Sunday, May 25, 2025

Gamla góða rúg­brauðstertan

Traditional rye bread cake


I love rúgbrauð, that heavy, sweet, moist Icelandic rye bread. It tastes so delicious - and you can also use it for other things, like a rye bread cake.

Here on the blog, I've already tried and presented various typical Icelandic rye bread cakes - today I have another recipe for you. I found this recipe online, in an old article in the magazine Morgunblaðið from December 1967.

For the cake, apart from the Rúgbrauð, you mainly need eggs, sugar, some flour and a bit of potato flour, and the filling consists of cream, bananas, apples and grated chocolate.

Since I didn't want to bake Icelandic rye bread specifically for the cake in Germany, I used pumpernickel for the recipe and I think the result is really good!


Ingredients

4 eggs
200 g sugar
125 g pumpernickel
1 tbsp potato flour
60 g flour
1.5 tsp baking powder

2 bananas
2 apples
1/2 lemon
50 g grated chocolate
200 ml whipping cream

300 ml whipping cream
chocolate to taste


Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 °F (resp. 200 °C) upper/lower heat.

Separate the eggs.


Mix the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl.


Chop the pumpernickel thoroughly...


...and mix with the flour, potato flour and baking powder into the egg-sugar mixture.


Beat the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold in.


Carefully fold the beaten egg whites into the remaining ingredients.



Pour the dough into two springform pans lined with baking paper (approx. 8 inches resp. 20 cm diameter)...


...and bake at 400 °F (200 °C) for about 10 to 15 minutes. Then let cool thoroughly and carefully remove from the springforms.


For the filling, wash, peel, quarter and finely grate the apples.


Cut the bananas into small pieces.


Whip the 200 ml of cream for the filling until stiff and mix with the grated apples, the banana pieces and the grated chocolate.


Place the first layer on a cake plate or similar and spread the filling evenly over it.



Then place the second layer on top, whip the remaining cream until stiff and decorate the cake as desired.


Serve the Rúgbrauðsterta well chilled.


Bon appetit!




Translated from here.]

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Möndluterta með gulu kremi

Almond cake with yellow cream


It is not really certain whether this cake originally comes from Norway or Sweden.

This Nordic almond cake, also known in Norway as "suksessterte" (= "success cake"), is a sweet cake that traditionally consists of two cake layers made of almond flour or ground almonds and a yellow cream based on cream and egg.

The top of the cake is often decorated with chocolate, cocoa, almond flakes, etc.


Ingredients

200 g ground almonds
165 g powdered sugar
5 egg whites
1 pinch of salt

120 ml whipping cream
100 g household sugar
130 g soft butter
40 g dark grated chocolate


Preparation

Preheat the fan oven to 325 °F (160 °C).

Mix the ground almonds with the powdered sugar.


In a tall bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.


Fold the almond-sugar mixture into the egg whites in portions.

Line two baking tins (20 cm diameter) with baking paper and spread half of the dough into each tin.

Bake in a preheated fan oven at 325 °F (resp. 160 °C) for about 35 minutes (use a toothpick to check!).

Remove the cake bases from the oven and let them cool completely.

Then prepare the cream:

Place the egg yolks, cream, and sugar in a saucepan and melt over low heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture begins to boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.



Then put the cold mixture into a bowl and beat it.

Then add a little butter at a time, beating the mixture well. Once all the butter is incorporated, continue beating until a glossy, fairly thick cream forms. Add a little more butter if the mixture is still too thin.


Place the first layer on a cake plate, spread half of the cream on it, and place the second layer on top. Spread the second half of the cream on top.



Decorate the top of the cake with grated chocolate.


Let the almond cake sit in the fridge for a few hours and then serve well chilled.



[Translated from here.]

Monday, May 19, 2025

Hitabylgja og bikblæðing

Heat wave and bitumen bleeding


There's currently a heat wave in Iceland – people everywhere are lying in the sun and enjoying the heat. Temperatures above 20°C are rare in Iceland, which is why most people are enjoying this weather all the more. The heat wave is expected to continue until the middle of the week.

But the beautiful, warm weather also has its downsides – at least one dog has apparently already died of heatstroke. And in many places, the asphalt on Iceland's roads is "bleeding," which can lead to dangerous situations and damage to vehicles.

Hitabylgja - Heatwave

Source: vedur.is
For days now, temperatures have been rising above 20°C in many places, first in the east, but then also in many other parts of the country. For Icelanders, it feels like summer starts at 15°C, and midsummer starts at 20°C – that's rare enough. This makes many people all the more enjoying this unusual midsummer and the hot temperatures in the wonderful weather.

Last Thursday, May 15, 2025, a new heat record was set, with a midday temperature of 25.8°C recorded at Egilsstaðir Airport. The previous highest temperature ever recorded in May in Iceland was 25.6°C—that was in May 1992 in Vopnafjörður in northeastern Iceland.

