Icelandic cooking, recipes and food (2024)

April 18, 2014

Click to enlarge This used to be my brother's favourite cake, but is now in second place after a confection called a Dream Cake. Here is the recipe: The way my mother makes this cake is actually a marriage of two recipes: for a sponge cake and for something called a Sunshine Cake with caramel topping . The caramel topping from the Sunshine Cake goes on top of the sponge cake. The caramel in the recipe is enough for one sponge base, baked in a 24 cm flan tin, the type that has a raised centre and a deeper trench along the rim ( like this ), so that when the cake is turned out top-to-bottom there will be a raised rim along the edge. Since the two recipes weren‘t made to be used together there may be a bit of sponge batter left over when you have poured it out, depending on how deep the tin is. If you are using the recipe below and a shallow tin, I therefore recommend using small eggs and short measures of flour and sugar. (You can, of course, just use your own preferred spon

Read more

April 13, 2011

My friends call this cake "that heavenly date cake with the caramel sauce". It is apparently an old recipe, but someone must have rediscovered it recently, because it has been served a lot at birthday parties and ladies' handicrafts clubs lately. I haven't got a clue where the recipe originally came from, but in Iceland it's known either as döðluterta með karamellusósu , which simply describes what it is, or as Dillonskaka or Dillon's Cake , which could suggests Irish or British origins. However, it might, and this is supported by information from some older ladies I know, be named after Lord Dillon, a British aristocrat who came to Iceland in 1834, fell in love with a local woman and built a house that he gave her before he left the country. It was a famous scandal at the time, as they had a child out of wedlock and were prevented from marrying by his family. She ran a guest house in the house he gave her and sold meals there for many years. Today the ho

Read more

February 09, 2011

This is a big recipe, enough for 6 cookie sheets. You can use it to make 1 1/2 cake or a six-layer cake. It is hard to make it smaller and still retain the correct thickness of the dough. Ingredients: 11/2 kg flour 900 g brown sugar 6 tsp baking soda 9 tsp ground cloves 10 tsp ground cinnamon 8 tsp ginger 900 g butter or margarine 6-7 eggs Buttercream: 600 g butter, softened 900 g icing sugar 2 egg yolks 2-3 tsp vanilla essence Rhubarb jam Instructions: Mix together all the dry ingredients on a clean, dry table and crumble the cold butter/margarine into it until well mixed. (Use your hands to squish it in, or use a pastry cutter). Make a mound of the mixture and make a hole in the centre of it. Add the eggs and syrup and knead until well mixed. (This does not as much kneading as bread, only just enough to get everything well mixed). Divide the dough into six parts. Dust each with flour and roll out into even-sized portions onto well greased cookie sheets. Bake

Read more

February 08, 2011

Brúnkaka" simply means "brown cake" in Icelandic, and the alternative name, "brúnterta" means the same, although "terta" comes from the same root as the English word for "tart". In Icelandic "terta" is a fancier alternative to calling a cake "kaka". Unlike the "Lísu brúnterta " recipe that I once posted, this one gets its colour not from cocoa powder, but from syrup or brown sugar and spices. I am posting two recipes, one today with syrup and one tomorrow with brown sugar, as some people may not have access to golden syrup. My grandmother makes these year round, but this Christmas season I discovered that for two of my friends, this cake is closely linked with Christmas from them. Here is the syrup version: Ingredients: 1 kg flour 500 g white sugar 5 tsp baking soda 3 tsp baking powder 1tsp ground cloves 5 tsp ground cinnamon 900 g butter or margarine 500 g golden syrup (Lyle's is the brand

Read more

November 10, 2010

Once upon a time I promised to publish more recipes for fancy cream cakes, and here is one that’s a favourite with both young and old. The name, Guðdómlegt gums means Heavenly Mess . 4 egg whites 200 g sugar Whip together until the sugar is mostly melted. 1/2 cup salted peanuts 1/2 cup chopped dates 100 g dark chocolate chips 1/2 tsp baking powder Fold carefully into the egg-sugar mixture. Bake in 2 round baking tins with detachable bottoms, at 150°C for 1 hour. Cool. Whip 1/2 litre of cream until stiff. Fold in some quartered strawberries, 1 mashed banana, a handful of salted peanuts and a handful of chocolate-covered raisins. Put between the 2 layers. Decorate with whipped cream, strawberries, salted peanuts and chocolate-covered raisins. The other recipe

