25 January, 2018
Fika
I have recently become obsessed with all thing Scandinavian….. hygge, Ikea, cinnamon buns, ABBA (actually I’ve always loved ABBA!) but my favourite concept is that of Fika. Fika is a Swedish word that means to meet up for a chat over a coffee and cake. Bliss! Swedes traditionally stop twice a day for Fika and that may be with family, friends or colleagues. At work there may even be dedicated Fika rooms! where employees take time out from the daily hustle and bustle and everything is put on hold whilst they recharge over a hot drink and tasty treat. I think a lot of employers could take note of this! Happy employees are generally better employees and studies have shown significant benefits to business in Sweden as a result of the positive impact of Fika.
Having recently returned from Finnish Lapland, it’s easy to appreciate why Scandinavians turn to coffee and cake, particularly in the long, dark winter months (we experienced about 3 hours of daylight per day and temperatures as low as -22*C). Nordic countries regularly feature near the top of lists of caffeine consumption per capita. When it is so cold and dark outside, they certainly need their caffeine fix! It’s no wonder that they also love their carbohydrates! especially during these long winter months. Nordic bakes generally consist of grains, almonds, spices and seasonal fruit to balance out the sugar. I love all of the warming cake spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and mixed spice so I thought I would investigate Scandinavian baking a little further!
Carrot cake is a perfect bake to Fika with! The combination of carrot with cinnamon and mixed spice is a winner. I recreated a Carrot Cake recipe by Bronte Aurell. Bronte is the Danish author of books including ‘The Scandi Kitchen’, ‘Fika and Hygge’ and ‘North – How To Live Scandinavian’. Along with her Swedish husband Jonas, Bronte runs SkandiKitchen, a Nordic inspired café and grocery shop in London. This carrot cake is always the first to sell out at their café and I’m not at all surprised! Its a beautifully moist cake with the interesting addition of pine nuts and a lime zest cream cheese topping. Delicious!
I also could not resist making a ‘Banana Spice Cake’ from the book ‘Scandilicious Baking’ by Signe Johansen. Signe is a food writer and cook who grew up in Norway and specialises in modern Scandinavian cooking and baking. This is a simple cake to make, especially if you’re looking for a use for over-ripe bananas (recipe to follow on blog). Again the recipe includes plenty of warming spices including cardamom, a spice that I enjoyed so much in the Cardamom Buns I discovered in Lapland.
These are just some ideas of cakes with a Scandinavian twist that you could enjoy with a hot drink as you Fika! However, any cake or sweet treat will do! The important thing about Fika is the idea of slowing down, taking time out, putting everything else on hold and indulging yourself!