Swedish sandwich cake (Smörgåstårta)

A staple at Swedish celebrations, this savoury sandwich cake is simple to assemble but makes for a seriously impressive party centrepiece. Don’t skimp on the garnish and decorations, as they’re just as much a part of the final product as the fillings.

• serves

  10

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 loaves white bread, crusts trimmed
• 250 g smoked salmon
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, finely sliced
• ¼ cup finely shredded dill

Egg salad

• 8 eggs
• ½ cup mayonnaise 

Cream cheese and sour cream “icing”

• 300 g cream cheese
• 300 g sour cream
• 125 g mayonnaise

Garnish

• 1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
• 12 large prawns, cooked and peeled (tails intact)
• 3 red radishes, thinly sliced
• 4 boiled eggs, quartered
• ½ cup finely chopped chives
• ¼ cup finely shredded dill
• 2 lemons, very thinly sliced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

Chilling time: 1 hour

Instructions

For the egg salad, boil the eggs for 8 minutes and refresh in iced water. Peel and finely chop the eggs and mix with the mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lay the slices of bread in a square on a workbench, place the base of a 24 cm springform cake tin on top, then cut around the base so you have a round layer of bread. Place the base back into the cake tin and arrange the bread layer in the bottom. Spray with a little water and arrange the smoked salmon on top.

Add a second layer of bread, trimming the pieces to create a single unbroken layer, moisten with a spray of water and add a layer of egg salad. Add a third layer of bread, moisten with water, and arrange a layer of cucumbers scattered with dill. Top with a final layer of bread and spray with a final mist of water. Cover the “cake” with plastic wrap or baking paper, place a plate on top to lightly weight down. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm.

When firm, turn out onto a serving platter and remove the tin. For the “icing”, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise. Ice the top and sides of the cake with the mixture to completely enclose the cake. Arrange the garnishes on top and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.