The Scandinavian Society of Nova Scotia

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This traditional Icelandic torte never has fewer than 5 layers and may have as many as nine. Sometimes the top is iced with an almond flavoured butter icing. To store, wrap well with plastic wrap and keep in a covered container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Filling

• 1 lb prunes
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp cardamum
• ½ cup prune cooking water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Cook the prunes in water until tender and remove the pits. Put the cooked prunes through a food grinder or mash well. Add the sugar, ground cardamum and the reserved prune cooking liquid to the prunes and cook until the filling is jam-like. Cool and add the salt and vanilla. Set aside until the cake is made.

Cake

• 1 cup butter
• 1½ cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp ground cardamum
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 Tbsp cream
• pinch salt
• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar together and then add the eggs, cardamum, almond extract and cream. Sift together the salt, flour and baking powder and work into the first mixture. Knead in all of the flour and divide the dough into 5 equal parts. Pat each part into a 9" round or square cake pan and bake about 10 minutes at 375° F until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately since they can become quite hard very quickly. If necessary, you can make circles of the dough and bake on cookie sheets. Cool on racks and put layers together with prune filling.