Deep fried cakes

Before cast iron stoves entered Danish homes in the 1830s, baked cakes were a special luxury. In households without a stove, cakes cooked in fat were almost the only way to add something sweet to the Christmas table. Traditional Danish christmas treats - still very popular today - were either cooked in fat or baked at the open hearth.

Deep fried cakes

"Smolt“ is an old Danish word meaning melted fat. These deep fried cakes give you a good idea of how Christmas cakes tasted before the stove became common. You can, however, adjust the flavour with modern ingredients such as vanilla and lemon zest, and you may choose to dust them with icing sugar.

Procedure

Mix the three types of flour with salt, nuts and berries. Add the milk and stir well. Add honey and eggs. Whisk the batter until it has the consistency of thick porridge. Adjust if needed with a little more flour or milk.

Melt and heat the fat in a pot.

Using two spoons, carefully drop portions of batter of about one to two tablespoons into the hot lard. Leave plenty of space between them, so do not cook too many at once. Cook the deep fried cakes for about 10 minutes, turning them during cooking so they become crisp and golden.

Serve with honey.

Ingredients

4 persons
  • 75 g barley flour
  • 75 g rye flour
  • 90 g wheat flour
  • 0,5 tsp Salt
  • 60 g hazelnuts, finely chopped
  • 120 g dried cranberries or rose hips, finely chopped
  • 500 ml milk
  • 2 tbsp Honey
  • 2 large or 3 small eggs
  • Lard or vegetable fat
You might also like Elderflower cakes. Go to the recipe here