Read more

January 24, 2010

This is a nice cake that appeals to kids. The buns can also be baked and served separately. 25 g cake yeast OR 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast 100 ml milk, skimmed milk or water 400 ml flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 30 g butter or margarine, soft 1 small egg (or 1/2 a big one) Filling: 1 tbs butter 2 tbs sugar 50 ml raisins or 1 tsp ground cinnamon Icing: 4 tbs confectioner's (icing) sugar 1/2 tsp cocoa powder (optional) 2 tsp boiling water Heat the milk to 37°C and dissolve the yeast in it. Mix the flour, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Crumble in the butter. Add the egg and milk, mix well and knead well. Set dough aside to rise for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile you can prepare the rest of the ingredients. Punch down the dough and knead again. Roll out into a rectangular shape, about 20x30 cm. Spread with soft butter and sprinkle over the sugar and raisins or cinnamon. Roll up into a sausage shape and cut into 10-12 slices. To make a cake, arrange the slices into a buttered cake pan so that the

Read more

April 14, 2009

Here is the first of the modern skyr recipes. Note on the measurements: I have rounded all the ounces to the nearest whole number. It does not make any difference for the recipe. Mousse : 500 g / 18 oz. plain skyr 75 g / 3 oz. sugar 200 ml / 7 oz. cream 3 sheets gelatin 1 vanilla pod 50 ml / 2 oz. cream Split the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Reserve the seeds and discard the pod (or reserve for making something else). Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5-10 minutes and lightly whip the large portion of cream. Mix together the skyr, sugar and vanilla seeds. Heat the small portion of cream, and cool slightly. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin and dissolve in the heated cream. Mix carefully into the skyr mixture and then fold in the whipped cream. Pour into small mousse forms or individual serving bowls and freeze. Serve with fresh fruit and fruit sauce. Here is a strawberry sauce that’s good with skyr mousse: 150 g / 5 oz. fresh strawberries 50 g / 2 oz. s

Read more

March 08, 2009

This cake is simply called "Batter cake", which is certainly descriptive, but not very poetic. It is an excellent base for a cream cake - in which case forget the jam and use canned fruit instead and pour a little of the juice into both layers, pipe on whipped cream to cover the cake and decorate with fresh fruit. 1/3 cup butter or margarine, soft 1/2 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp. vanilla essence (this is my addition to the original recipe, as I think that without it the cake tastes eggy) Separate the eggs. Whip together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the egg yolks and mix well (and add the vanilla if using). Mix together flour and baking powder and add to the batter little by little. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter with a spatula. Pour into 2 round 20 centimeter/8 inch baking pans with loose bottoms and bake at 175°C/350°F (regular oven) until the cakes area rich golden colour, if possibl

Read more

September 21, 2007

I got this recipe from my aunt several years ago and make it often. It has a delicious, rich flavour and is great with lots of butter. This is a big recipe, so I usually reduce it by half. I imagine it could be iced with cream cheese icing like a carrot cake, but I like it too much as it is to try that. 850 g (30 oz) flour 850 g (30 oz) dark brown sugar (this can safely be reduced to 700 g (25 oz)) 2 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp cinnamon, ground 1 tbs ginger, ground 1 tbs cloves, ground 1 tbs nutmeg, ground 660 ml (22 fl.oz) sweet brown ale (Egils Malt if you can get it) Mix all the dry ingredients well together and then mix in the ale. Pour into an oven pan or loaf pans and bake at 175°C (350°F) for about an hour. Very good with or without butter.

Read more

March 19, 2007

All kinds of scrumptuous, decorated cakes with fruit, cream and/or sweet icing are very popular in Iceland, and there are plenty of recipes to choose from. Most are based on some kind of sponge cake, or are made with meringue. They are often jokingly called Stríðstertur (Battle Cakes). Hnallþórur is another joke name for these cakes - derived from a character in one of Halldór Laxness' books, a woman who loved to make and serve these kinds of cake. These creations are as beautiful and tempting to behold as they are delicious and fattening! Layer 1: 4 egg whites 1 cup sugar 2 cups desiccated coconut or Rice Crispies 100 g dark chocolate Beat together egg whites and sugar until stiff and peaks form. Chop or finely grate the chocolate and fold in along with coconut/Rice Crispies. Pour into a greased, round cake pan (use one with a loose bottom). Bake at 150°C for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. Layer 2: 4 eggs 100 g sugar 50 g flour 50 g potato flour Whip the egg

