Christmas Cake with pumpkin, apple, pecans, cranberries and spices

I make this traditional cake in a Bundt form I inherited from the previous owner of our house many years ago.

1 1/4 stick butter

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp grated ginger or 1 tsp dried

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup cranberries, halved

1 can unsweetened pumpkin puree

Bake for 50-70 minutes in 350 F. Let cool and top with powder sugar glace or serve as is. 

Baked Olives

 24 filled (pimiento) olives (canned), dried on paper towel

2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

2 1/2 dl grated cheese (Västerbotten or cheddar)

1 1/2 dl flour

1-2 tbsp water

Oven 400 F (200 C)

Red pepper flakes - not too much

1. Mix butter and cheese, then add flour and pepperflakes and water.

2. Cover each olive in dough

3. Bake until color

Princess Cake

 4 eggs room temperature

1/2 cup potato flour

1/2 cup pastry or regular wheat flour

2dl (almost 1 cup) sugar

2 tsp baking powder

Seedless rasberry jam

2 cups instant vanilla pudding (1 pack)

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Ready made almond paste lid or home made.

How to:

1. Heat oven to 400 F

2. Butter and dust a round form w removable bottom

3. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy

4. Mix flours and baking powder

5. Carefully fold flour mix into egg and sugar mixture

7. Bake until stick comes out clean, approx 30 minutes

Filling.

Make instant vanilla pudding (2 cups of milk) and whip the heavy cream before mixing together.

Assembly:

Once cake is cool, separate into two or preferably three layers. Cover each layer thinly with rasberry jam and a thick layer of vanilla cream, saving some for the top of the cake. Cover cake, topped with heavy vanilla cream,  with almond paste lid and sift confectioner sugar. Decorate as desired - crown and roses are traditional themes.

Rotmos (mashed root veggies)

2 lbs turnips

2 large carrots

3-4 large potatoes

2 cups broth

2 tbsp butter

Salt, pepper. I use a pepper mix or black pepper.

1. Peel turnips and carrots and cut in pieces.

2. Simmer for 20 minutes in the broth while you peel and cut potatoes in pieces.

3. Add potatoes to the pot and simmer until soft. 

4. Pour out and save broth for diluting the mash.

5. Mash root vegetables with butter, seasoning and broth to desired texture. Add an egg for smoother texture (optional). 

6. Serve with pork roast or pork sausages.

Suggestion: If you can, buy some Swedish fläsklägg and simmer for a couple of hours before making the rotmos to go with it.

Kladdig chokladkaka (chocolate cake)

This is a favorite recipe I have used since I was a teenager.  There is a previous version on this blog with morsels instead of cooking chocolate.

Turn on oven to 225 C/440 F. Butter a spring form.

Melt 200 gram dark cooking chocolate or morsels and 200 gram butter together on low heat.

Whip  4 eggs with 1 1/4 cups sugar. Add chocolate/butter mixture. Stir until mixed. Add 1 cup flour - don’t stir too much. Mix a teaspoon baking powder with 1/3 cup of flour and fold into batter. 

Pour into form and bake for 12-15 minutes. Middle should still be wobbly when removing from oven.

Medisterkaker

 Norwegian pork-veal patties served at Christmas.

1 1/2 lbs ground pork

1 1/2 lbs ground veal

1/2 tbsp ground ginger

1/2 tbsp salt

1 1/4 dl potato flour

7 dl milk 

Pepper to taste 

Mix ingredients and form patties. Fry in butter on both sides. (My husband also simmers them in broth for a few minutes after frying). Serve with lefse and Swedish mustard (Slottssenap).

Flygande Jakob chicken banana dish

1 grilled chicken or pieces of a chicken
2-3 bananas
1 tsp Italian spice mix, salt, pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup mild chilli sauce or ketchup
6 strips fried bacon in small pieces
1/4 cup salted peanuts

Heat oven to 400F
Put pieces of chicken in a buttered oven proof form and season
Whip cream and mix with chilli sauce and cover chicken
Bake for 20 minutes
Top with fried bacon pieces and nuts and serve with rice and salad

Split Pea soup and Swedish pancakes

I often make pea soup and Swedish pancakes for Thursday dinner. On Wed night I cube an onion, a carrot and 1/4 root sellery. On Thursday morning I fry the veggies with seasoning (thyme, sslt, pepper, garlick powder, a bay leaf), and add a bag of dried green split peas and 1 3/4 quarts of broth. I boil while getting ready for work and then turn heat off and let sit under lid until the evening. When back from work, I add cubes of smoked ham and cook for 30 minutes or until desired texture.

Swedish pancakes
1 dl flour per person
1 egg per person
2dl milk per person

Mix and let sit for 5 min or make the night before and store in fridge. Before frying, melt 1/2 tbsp butter per person and mix with batter. Fry and serve with jam or sugar after eating pea soup.

Nötbollar (hazelnut balls)

Mix 200 gram (about 1 3/4 sticks) butter with 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add 100 gram ground hazelnuts and about 1 3/4 cups flour.
Shape into small balls, put on a baking sheet and add 1/2 or one hazel nut on top of each. Bake at 375 F fot 15-20 minutes.

Pizza or Stromboli dough

Tonight I am making Stromboli with left-over Christmas/New Year food (mushrooms, ham, creamed spinach, peppers and cheese).

Dough recipe:

2 - 2 1/3 cups flour
1 envelope instant dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp sugar (helps rising)
3/4 cup water at 114F/45C degrees - too hot kills the yeast

1. Mix 1 cup flour with sugar, salt and yeast.
2. Add warm water and oil and mix.
3. Add flour until dough is slightly sticky and knead.
4. Cover and let dough rise for 30 minutes or until double size.
5. Roll, add ingredients and bake at 425F/220C about 20 minutes