Yesterday, the third highest temperature ever recorded in Iceland was reported - 25.1° in Borgarfjörður.

Source: vedur.is

But the first clouds are slowly moving in. Highs are expected to reach "only" 23°C today, and only 22°C tomorrow. Starting Thursday, the weather is expected to change, and temperatures should return to "normal", according to the current forecast.

Warning from animal welfare organizations

In view of the current heatwave, animal welfare organizations are calling on Icelanders to pay more attention to their pets, always provide enough water and, above all, not to leave dogs in the car.

For us as Central Europeans, this is quite normal - but Icelanders are not used to having to think about not leaving their dogs in the car because it gets too hot there.

One dog apparently died of heat stroke, and at least two others had to be treated for heat stroke in a veterinary hospital, but fortunately survived because their owners recognized the seriousness of the situation quickly enough.

Bikblæðing - Bitumen bleeding in asphalt

Source: umferdin.is
Even the tar on the country's roads is not made for such heat and such relatively long periods of heat - on vegagerðin.is, the Icelandic Road Administration warns of "bikblæðing" on many roads in the country.

Special caution is required!

Road users are advised to drive carefully and reduce their speed.

Near us, at the Kerið crater, which is a very popular tourist hotspot, there are also such "bitumen bleedings" on road 35, the Biskupstungnabraut.

Kerið crater
The road traffic authority warns here:

"Vart hefur við bikblæðingu. Hætta á steinkasti. Hraði tekin niður í 30 km/klst. Akið varlega."

In English: "Bitumen bleeding has been reported. There is a risk of stone chipping. Reduce speed to 30 km/h. Drive carefully! "

In principle, it is also safer not to drive in the lane grooves, from which the bitumen often escapes first, but closer to the edge of the road, where the road is normally less stressed.

To reduce the danger of such bleeding, the traffic authority tries to regularly sprinkle sand on the relevant road sections to bind the escaping "fluid", thus also reducing the risk of rockfall.




What are bitumen bleedings?

Depending on the composition of the ingredients, in extreme heat on asphalt roads, the individual components of the tar can separate again if the temperature directly on a black asphalt road reaches more than 50° in direct sunlight.

Tar is applied with a mixture consisting essentially of about 95% gravel and about 5% bitumen. In extreme heat, the stones that normally lie on top can sink into the tar under the pressure of traffic, causing the bitumen to remain on the surface and seep out.

This "bleeding" from the tar on the road can cause the roads to become extremely slippery .

The tar then sticks to the tires, wraps around the wheels, and causes damage to the tires and the car's bodywork. Furthermore, the tires lose all grip, which is extremely dangerous.

Source: ruv.is

Please drive carefully and take the warnings seriously!




Birkivatn

Birch sap


Basically, this is four blog articles in one :

An article about the extraction of our own birch sap, one about birch sap in sap, an article about birch trees in Iceland and an article about Halldóra Bjarnadóttir, who, among other things, published "Hlín" since 1917, a magazine by women for women, in which in 1918 the traditional extraction and use of birch sap was also reported.

Birch sap

In late spring, when the ground is no longer frozen but the trees have not yet fully sprouted, you can tap your own birch sap: To do this, drill a hole in the trunk of the birch tree and then allow the birch sap to flow through a hose into a suitable collecting container. Depending on the size of the hole, you may need to plug it with a plug; this isn't necessary for small holes.

Birch sap in a self-experiment

A friend of ours, together with a friend, tried tapping one of our birch trees.

To do this, they made a small hole in the trunk of the birch tree with a large pocket knife, inserted a small tube, and then the birch sap dripped from the tube into a large, empty Coke bottle, which we had safely placed in a large flowerpot underneath the tube.


However, during our first experiment with the tube and the open bottle, we discovered that the birch sap also worked well as a moth and fly killer. We left the bottle under the tube overnight and then collected it again in the morning before it started to rain. We obtained about 100 or 150 ml of birch sap, although we had to pour it through a filter first to remove the moths and flies.

In a second attempt, our friend optimized the setup and let the birch sap run through a small hose directly into the bottle through a drilled plastic cap - definitely better.


We then tasted the fresh birch sap we had harvested ourselves.


My husband actually thought it was quite tasty, harmless but nice. I thought it tasted a bit like stale lemonade - but it wasn't as bad as my expression suggests when I tried it!


Ingredients and taste of birch sap

Birch sap is rich in amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants, as well as vitamins B and C. It contains between 0.5 and 2.0% sugar. Pure birch sap has a slightly sweet, not very intense flavor - I can confirm that. As I said, it tasted a bit like stale lemonade to me.

