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.

Sponge cake baked with meringue and almonds becomes the centerpiece of this delightful layer cake filled with custard and whipped cream. Kvæfjordkake began its inception in the north of Norway and has earned it’s nickname as verdens beste, “the world’s best”.

On the island of Hinnøya in the town of Harstad, along the main street, once stood Café Alliance regarded as the finest cafe in town. It opened in the 1920s by Hulda Ottestad and her sister who were from the neighboring area of  Kvæfjord. Known as one of northern Norway’s cafe pioneers, Hulda expanded her cake offerings by purchasing two recipes from a Danish pastry chef in the 1930s for the high price of 200 kroners. One of these recipes was kongekake “king cake”. It contained an excessive amount of almonds and since almonds were quite expensive at the time, Hulda modified the recipe to contain less.

Over time, the cake became widespread in Harstad and Kvæfjord, and eventually took on the name Kvæfjordkake because of the association of where Hulda was from. The recipe was passed from hand to hand, meaning the exact recipe that Hulda used in her cafe remains somewhat of a mystery. But today, the agreed consensus is that the cake and meringue layers should contain either vanilla custard or rum custard and it is up to the baker whether to mix the custard of choice with whipped cream or not.

It’s popularity went from a regional delicacy to a nationwide favorite around the 1970s, when Brita Edland, better known as Mor Hubro, wrote several articles about kvæfjordkake in the publication Norsk Ukeblad (Norwegian Weekly Magazine). It was known by other names as well; marengsterte, drømmen, kongekake and pinocchiokake. Though kvæfjordkake and verdens beste are the titles most used today.

In 2002, an NRK radio show called Nitimen named Kvæfjordkake Norway’s national cake after it’s listeners voted 69% in favor of it over the other choices. Ola Bremnes, a Norwegian author and muscian, immortilazed the cake in his song aptly tiled “Hymne til Kvæfjordkaka”.

“Ho ligg der og byr sæ så nydelig frem
– fin og fager.
En hit av de store som alltid gå hjem
– ja, en slager!
Øverst på lista i årevis
ho skulle hatt sæ en egen pris!
Kvæfjordkaka, go som gull
Går det an å ta munn førr full?
Kem kan avspise ho med et nei?
La det lyne i spade og skei!
Best uta alt det de baka:
Kvæfjordkaka tar kaka!
Med ei slags dyne av krem og marengs
strødd med mandla
send ho fornuften direkte til sengs,
vi blir forvandla.
Verden blir mjukar en stakket stund
under en himmel av kakebunn.
I barsel og bryllup og konfirmasjon
– tel kaffekoppen,
etter begravelse og kremasjon
ho er toppen.
Ho er som bygda ho sogne te:
Verdens beste og vel så det….!” – Ola Bremnes

Kvæfjordkake is luxurious and dreamy and has earned its title of the world’s best cake in the eyes of most Norwegians and those who have had the pleasure of eating it. It’s reserved for celebrations – weddings, baptisms, confirmations, anniversaries, birthdays, and high holidays – and rightly so. This is not a difficult cake to make and you can make it a day in advance to let the flavors come together even more. You can also swap the vanilla in the custard for run essence if you prefer a rum custard.

Kvæfjordkake: World’s Best Cake (Verdens beste)

Serves 12-15

For the cake:

• ½ cup (112 g) butter
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons (125 g) granulated sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons milk
• 1 ¼ cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

For the meringue:

• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (50 g) sliced almonds

For the vanilla custard:

• ¼ cup (55 g) granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
• ½ vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the whipped cream:

• 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 325°F / 165°C.

In a large stand mixer set to medium or a large mixing bowl, whisk the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, while whisking, and add in the milk. Combine the flour, baking powder, and vanilla sugar in a medium bowl and add this to the mixture, whisking until combined. The batter will be somewhat thick.

Grease a 12 x 16-inch (30/32 x 40 cm) rimmed baking sheet. Cover with a piece of baking parchment, pressing the parchment so it sticks well to the baking sheet. Gently spread the batter evenly and thinly across the baking sheet, as far to the edges as possible, with a rubber spatula while maintaining a rectangular shape. The batter is quite thick and sticky, but it will spread out with a little patience (and because greasing the baking sheet earlier means the parchment paper won’t move around). Also, it may seem like there is not enough batter to make a full cake, but don’t fret because the cake will rise some while baking.

In a clean, large stand mixer set to medium-low or a large mixing bowl whisk together the egg whites until foamy (when making meringue, it is crucial there is no trace of yolk in the whites). Add the sugar a little at a time and continue to whisk until glossy, stiff peaks form. Gently pour the meringue evenly over the batter with a rubber spatula. You can form little peaks throughout the meringue by lifting upwards for a nice design when it is finished baking. Sprinkle the sliced almonds evenly across the meringue. Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until the meringue is dry and lightly golden. Remove and set aside to cool.

While the cake is baking, prepare the vanilla custard and whipped cream. Make 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. 

In a large stand mixer set to medium or a large bowl, whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled custard.

 When the cake has cooled, lift it out with the parchment paper and place on a cutting board. Cut the cake in half. Take one half and peel it from the parchment paper. Gently turn it, taking caution not to break the cake, over on a serving tray so the meringue side is facing downwards. Another trick is to place the serving tray gently on top of the meringue, place one hand under the cake and one hand on top of the tray and then flip over. Spread all of the custard cream over the cake and gently place the remaining half on top, with the meringue side up.

Best to chill for an hour or so before serving, but this is not necessary. Serve with fresh fruits, such as strawberries. Keep covered in the refrigerator up to 3 to 4 days.

 Like most cream cakes, kvæfjordkake gets better the longer it sits, giving the cake time to soak up the custard cream. This is another reason for having the meringue side on the bottom and top, so the sponge cake is sandwiched between the custard cream.

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