Deep fried cakes

Before the introduction of the cast iron range in DK in the 1830s, baked cakes and biscuits were a rare luxury. In households without a range, deep fried cakes or small cakes baked by the open fire were pretty much the only chance of something sweet.

'Smolt' is an old Danish word for 'meltet fat', and these 'smolt'-cakes give you an idea of how the Yule cakes tasted in the days before the cast iron range. Know that you can give them a more contemporary twist by adding a few modern spices like vanilla or lemon zest and even serve them with icing sugar.

Procedure

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

Melt and heat the fat in a cooking pot.

Use two spoons and carefully drop 1-2 tbsp-sized portions of batter into the hot lard. There must be some distance between the cakes, so make only a few at a time. Turn the cakes during cooking. They need about 10 min. to 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 hip berries, finely chopped
  • 500 ml milk
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 large or 3 small eggs
  • Lard (or vegetable fat)

Give your cakes a twist by adding e.g. modern day vanilla or lemon zest. Serve with icing sugar.