For Swedish midsummer, celebrated during the longest day of summer, the afternoon is not complete without a strawberry cake to reward yourself for all the hard work of dancing and singing. Serve this cake directly after your midsummer lunch, or take a break and come back to your cake after a dance around the maypole!

Ingredients Cake:

• Butter, for pan
• Flour, for pan
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups cake all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs (2 whole, 3 separated), room temperature (use three whole eggs for altitude)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredients Filling:

• 1 egg yolk, pasteurized if salmonella is an issue in your area
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 8 ounces fresh strawberries, washed, dried, hulled, and thinly sliced

Whipped cream filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• 2 cups whipping cream

To Serve

• 8 ounces fresh strawberries, washed, dried, stemmed, and halved
• Sprig of fresh mint

Directions for the cake:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 325°.
2. Grease a 9-inch springform pan’
3. Line with parchment paper’
4. Grease parchment’
5. Flour pan.
6. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the sugar.
7. Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar together in a large bowl.
8. Add the 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks (reserving whites), melted butter, water, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. (For altitude, add a third whole egg)
9. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the remaining 3 egg whites on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute.
10. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute.
11. Gradually add reserved 3 tablespoons sugar and whip until glossy, soft peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
12. Stir 1/3 of the whites into batter to lighten; then gently fold the remaining whites into the batter until no white streaks remain.
13. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
14. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking.
15. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
16. Remove the cake from the pan.
17. Discard parchment.
18. Let cool completely on rack, about 2 hours.

Directions for the filling:

1. Whisk the egg yolk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until thick and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Using a hand mixer, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
3. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg and sugar mixture.

Directions for the whipped cream frosting:

1. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
2. Reduce the speed to low and add the heavy cream in a slow, steady stream.
3. When almost fully combined, increase speed to medium-high and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks, 2 to 21/2 minutes more, scraping bowl as needed.

To assemble and serve:

1. Using a large serrated knife, cut the cake in half horizontally.
2. Place the bottom layer on a serving platter or cardboard round.
3. Spread the filling over the bottom layer.
4. Crush the sliced strawberries lightly with a spatula and place them on top of the filling.
5. Place the second cake layer on top.
6. Using an offset spatula, spread a layer of the frosting on the top of the cake.
7. Transfer the remaining frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a star nozzle.
8. Pipe carefully around the edge of the cake in an up-and-down motion until the sides are completely covered. If you do not own a pastry bag, simply spread the frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.
9. Decorate the top of the cake with the halved strawberries and a sprig of mint. Refrigerate for several hours. Cut into slices and serve.

Serves: 10 to 12

Source:  DIS Study Abroad in Scandinavia courtesy of James Hill