Hurray for 17 May!

(Updated 2021) Whether in Norway or abroad, Norway’s Constitution Day (grunnlovsdag) is always a celebration full of lively parades and gatherings. This year, while we can’t celebrate in the usual way, we can still commemorate this day at home with as much cheer as usual. Here, I’ve listed 17 ways to celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day at home.

A little background: Norway became an independent nation in 1814 after the Constitution of Norway was agreed unanimously by the Eidsvoll Assembly on May 16. It was signed and came into force the next day on the 17^th. Celebrations were sporadic, but as Norway was in a union with Sweden all festivities on the day were banned for almost a decade from 1820. It wasn’t until 1833 that celebrations returned with the first official 17 May speech by the poet Henrik Wergeland. In 1870, the first children’s parade took place in Oslo under the initiative of writer Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and continues to this day. All throughout Norway, children’s parades are the center of the day’s celebrations. In Oslo, tens of thousands usually fill the streets to watch the parades and observe the Royal Family waving to all the children as they march past – a tradition since 1906.

17 Ways to Celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day (17 May) at Home

1. Wake up bright and early and get the celebrations going with a salute. Cannons are fired as early as 7:00am in certain places in Norway to salute the day. So, you can either silently reflect on the start of the day or welcome it in with some light banging of pans or whistling (careful though not to disturb your neighbors!).
2. Fly your Norwegian flag(s) and decorate with red, white and blue. Make ribbons, paper flags, banners and the like. Serve foods that reflect the color palette and decorate desserts with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries.
3. Dress your best. It doesn’t matter that you’re at home, put on your best attire or traditional bunad (Norway’s national costume).
4. Pull out the linens and china. You’re not the only thing that needs to dress your best, make sure your table is set and adorned with flags, candles and flowers.
5. Prepare a full breakfast spread. Breakfast becomes a big affair, so go all out. It’s customary to serve a buffet and typically this includes scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, fresh loaves of bread and rolls and an array of other edibles to match, such as cheeses, spreads and cold cuts. Many will also toast with a glass of bubbly.
6. Have your own in-home parade and/or watch earlier ones: The parades are an integral part of the day’s celebrations and usually begin mid-morning. Here’s a video of Oslo’s parade from 2019.
7. Shout “Hipp Hipp Hurra!” It’s the official chant of the day and you’re welcome to shout it as you please.
8. Listen to the drums. Bergen is famous for its buekorps. You can watch clips of them from last year’s parade here. If you have some drums on hand, you might want to join in the fun.
9. Congratulate your friends and family. “Gratulerer med dagen” is the greeting of the day. Spread the greeting via phone, text, email, or social media.
10. Indulge in ice cream. Lots of ice cream! With more time at home, you might want to try making your own like Rømmegrøt Ice Cream, No-Churn Brunost & Raspberry Swirl or Roasted Strawberry and Lemon Ice Cream.
11. Eat pølser “hot dogs”. More hot dogs are consumed on this day in Norway than on any other. Wrap them in lomper (soft potato flatbreads) or place in buns. Don’t forget the ketchup, mustard and sprøstekt løk “fried onions”.
12. Bake a cake or two or three… May is the month of cakes and 17 May is the highlight. They don’t call it kakebordet “the cake table” for nothing. For some recipe inspiration head here.
13. Fill your afternoon full of games. The day is all about having fun, especially for the kids. Games can include sack races, ring toss, limbo, darts, go fishing, and other indoor/outdoor games.
14. Sing along. At 12:00pm (GMT +2) on 17 May, 2021 all of Norway will sing the national anthem and people are encouraged to open windows and sing along from their homes.
15. Watch the Hans Majestet Kongens 3. Gardekkompani (HMKG) perform. They are a renowned military band and drill unit of the Norwegian Armed Forces who participate in parades, ceremonies and international military tattoos. See them perform here.
16. BBQ for dinner. Light up the grill and cook your favorites! A bbq is always a nice way to round off the evening.  
17. Kos deg. After a long, fun-filled day it’s important to kick off your shoes, get cozy and relax as we look forward to the next year’s celebrations.

Although this year is different again, let’s enjoy ourselves as much as possible and ensure the freezer is full of ice cream! I’d love to hear how you are celebrating this year, so write me a note in the comment section below.

*For a listing of the day’s NRK programs for 2021 (in Norsk), see here.

*For a fun upbeat kid’s explanation of the history of 17 mai (in Norsk), check out this video.

The post 17 Ways to Celebrate Norway’s Constitution Day (17 May) at Home appeared first on North Wild Kitchen.

