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Ostkaka, ("ost" meaning "cheese" and "kaka" meaning "cake" in
Swedish) also known as Swedish cheesecake or Swedish curd cake, is a Swedish
dessert that has its roots in two different parts of Sweden, Hälsingland and
Småland. |
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Left: Ostkaka. |
The dish is usually eaten warm or lukewarm with different
jams and whipped cream, or with fruits or ice cream, and has a gentle taste of
bitter almond.
Ostkaka is traditionally produced by adding rennet to milk and letting the
casein coagulate. Cream, sugar, eggs, almonds and bitter almonds are added to
create a batter. It is then baked in an oven and
served warm - never hot, as this will nullify the rather delicate flavour.
Traditionally the Småland variety is cooked in a large copper pot. This gives
rise to a tradition of allowing guests to take their portions from the centre of
the Ostkaka, thereby avoiding any traces of copper that may have leaked into the
mixture where it is in contact with the pot.
Since the process of curding milk is somewhat complicated, alternative recipes
intended for home cooking instead use cottage cheese as a base to simulate the
texture of the dessert.
