Gatherings ~

I get so excited when I find something that I just love.  I get a feeling inside me when I read and look at the pictures too.  It's the beauty in "eye candy" that makes me all happy inside.  Here is an on line magazine that is free to look at and read.  http://www.heatherspriggs.com/gatherings-magazine/

Refresh your palette and start the New Year with the inagural White Issue of Gatherings Magazine! Indulge your senses with an inspired creative living publication featuring articles on crafts, food, interiors, style, and vintage collecting. Gatherings offers a collection of ideas for home and heart.  Click on the link above and you will go to the site and can look at and read the entire magazine. ~

Swedish Sandwich Cake

Smörgåstårta `(in Swedish) ("sandwich cake") is a Scandinavian cuisine dish that is popular in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. This salty cake is compositionally similar to a sandwich, but it has such a large amount of filling that it more resembles a layered cream cake with garnished top.

The smörgåstårta is normally made up of several layers of white or light rye bread with creamy fillings in between. The fillings and toppings vary, but egg and mayonnaise are often the base, additional filling may vary greatly but often includes one or more of the following: liver pate, olives, shrimp, ham, various cold cuts, caviar, tomato, cucumber, cheese and smoked salmon.  It seems to stay together well when slicing.

Smörgåstårta is served cold and sliced like a dessert cake. e types of sandwich cakes vary from meat, fish, combinations of cheeses and meats to vegan. The smörrebröd top decor often reflects the ingredients used as a filling. Voileipäkakku (in Finnish) is part of family gathering dishes from birthday parties, weddings or funerals in Finland.

The Swedish savoury sandwich cake (smörgåstårta) is very common at parties and celebrations. Especially since it’s beautiful and tastes best if it’s prepared one day in advance and then decorated on the serving day. The layered cake is very rich with fillings stuffed with goodies of your choice spread on crustless toast bread. The bottom consists of crustless toast bread. The first filling consists of mayonnaise, crème fraîche, asparagus, boiled eggs and tuna. Then there’s crustless toast bread again. The second filling consists of mayonnaise, asparagus, boiled eggs, mushrooms and shrimps. Then there’s crustless toast bread again. Finally there’s the decoration with cucumber, roe, cray fish tails, shrimps, mayonnaise and salad. Delicious!

The start of a Swedish Sandwich Cake

Such a beautiful presentation and color on this one

A Vegetable Sandwich Cake

You can find the recipe for this beautiful one at: http://annesfood.blogspot.com/2007/05/swedish-sandwich-cake-by-lena.html

Here are a few more pictures of Swedish Sandwich Cakes.  I found these images without recipes.  If you use the basics there are endless possibilities to make some beautiful, tasty Swedish Sandwich Cakes.