Sandwich Cake

Whilst still practicing to get this whole Blog thing underhand, I can say that I am at least pretty sure I can mean cake….. and this time around it is the story of the Sandwich cake.

And everytime I start with a blog post about cake I want to sing “It’s all about the cake, yes the cake, yes the cake….”. Arghhh, song stuck in my head again!!

I was planning a tea party last year and realised that I had more than enough sweet on my menu and was determined to do “something else” as the centre piece cake. My fabulous mother put me onto the idea of making a savoury instead of a sweet cake after she made a similar cake for a friend for her birthday. In South Africa our cakes are always “sweet” so this was going to be VERY different if I could pull it off.

I started researching Sandwich cakes and came across what the Swedish call Smörgåstårta (Sandwich cake). They are made in every form and shape with a variety of fillings.  After reading through most of the recipes, I realised that this was a definite “PIK ME – I also want to try it” moment!!

I mostly found fish and a variety of vegetables used in between the layers and settled on the following for mine – salmon/trout mousse, mustard sauce, salmon, cucumber for in between the layers and cream cheese, cucumber, egg, shrimp and salmon for the decorating.

I KNOW, this sounds like a very weird combination…..but you just have to try it, it rocks! I had two little helpers on the day that I was making it and they were licking out the bowls and even had a slice or two when the cake was done!

I was also rather taken by the cakes that looked like a pretty rounded birthday cake and so my mission started as I needed to find the perfect bread, which could be baked in a round cake tin. And voila, I found this wonderful recipe that has since never flopped on me ……BREAD

You will need the following:
Bread
Salmon/Trout mousse
Mustard Sauce
Other fillings
Garnishing

Salmon/ Trout mousse
400 g (14.1 oz) smoked smoked salmon/trout pieces
100 ml (scant 1⁄2 cup) mayonnaise
100 ml (scant 1⁄2 cup) heavy cream
Mix all the ingredients together and chill in the fridge

Cream cheese mixture
300 g (10 1⁄2 oz.) cream cheese, softened
300 ml (1 1⁄4 cups) sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix together the cream cheese and sour cream. Season with salt and  pepper. Set aside.

Mustard Sauce
1 1⁄2 tbsp. Mild mustard
1 1⁄2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, at room temperature
2 ml sugar
100 ml (scant 1⁄2 cup) cooking oil
Salt to taste
Make sure that the ingredients for the mustard sauce are at room temperature, otherwise it will split. Mix sugar and mustard and drizzle in oil. Season with salt. Store in the fridge.

Other fillings
400 g (14.1 oz.) cold-smoked salmon
Lettuce

Garnishing
Salmon (left over from what you didn’t use in the cake)
Cooked shrimp
2 boiled eggs
A couple of radishes, sliced, to garnish
Parsley

ASSEMBLY:
NO 1
Bake the bread as per my bread recipe

I found it best to bake the bread the day before and assemble the cake the next morning. Keep the bread in an air tight container overnight.

NO 2
Cut the bread into 3 even piece horizontally.

NO 3
Cover the bottom layer with the Salmon/Trout Mousse and cucumber if you wish. Place the middle section of bread on this layer.

NO 4
Layer the Salmon on the next layer of bread, followed by the mustard sauce. I would suggest that you don’t pour all the mustard on at once, but use as per taste as it can be very overpowering. Next place the shredded lettuce on.

NO 5
Close up with the top of the bread. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the tops and sides of the cake. Then garnish. Refrigerate before eating.

Notes:

• You can use butter on the bread between your layers. Make sure it is nice and soft so that it doesn’t break the bread when you spreading it.
• You can choose your own savoury filling, be adventurous
• Use a good bread knife to cut the pieces
• Invite me for a piece

I need to make this cake again!! Tea anyone???