LINGONBERRY JAM CAKE
SOURCE: BEATRICE OJAKANGAS. SCANDINAVIAN FEASTS: CELEBRATING TRADITIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
Despite a 2020 scientific study revealing its phytochemical-expressing genes being similar to bilberries, the taste of red lingonberry fruits leans more heavily on cranberries in tartness compared to its Vaccinium relatives, albeit with a slightly sweeter edge than the former. For this reason, whatever culinary use that cranberries bear for the dining table also applies to lingonberries. Whether wild or cultivated, fresh lingonberries are difficult and expensive to come by especially in countries not covered by acidic soils of the Arctic tundra, subarctic taigas, and similar terroirs of the Northern Hemisphere. The closest way to avail of lingonberries is to purchase them from Scandinavian specialty stores, where they are sold as fruit preserves. These jams can withstand months of storage in room temperature sans additional preservatives due to their abundant levels of endogenous benzoic acid and pectin. In this spiced cake recipe, the lingonberry preserve is mixed with an equal volume of sour cream to intensify the tangy taste of the entire baked loaf and, thus, complement every cup of coffee.
Ingredients
4 ounces/120 grams unsalted butter
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup/200 grams sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon/2 grams freshly ground green cardamom seeds
1/2 teaspoon/1 gram ground cinnamon, preferably Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon/1 gram ground ginger
1 teaspoon/4 grams baking powder, preferably double acting
1/4 teaspoon/1 grams baking soda
1/4 teaspoon/1 gram salt
1/2 cup/120 mL sour cream
1/2 cup/120 grams lingonberry jam
Specific Equipment
3 mixing bowls
Stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment
Wire whisk
9-inch/23-cm × 5-inch/13-cm loaf pan, greased and dusted with butter and flour, respectively
OPTIONAL: Wooden skewer, testing needle, OR toothpick
Cooling rack
Serves 6 to 8
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl together using the stand mixer equipped with a paddle attachment until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Beat in the eggs gradually until well-blended.
3. Stir the flour, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate mixing bowl with a wire whisk until well-blended.
4. Combine the sour cream and lingonberry jam in another mixing bowl using the same wire whisk until smooth and well-blended.
5. Blend the dry ingredients and sour cream-jam mixture slowly into the butter mixture, continuously mixing everything until the batter reaches a smooth consistency.
6. Pour the cake batter into the loaf pan and bake inside the oven for 55 to 60 minutes or until the skewer, needle or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes. Unmold the cake over a rack to cool completely. Wrap and refrigerate, if desired. The cake slices more easily on the day after baking.
