Creamy chocolate filling gilds Swedish Pastry Cake

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Creamy chocolate filling gilds Swedish Pastry Cake

Thursday, May 03, 2001

What is Swedish Pastry Cake? Swedish pastry cake is a vanilla sponge cake (or chiffon cake) filled with a creamy chocolate filling. We're not sure of its origin or the name, but we are sure that it's delicious.

We became aware of this recipe because Lucy Perrino of Mt. Lebanon had trouble with the filling. According to Lucy, "The cake is never a problem, but the icing becomes runny every time I make this recipe."

Lucy made sure she used the correct quantities, plus she tried suggestions from friends on how to correct this problem, but the problem remained. Lucy sent Kitchen Mailbox the recipe with the hope that Kitchen Mailbox or the PG readers would have some suggestions. Carol Baker Booth of Ross offered this solution.

The recipe calls for 21/3 cups milk. Carol suggested we reduce the milk to 2 cups. We took her advice and it worked. The filling turned out thick enough to spread on the cake and it didn't run. But be aware that it may take a while for the filling to thicken, so be patient.

The cake itself is a little dull (it turned out a bit denser than we had expected). But once it was combined with the creamy chocolate filling, we knew we had a winner.

A slice of this cake will brighten your day -- especially with a scoop of ice cream.

Swedish Pastry Cake

For the sponge (chiffon) cake: 5 eggs 21/2 cups sugar 11/4 cups scalded milk 1 tablespoon mar garine or butter, at room temperature 21/2 cups cake flour 21/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 11/2 cup nuts (we used walnuts)

Filling: 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 1/4 cup cocoa 2 cups milk 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the cake: Beat eggs until thick, then add sugar slowly. Combine milk and margarine and add to the eggs and sugar. Fold in flour, baking powder and salt. Add vanilla. Pour into two lightly greased 9-inch-round baking pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until tested done. Cool 1 hour -- remove from pans. Split the layers. Spread chilled filling between the layers and on the top and sides. Cover with nuts.

For the filling: Combine the sugar, flour and cocoa. Add the milk gradually, stirring until smooth. Cook and stir until very thick (this takes a while, about 10 minutes). Set aside to cool to room temperature. Blend softened butter and powdered sugar. Fold in chocolate mixture gradually. Add vanilla. Chill for about 2 hours.

Letter

Anna R. Chalmers of Allison Park wrote to Kitchen Mailbox hoping someone would have an e-mail and mailing address for the U.S.A. Dry Pea & Lentil Council.

Here are the addresses sent in by Winnie Lee from Hawaii: U.S.A. Dry Pea & Lentil Council, 2780 W. Pullman Road, Moscow, IN 83843-4024, or www.pea-lentil.com.

Requests

When Joanna Brook of Seattle, lived in Pittsburgh, she discovered Prantl's Bakery's burnt almond torte. Joanna writes: "I haven't been able to find anything close out here. Is it wishful thinking to ask if Prantl's would give out their recipe? If you can find anything close I'd be indebted."

A request from Jill Baer of McMurray: "My family loved the homemade salsa at the original Hotlicks restaurants in Shadyside and the Galleria. It was brought to the table free of charge like they do at Chi-Chi's. Could you possibly track down the recipe?"

If you want to answer a recipe request from a reader or are looking for a recipe yourself, please write to Kitchen Mailbox, c/o Arlene Burnett, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh 15222, or e-mail to aburnett@post-gazette.com. Please include a name, neighborhood and a daytime phone number on all correspondence.