Yay for May! And layer cakes!

With 17 May (syttende mai) soon approaching, there is always a heightened sense of enthusiasm and anticipation in the air. The National Day of Norway – with parades, national costumes, flags, drummers, sausages, games, family and friends – is one of the most special days in Norway. And the cake table is no exception.

When thinking of a dessert to share on this day, it’s simply impossible for me to pick a favorite. Between scrumptious pavlova, fruit adorned layer cakes, towers of kransekake, fluffy sheet cakes, creamy cheesecakes, simple trifles and the famous kvæfjordkake, how can anyone stick to only one? Desserts of all shapes, sizes, tastes textures and stories – a good analogy for the people that make up any great nation.

But alas, the bløtkake has won out. Mainly because it’s one of those cakes that always makes an appearance at any celebration. But also because it tastes amazing and just so happens to be my husband’s favorite.

Bløtkake has a long history. The sponge cake itself is referred to as ‘sukkerbrød’ or sugar bread. The name sukkerbrød, according to the classic, German book Deautshes Wörterbuch, refers to the general term of an old fashioned baked good as well as a bread topped with sugar. It was first introduced in a cookbook written by Helle Schrøders in Denmark in 1692. Here is a link to the earliest recipe to be found in Norwegian/Danish tradition.

This is a classic favorite. Light and fresh with a generous portion of fresh fruits. The great thing about bløtkake is that you can use what you have lying around the house. Pick your favorite berries, slather it with your favorite jam and go with or without custard. And, of course, if serving it on 17 May make sure it has all the colors of the Norwegian flag!

Bløtkake (Norwegian Cream Cake)

(Makes 1 cake)

Ingredients:

Sponge Cake/Sukkerbrød

• 5 eggs
• 175g (3/4 cup) sugar
• 175g (1 1/4 cups) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

Custard

• 2 egg yolks
• 55g (1/4 cup) sugar
• 2 Tb corn starch
• 5 dl (2 cups) whole milk
• ½ vanilla pod or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Whipped Cream

• 650g (3 cups) heavy whipping cream
• 2 1/2 Tb powdered sugar

Other

• Mix of blueberries, strawberries & raspberries (or other fruits/berries of your choice)
• Strawberry Jam
• Milk or juice

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 165°C/325°F. Place a parchment sheet in the bottom of a spring form cake pan so that it fits just right (cutting it into a circular shape and greasing the bottom so it sticks) and grease the sides of the pan and top of the parchment sheet. For this cake, I used a 22cm/9inch pan.

Blend the eggs and sugar together in a kitchen mixer on medium/high speed for 6-8 minutes, until it becomes stiff and light in color. This is really important because you want the sponge cake to rise when it bakes and become airy and light.

Sift the flour and baking powder over the batter and mix gently with a spatula.

Pour the batter into the prepared spring form cake pan and place on top of a cookie sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.

When the cake is done, allow to cool. You can also freeze the cake for future use.

Begin making the custard by whisking together the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Add the cornstarch and blend until the mixture is pale yellow and thick.

Place the whole milk in a saucepan and add the vanilla beans by scraping them from the pod and discarding the pod afterwards. Warm the milk just before it begins to boil, without letting it boil. Take it off the heat.

Steadily and slowly, add the milk to the bowl with the sugar mixture, whisking constantly to avoid any curdling of the eggs. When you have mixed everything together, pour it back into the saucepan and return to the stove. Over medium heat, cook the mixture until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely. If you wish, you can transfer the custard to a strainer and push gently through to remove any bits of curdled egg. 

To make the whipped cream, place the cream and the powdered sugar in a kitchen mixer and whip on medium/high for a couple of minutes until the cream is stiff.

To assemble the cake, take your sponge cake and cut it into 3 even and separate (horizontal) layers. On the bottom layer, spoon over some milk or juice (this will help soften the cake) then spread a layer of jam on top. Top the jam with a good amount of the custard, followed by the whipped cream and spread it out to the edges of the cake. Place the second layer of sponge on top and repeat with the milk, jam and custard and some more of the whipped cream (reserving enough to cover the cake). Place the final layer of cake on top and cover completely with the rest of the whipped cream, sides and all. Decorate the top with the berries.

Bløtkake is one of those cakes that actually tastes better the next day because the custard and whipped cream has had some time to soak into the sponge cake. You can, of course, serve this cake immediately and it’s still delightful, but seconds on the day after will be even better. Enjoy!

The post Bløtkake (Norwegian Cream Cake) appeared first on North Wild Kitchen.