Health-promoting properties

Birch sap is said to have numerous health-promoting properties, although these have not been scientifically researched. It is considered a traditional home remedy for gout and rheumatism and is said to counteract dandruff and hair loss and reduce skin blemishes. This may be why birch sap is said to have rejuvenating effects. However, consumption of birch sap is not recommended for people with heart problems, kidney failure, or intestinal inflammation.

Production of birch syrup

Birch syrup is made from birch sap and sugar, and sometimes also from birch leaves. Traditionally, birch syrup is used in Iceland with waffles and pancakes and in desserts, but it is also used to sweeten beverages, including tea and coffee, and even to marinate meat and fish (although usually with fresh herbs).

To make this, combine 2 liters of birch sap with 50 g of brown sugar in a large pot and simmer over low heat until a thick syrup forms. You can find the exact recipe in this blog post from 2016.


Birch syrup is traditionally used in desserts in Iceland. 

Birch trees in Iceland

There are two birch species in Iceland that are native to the area and are also very characteristic of Icelandic nature: the sweet birch (ilmbjörk), which in everyday language is commonly referred to as "birch" (= "birki"), and the mountain birch or dwarf birch (fjalldrapi).

The sweet birch prefers bright conditions, grows very slowly, and tolerates wind and frost. It is the only native tree in Iceland that forms forests—although the birch tends to grow crooked and low. Even in old forests, birches in Iceland very rarely reach a height of more than 12 meters. The dwarf birch, on the other hand, is more of a low shrub, usually growing no more than 1.2 meters tall. The sweet birch can also be successfully crossed with the dwarf birch, producing low but robust little trees. These low birch forests are also the source of the well-known Icelandic joke: What do you do if you get lost in an Icelandic forest? You stand up!


It is estimated that at the time of the settlement, approximately 30 to 40% of the country was covered with such birch forests. However, the Vikings managed to effectively clear the existing forests in a short period of time, primarily due to the damage to the trees caused by extensive grazing and the large number of free-roaming sheep, which could not be compensated for during Iceland's short growing season and led to the destruction of the forests.

Only in the last 120 years reforestation has slowly begun in Iceland. The last mapping in 2015 determined that approximately 2% of the country is now covered in forests, of which about three-quarters are birch forests.

Source: Tímarit.is
Find:
Birch sap in an Icelandic women's magazine from 1918

While searching for information about birch sap in Icelandic cuisine, I came across the 1918 annual issue (ársrit) of the Icelandic women's magazine "Hlín" online.

"Hlín" (named after an Old Norse goddess in Snorri Sturluson's work) was the magazine of the "Sambandsfjelags Norðlenskra kvenna", the Nordic Women's Association, written by women for women. The magazine was published annually from 1917 to 1967.

The first chairwoman of the women's association and editor of "Hlín" was Halldóra Bjarnadóttir (1873-1981). She was a teacher, headmistress in Akureyri, and city councilor there, and was particularly committed to local textile handicrafts, organizing exhibitions at home and abroad for many years. In 1955, at the age of 82, she entered a nursing home in Blönduós, where she lived for over 25 years. As early as 1931, Halldóra was awarded the Knight's Cross (Riddarakross) of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon, and in 1971 she received the Grand Knight's Cross (Stórriddarakross). On her 100th birthday in 1973, she was made an honorary citizen of Blönduós. Upon her death in 1981 at the age of 108, she left her legacy to the Nordic Women's Association.

In the second edition of "Hlín" from 1918, I found instructions for obtaining birch sap:

In spring, before the trees sprout, tap a mature but not particularly old birch tree by removing a small piece of bark, drilling diagonally upwards from the bottom, and then inserting an eagle or swan feather. Place a bowl or glass underneath and collect the birch sap.

Then put the birch sap into a saucepan, add some honey or sugar and then slowly boil everything until a syrupy consistency is reached.

Then fill the birch syrup into bottles and store in a cool, dark place.

Even though plastic tubes are used more often today than bird feathers, nothing has really changed since then.



[Translated from here.]

Sunday, May 18, 2025

Mjólkurhristingur með jarðarberjum

Milkshake with strawberries


Are you craving summer in a glass? And a cool, fruity refreshment? We are too! At least I enjoy that every now and then!

In our new cookbook "Icelandic Strawberry Recipes", you'll find this recipe for a delicious, creamy strawberry milkshake with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, and milk, and a dollop of whipped cream on top, if desired, in the "Strawberries in jars and glasses" section.


Ingredients for 1 glass

100 g vanilla ice cream
120 ml milk
5 - 6 strawberries

Whipped cream and strawberry for decoration


Preparation

Wash and clean the strawberries.


Then put it in a blender with the ice cream and milk and puree thoroughly.


Pour the milkshake into a glass, garnish with whipped cream and another strawberry and serve immediately.




[Translated from here.]