Read more

December 08, 2006

This is a lovely cheesecake, rich and smooth. It is commercially available in Iceland. I just love it, and I'm grateful for The Icelandic Dairy Produce Marketing Association for providing the recipe for the public. The cake is relatively cheap when you buy it ready-made, but I think making it yourself adds to the enjoyment of eating it. While this is not a Christmas recipe per se, it is so time consuming that I would only ever make it for special occasions like Christmas or a special birthday party. Serves 10-12 (or 6-8, depending on how much self-control you have :-) 1 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs 5 tbs sugar 5 tbs butter, soft 90 g lemon flavoured gelatine 1 cup boiling water 500 g cream cheese, unflavoured, softened at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla essence 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup cream, whipped (measure before you whip) 1 can (480 g) mandarin orange sections 1/2 cup juice from mandarin oranges 2 tbs lemon juice 2 tsp unflavoured gelatine powder OR 2 sheets unflavoured gelatine Mi

Read more

October 06, 2006

Frú Hnallþóra: So delicious! Originally uploaded by Netla . A friend of mine made this cake for her son's birthday party in August. Here's the recipe: Chocolate-date cake with strawberries The most common way of serving this kind of cake is with bananas, but since the photo is of one with strawberries, I am putting strawberries into the recipe instead. 4 eggs 150 g sugar 50 g flour 1 tsp baking powder 100 g dark (semi-sweet is best) chocolate 100 g dates Whip together eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sifted flour and baking powder by the spoonful until fully mixed. Chop chocolate and dated (raisin-sized pieces are good) and fold into batter. Line two round baking tins (approx. 22 cm in diameter) with baking paper and put in the dough. Level dough with a spatula. Bake at 180°C on the middle rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until firm when poked gently with a finger. Filling and decoration: 1 small or medium box fresh strawberries (depending on how much decoratin

Read more

July 26, 2006

An old family favourite, and the first cake I learned to make - in fact I know the recipe by heart. This is a very versatile recipe. The recipe can also be used to make an apple-cake, spice cake, or a batch of muffins. 3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 2 tsp baking powder 3 tbs dark cocoa, or more, to taste 150 g margarine, melted 2 eggs 1-1 1/2 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla essence Mix the dry ingredients well together in a bowl. Add the eggs and milk and then the melted margarine and mix well. Although this batter is supposed to be just mixed, I prefer to whip it slightly - it makes the cake wonderfully light and fluffy. Pour into a greased oven-pan (a deep, square one), and bake at 175° C for about 30 minutes in the middle of the oven. The cake is done when it feels firm when you press gently on it with your hand. Allow to cool and spread with cocoa icing. Varieties: -Leave out the cocoa, and make a white cake. Spread with cocoa icing when cool. - Cinnamon cake: Make a white batter a

Read more

July 24, 2006

This is one of the cakes my mother always makes for holidays like Christmas and Easter, and for birthdays and other special occasions. 500 g flour 350 g sugar 250 g margarine or butter 2 eggs 3 tsp ground cloves 3 tsp cinnamon 2 tsp baking soda 2 tbs dark cocoa as needed milk Cream together the sugar and softened margarine or butter. Mix in the eggs. Sift the flour with the spices, baking soda and cocoa. Add to the margarine mix, one tablespoonful at a time. Alternate with splashes of milk, and mix well in between (batter should be medium thick). Pour into cake tins and bake at 190°C until firm. Cool. My mother makes these cakes about as thick as her thumb, and uses three layers of cake and two layers of vanilla butter icing . Tastes great with whipped cream. Freezes well.

Read more

July 24, 2006

Devil's Cake with cocoa icing. This devilishly good chocolate cake is very popular all over Iceland, and you can buy a slice in most cafes and bakeries, although they are usually covered with buttercream icing and sprinkled with dessicated coconut. I like it best when it has been frozen and thawed before glazing, because the cake will then be nicely moist. Ingredients: 1 3/4 cup flour 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 tsp salt 2/3 cup milk 1 tsp baking soda 2 eggs or 1 egg and egg 2 yolks (if you're making Angel's créme icing) 1/2 cup dark cocoa * (or more, if you prefer your cake really dark and chocolatey. Proper Devil's cake should be almost black in colour) 100 g margarine/butter (soft) 1 tsp vanilla essence Mix together the dry ingredients. Add milk and mix well. Add eggs, soft margarine/butter and vanilla essence and mix well. Pour into two cake pans and bake at 175° Celsius until firm (usually 25-30 minutes). Remove gently from pans and cool.

