Clarissa’s making a classic Swedish dish: a sandwich cake that’s as impressive as it is delicious. Rye bread is layered with three different fillings: smoked salmon and cream cheese, avocado and cucumber, and boiled egg and mayonnaise. This dish is colourful and filled with fresh flavours – perfect for spring!

Cook’s tips

You can make this sandwich cake the day before and keep it refrigerated.
Process the unused bread crusts to make breadcrumbs and freeze for later use.

Ingredients

16 slices square light or dark rye bread (wholemeal or white can be used), crusts removed

40g butter, softened

250g full-fat cream cheese, softened

125g crème fraîche

Pea shoots, edible flowers, chives, sliced radish, baby cucumbers and micro herbs, to garnis

Layer 1: Smoked salmon filling

85g smoked salmon, finely chopped

60g cream cheese, softened

60g crème fraîche

Zest of 1/4 lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon capers, chopped

2 teaspoons chopped dill

Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season

Layer 2: Avocado filling

2 ripe avocados, mashed

1 lebanese cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

Layer 3: Egg filling

3 boiled eggs, chopped or mashed

1/4 small red onion, very finely chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 1/2 tablespoons crème fraîche

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Method

Step 1

Combine ingredients for each of the fillings in three separate bowls.

Step 2

Take eight slices of bread and spread with butter on one side. These will be the base and top of the cake. For the remaining slices of bread, spread with butter on both sides.

Step 3

Spread four of the base slices with smoked salmon filling. This will be layer 1.

Step 4

Top each base with a slice of bread buttered on both sides. Spread with avocado filling. This will be layer 2. Repeat with another slice of bread buttered on both sides and the egg filling. This will be layer 3. Top with the four bread tops (that were buttered on one side). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until cold.

Step 5

Assemble chilled stacks on a serving platter to form a cake. Refrigerate until cold.

Step 6

Combine cream cheese and crème fraîche in a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Trim the edges of the cake so it’s even. Using a palette knife, spread cream cheese mixture over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with vegetables, herbs and flowers.

swedish sandwich cake with edible flowers and ribbons on cucumber on top of cream cheese 'icing'. layers inside include rye bread, smoked salmon, egg salad and cucumber — (Photography: Con Poulos, Styling: Lucy Busuttil)

Clarissa Feildel Chef

As an accomplished cook, author and television presenter Clarissa Feildel has always had food at the heart of everything she does. Clarissa’s Nyonya/Chinese and Sri Lankan background has given her a melting pot of dishes in her repertoire, which she uses every day when feeding her family.