For Your Next: Birthday Party

Birthdays in Scandinavia

Today, we wanted to make a new blog post in our “For Your Next…” series, which suggests menu additions for various holiday or big events in your life! The focus of today’s post is birthdays. Growing up, our mother would always ask us before our birthday what we wanted to eat. As two sets of twins (I have a twin brother and so does Sofie), we did have to come to an agreement with our respective twin brother on what dinner was going to be, but it was always really fun coming up with something special for a special occasion. So, in today’s post, we have included some of those family birthday favorites from our house. Hopefully, they can give you some inspiration for the next birthday in your life, whether it is your own or somebody else’s!

Main Dish: Frikadeller

This was THE special occasion main dish in our house. It isn’t the fanciest or most difficult dinner to make, but it does take a while to make a big batch. As a family of 4 kids who were all very active, a big batch was certainly needed, so it is no wonder our mom didn’t make these more often. Plus, if you pan-fry them (which is how they are traditionally made), they aren’t the healthiest of weeknight dinner options. But luckily, pan-frying them is also what makes them super delicious! These are crispy on the outside, juicy and flavorful on the inside, and you just can’t go wrong making them for a birthday dinner.

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

These pan-fried Danish meatballs are simple to put together and make a really hearty, filling, and delicious meal!

Check out this recipe

Side 1: Kartoffelsalat (Herb)

With such a meaty main dish, some kind of salad is desperately needed to lighten up the meal. However, being Danish, we will always recommend potatoes alongside any meat. This potato salad is a cross between the two, with plenty of herbs for flavor and freshness. You can also make the creamy version (linked here), but we prefer this one, because it is a bit lighter. But if you don’t want to make potatoes on the side, we would still recommend some kind of salad! A birthday favorite of ours growing up was a salad with avocado, orange, black olives, and red onion. So branch out if you like, but this potato salad is an amazing option.

Kartoffelsalat (Herb Potato Salad)

This herby and zingy potato salad is a perfect side dish for a summer barbeque or dinner party.

Check out this recipe

Side 2: Hyggeboller

You can’t just have one side with a birthday dinner – you need two! These ham and cheese bread rolls are the perfect accompaniment, especially when they are warmed up and served with some butter. This recipe is a great option because you can always make extra so that there are leftovers for the next morning. If you don’t want to include ham, you can omit it entirely and just add cheese and chives. Or, substitute any other ingredients you like. If you are having a big gathering of people, this could be a great option, as people can just grab another roll if they are still feeling hungry!

Hyggeboller (Ham and Cheese Rolls)

These bread rolls filled with ham, cheese, and chives are the perfect accompaniment to any main dish or a fun treat to bring to a dinner party!

Check out this recipe

Dessert: Lagkage

This is the most classic part of this entire blog post, as we have to include the birthday staple: lagkage. We had a lagkage for every birthday growing up, and we can safely say that it is the best cake of all time. Our recipe is developed from our great-grandmother. Thin layers of vanilla sponge cake, vanilla pastry cream, and raspberry jam all soak together to create the most amazing texture and flavor ever. It’s also a cake that won’t fall apart, especially if you leave it in the fridge overnight, so the birthday kid can easily decorate it themselves. Add some candles, sing birthday songs, and voila! The perfect addition to a special day.

Lagkage (Danish Birthday Layer Cake)

Not a birthday goes by in our house without one of these cakes! This layered birthday cake consists of four layers of vanilla sponge, three layers of raspberry jam and vanilla pastry cream, and a whole lot of icing and whipped cream to decorate.

Check out this recipe

Thanks!

As always, thank you for reading today’s blog post. Birthdays are very special in Scandinavia and definitely revolve around food. Whether you are having a gathering of just family or a big party with lots of friends, food is key to having a great birthday! Many of our birthdays growing up were centered around certain foods, some of which we have shared with you today. These memories are what make these foods special to us, so we hope you got some inspiration today. Leave a comment down below if you try out any of these recipes!