Read more

July 21, 2006

Since I am about to start posting some cakes and cookies that require butter icing, here is the recipe for this excellent substance. 125 g sweet butter or margarine 125-200 g icing sugar 1 egg yolk to taste: flavouring (see notes) 1 tbs cream (optional) few drops food colouring (optional) a pinch of salt (leave out if you're using salted butter) Soften the butter at room temperature, or put in the microwave for a few seconds. Whip together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Adjust amount of sugar according to how sweet you want the icing. Add the egg yolk and flavouring, and cream, if using (will make the icing smoother). Frost the cake and enjoy. Notes : Vanilla essence is the usual flavouring for white icing, but many other flavours are excellent. Rum, sherry, amaretto/almond and hazelnut are good flavours for many kinds of cake. Fruit, berry and flower flavours, such as orange, lemon, strawberry, cherry, peppermint or rosewater, are good with vanilla-flavoured cakes.

Read more

July 21, 2006

I don’t know where the name for this yummy cake originates, but I think it’s a good one. I learned to make it in home economics class when I was in elementary school. 200 ml Oatmeal 100 ml Whole wheat flour 100 ml Flour 100 ml Brown sugar, well packed 1/4 tsp Baking soda (optional) 100 g Butter/margarine, semi-soft 1 Egg As needed: Rhubarb jam or stewed prunes (go to he bottom of the page) Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add the butter/margarine and mix well with your hands. Add the egg and mix well. Press the dough into a round baking tin, saving some (a small handful or so) for the topping. Spread with the jam and crumble the rest of the dough over the cake. You can also use the leftover dough to make a pie lattice for the cake (reserve more dough for that)). Bake at 200°C for approx 20 min. or until the cake takes on a dark, golden color. Delicious hot or cold.

Read more

July 20, 2006

Probably not Icelandic in origin, but we have certainly made it our own. Although we call it Christmas Cake, we actually enjoy it all through the year. My mother usually bakes up a big batch of these cakes in one go. They freeze well, and are always popular with guests. This versatile recipe is also good for making tea buns, and, with minor changes, Marble Cake, Lemon Cake, Sand Cake, Fruitcake and Spice Cake. Christmas cake is traditionally made with raisins, but as neither I or my mother like raisins in cakes, we usually substitute them with chocolate chips. Ingredients: 150 g margarine, soft 150 g sugar 1 egg 250 g flour 2 tsp baking powder 150 ml milk 100 ml raisins or chocolate chips or 50/50 of both (optional) 1/2 tsp lemon, cardamom or vanilla essence Margarine, milk and eggs should all be at room temperature. Beat together sugar and margarine until it takes on a pale, almost white, colour. Add the egg and continue beating until light and fluffy looking. Add flavour

Read more

July 19, 2006

Coconut drops These little drop cookies are more like sweets that cookies, especially if you dip them in melted chocolate. This recipe makes about 20-25 cookies. 2 eggs 150 g sugar 225 g desiccated coconut Whip together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Fold in the desiccated coconut. Drop by the teaspoonful on a greased cookie sheet, and bake at 200°C until light golden brown (approx 10-12 minutes). Serve as is, or dip the bottom half of cooled cookies in melted chocolate. Coconut cake This cake is delicious by itself (especially when made with chocolate chips), or you can layer it with jam/jelly and decorate with whipped cream. 200 g margarine or butter 200 g sugar 2 eggs 200 g flour 180 g dessicated coconut 1 tsp baking powder chocolate chips to taste (optional) Beat together softened margarine and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one by one and mix well. Mix together flour, coconut and baking powder, and chocolate chips (if using). Add to sugar-egg-margarine m

Read more

July 18, 2006

A chocolate version of the delicious snake cake. Plain version 3 eggs 125 g sugar 50 g potato starch or cornflour 2 tbs dark cocoa 1 tsp baking powder Cream together the eggs and sugar. Add the dry ingredients (sift them first) and mix carefully. Bake like the other snake cake. When done, turn over onto a sheet of baking paper sprinkled with sugar. Roll up with the paper to store. When you want to serve the cake, gently unroll and smear one side with fruit jam, and top with whipped cream (about 150 ml is suitable). Slice and serve. Variations: -Instead of cream and jam, use vanilla buttercream or cream with mashed fruit. Banana is especially good. -Smooth half-frozen ice-cream custard on the cake, roll up and freeze before serving. Recipe taken from Helga Sigurðardóttir's "Matur & Drykkur", Mál og Menning, Reykjavík, 1986 (1947).

Read more