two pieces of bread on separate plates, and spread half of the Filling 1 mixture onto each piece.
- Place a second piece of bread on top of Filling 1, and spread half of Filling 2 onto each piece.
- Top with a third piece of bread, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but ideally, overnight.
- Mix vegan crème fraiche , mayonnaise and horseradish together and spread over the top and sides of each sandwich cake.
- Decorate with your favorite toppings and serve!