Swedish Pancakes- Longing for Lingonberries

I was so excited this spring when our local nursery actually had lingonberry plants for sale. Seriously, how can this wonderful  Scandinavian forest berry grow in a garden in the dry northern California summer? Sure, it would like our cool and wet winters, but I laughed to think of harvesting enough berries to do all of the wonderful things that my Swedish friends do each fall with the berries they find literally outside their  back doors. So, I bought a few plants and nestled them among the strawberries. That summer one of my Swedish visitors actually laughed at my measly little struggling plants.

lingonberry hopefuls

Well, enough of the lingonberry saga- we have an abundance of another beautiful red fruit-Pomegranates! I have been busy all fall harvesting from my own trees, gathering from friend's trees, and making deals with the farmers at the local Saturday market. In exchange for a nice jar of jelly, they sell me me bags of their not- so -pretty fruit for a great price. The work involved in seeding and juicing is a bit tedious but well worth it.

ready for a few more batches of jelly

One of the most loved foods at our home is the simple Swedish pancake-or plättar. I suppose it would be called a crepe in many other places.  Although any day is  a  good day for pancakes, Thursday in my father -in -law's kitchen meant pea soup and pancakes. He always served them right after the soup and they were in these perfect stacks of about 8 layered with a dab of berry preserves between each one and then topped with a thick mound of fresh whipped cream. Since it is most traditional to have local wild berries such as  lingonberries with the pancakes, I decided to save my small jar from IKEA and turn to my California jelly and  fresh pomegranates to adorn my little pancakes. The result was perfectly beautiful and simple. Well...the jelly took time, but the bright ruby red seeds and the smooth jelly were perfect.
Swedish pancakes are cooked on the stove on a "plättlagg". I found mine long ago at a specialty kitchen store. My crepe pan, used for larger ones that you can roll up, was found at garage sale! Cast iron is best and it seasons well so that you don't need to spray the pan nor use a lot of butter to keep them from sticking.
I've taught the children to make these and there is a little art to knowing when to flip them.
The following recipe is very simple-not any sugar added since that can be added later  in the toppings. I usually double this recipe.

Poor Jörgen, he got home too late for this small batch-kids got home from tennis hungry and others kept walking by and "sampling " them.
That is why we double just about everything here...at least.

Here's what you need to start :

             1 cup of flour

    1/2 teaspoon of salt                                                                                                 

             2  2/3 cup of milk                                                              
             3 eggs
             3 tablespoons of butter melted

a simple hand beater works great

Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add half of the milk and whisk it together until is smooth. Add the rest of the milk, beat and then add the eggs.
Melt the butter and stir it into the batter.

Heat the pan until it is hot. Test it by sprinkling a  few drops of cold water on it. If they almost pop and sizzle off the pan then it is ready.

I use a soup ladle to pour about 2 tablespoons into the small wells. If using a crepe pan then pour just enough to cover the whole surface-tilt the pan to get it spread out  quickly.

ready to flip

The pancakes are ready to flip when they appear almost dry on the top. I use a plain dinner knife to gently lift the edges and turn it over. Let it cook for just a short while. Don't fret if you have a few flops! It takes a bit of practice and the ones that are less than perfect are great samples  for those who walk by and can't wait!

they are done when the tops have a nice light brown color and small little circles

Stack them on a pretty platter and you can place a dab of jam or berry preserves in between
them or just serve it on the side . I dust lightly with powdered sugar and serve whipped cream with a tablespoon or two of vanilla sugar added.











Whipped cream-  pour about 2 cups of whipping cream into the mixer, add vanilla sugar or powdered sugar and beat at high speed until just thickened. The Ankersrum Assistant works very efficiently and quickly, so don't walk away or you will get a thick creamy butter!

whip until fluffy and  stays on the spoon

As always, these are a delight for all!

Swedish Sockerkaka

Swedish Sockerkaka with a California twist

This time of year there is abundance of persimmons and pomegranates in Northern California. From farmer's market to established yards and parks it seems most everyone knows someone who is giving away fruit. Since my pomegranate tree is finally producing after about 8 years and my neighbors persimmon tree is over flowing, I decided to add their rich color to my sockerkaka which we made for a friend's birthday. This cake is so popular among our family and friends. It is simple and very pretty. I use either a small 4 cup Swedish cake pan or a 6 cup larger one-thrift stores are great place place to find unique ones. This one in the photo is such a find!

I recently added to my kitchen an amazing new Mixer-The Ankersum Origional. This mixer has been made and sold in Sweden since 1940! Most of my husband's family and friends have one which they call the "Assistant". Many families pass their down to the next generation. Jorgen's cousin has one which is 40 years old and still runs. Baking and serving "fika" with coffee is a very important part of Swedish daily life.

The Ankersum Origional with batter mixing bowl 

Here in California we live fast paced lives. We love good food and especially real food. There is little time for food preparation -let alone baking. Yet, in our home we have made it our Swedish culture to cook often, and especially to bake Swedish  cookies and cakes and breads. This cake, much like an American sponge cake, is quick, simple, and can be dusted with powdered sugar, presented with fresh fruit, whipped cream, or in the summer with a small cluster of fresh flowers decorating the plate.
The ingredients are simple as with most Swedish cakes: real butter, sugar, fresh eggs, baking powder,milk, and vanilla sugar or lemon zest. 

Often we are asked to bake this cake for friend's birthdays. Just this past week we had a busy Wednesday and after a  full day of kid's school, my class, making dinner, ballet,  so I quickly mixed this cake up and had it ready for one of the kids' friend's 21st birthday. Our neighbor had loaded us up with persimmons and we had a few pomegranates left over form jelly making, add a few raspberries and we had a beautiful cake for the celebration. Of course, there was a bowl of whipped cream to add on top of each slice!


Sockerkaka recipe

Oven 350

Prepare pan:

A small bundt pan that hold about 3 cups works well.

brush softened butter into every nook and cranny

lightly dust with flour or fine crumbs

I like to use a stiff brush and softened butter to get into all the spaces of the pan then dust with flour or crumbs.

2 eggs

¾ cup of sugar

1 ¼ cup of flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla sugar or  1 tsp vanilla extract

or grated zest from half a lemon

Melt the butter on the stove. Let cool a bit.

Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients and the vanilla sugar and/or zest.

Add this to the egg mixture. Then add the milk and melted butter.

Beat well until light and well mixed.

Pour into the pan and bake on the lower half of the oven for about 40 minutes. The cake will be slightly pulling away from the sides of the pan and the color will be golden, and your tester will come out clean.

Cool on the counter before removing from the pan. A trick I learned from an old cookbook in Sweden is to drape a  slightly cool, wet dish towel over the upside down form for a bout 5 minutes. The cake will cool under there and come out easily.

Dust with powdered sugar and garnish with seasonal fresh fruit. Amazing and great with coffee.