Søsterkage (Christmas Spiced Loaf Cake with Raisins and Orange)

Christmas is Coming!

Thanksgiving has come and gone, the temperatures are dropping, and the twinkling lights and trees are starting to appear, which can only mean one thing – Christmas! We love this time of year, first and foremost because we celebrate Christmas with our family, but also because it’s just the coziest season of them all. Winter is the time when a hot drink or a good cookie can cheer you up, simply because it’s cold outside. Or a nice decorative wreath can make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, just because it shows a bit of holiday cheer. It’s when the simple things make a big difference, and that’s what we love about Christmastime.

Today’s Recipe: Delicious and Festive

Today’s recipe is one that is both connected to family and the festive season. How? Well, it’s called “søsterkage” or “sister cake.” In the region of Denmark from which it stems, called Sønderjylland, it’s actually known as “søstekaach,” as that region is on the border with Germany. As a result, its Danish dialect is very unique and intersects significantly with modern German. Regardless, it’s a lovely name, particularly fitting for this blog, since we are sisters! It’s also quite a niche recipe and one you won’t find much online, as it is from a very specific region of Denmark. That just goes to show that even in a small country, there can be some interesting variation! Plus, this yeasted spiced cake with raisins and candied orange peel has the best flavors for the festive season, bringing all the comfort you need.

Yeast in a Cake?

You may be alarmed by the idea of yeast in this cake, but we can promise that it actually gives it a wonderful texture. Think of a pound cake but spongier and with fewer crumbs, if that makes sense. It holds together a bit better, making it less of a soft and tender cake but instead giving it a nice and firm texture. The cake itself is similar to a fruitcake but with far fewer dried fruits and nuts. It’s not super sweet, which means it lends itself well to a thick icing on top. Or, you can even spread jam or butter on the slices like it’s actually bread! Either way, super delicious with a festive flavor and great texture.

Ingredients

For this cake, you will need pretty standard ingredients, including yeast, milk, eggs, sugar, butter, salt, and flour. The flavorings that we add in are vanilla extract, lemon zest, candied orange peel (or Italian mixed peel), raisins, cardamom, and cinnamon. We would not recommend substituting the standard cake ingredients, as this could affect the outcome, although you can use any type of milk and it should be fine. On the other hand, when it comes to the flavor ingredients, you can adapt it however you like. I think a bit of almond extract and some dried cherries would be phenomenal too, or you can add walnuts and pistachios for a slightly different texture and flavor. That part is up to you!

How to Make Søsterkage

We tested out a few different ways of combining the ingredients to make this cake, and this turned out the best. Combine the yeast with warm milk and melted butter (making sure the liquids aren’t too hot – you should be able to touch them with your finger!). Then, whisk the eggs and sugar together until doubled in size and the mixture falls off the whisk in ribbons. Add flavorings like lemon zest and vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then add the milk mixture and the dry ingredients to the eggs in batches, folding gently to combine. Finally, fold in the raisins and candied peel. Now comes the weird part – pour this into loaf tin and let it rise for 45 minutes to an hour. It should puff up a bit but nothing crazy! Then bake and enjoy – let us know if you try it out.

Søsterkage (Christmas Spiced Loaf Cake with Raisins and Orange)

5 from 1 vote

This cake comes from the Sønderjylland region of Denmark, and it is a delicious and festive option for your winter celebrations this year!

Servings 8

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Resting Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 250 milliliters milk
• 2 tsp instant yeast (2.25 tsp active dry yeast, 17.5g fresh yeast)
• 100 grams butter, melted
• 2 large eggs (room temperature)
• 100 grams brown sugar
• 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 275 grams all purpose flour
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom
• 3 tbsp candied orange peel (such as Italian mixed peel) *if you need to, you can make this homemade!
• 75 grams raisins
• 1 tbsp flour

Instructions

 

• Heat up the milk, either in the microwave or in a saucepan, until it is "fingervarm" (finger warm), meaning it should feel warm to the touch but not hot. You don't want to kill the yeast! Add the yeast and a bit of the sugar from the recipe and stir to dissolve. Let it rest 5-10 minutes until it begins to froth and bubble a little bit. (If your yeast doesn't do anything, it may be expired. Check the expiration date on the package and start over with new yeast!)
• Melt the butter in a separate bowl, let it cool until it's also "fingervarm" (too hot and it might affect the yeast!) but still liquid, then mix it in with your yeast and milk. We like to do this in a liquid measuring cup so it's easy to pour into the final batter.
  
• Add the eggs (room temperature) and the brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl.
  
• Whisk the eggs and sugar together using the whisk attachment, or using a hand mixer, until light in color and increased in volume, and the mixture falls off the whisk in "ribbons" which you can see on top of the mixture for a second before it dissolves.
  
• Add the lemon zest and vanilla extract to the eggs and sugar and mix to combine.
  
• In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom.
• Toss the raisins and candied orange with a tablespoon of flour. This will prevent them from sinking in the batter.
  
• Add about half of your wet ingredients to the egg and sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
  
• Then add half of the dry ingredients and mix to combine.
  
• Repeat adding the remaining wet and dry ingredients, and whisk until everything is just combined.
• Get a rubber spatula and add in the raisins and orange peel; fold into the batter.
  
• Prepare a loaf tin by buttering the sides and adding a piece of parchment paper across the tin for easy removal. We use a medium sized loaf tin for this.
• Pour the batter into the tin.
  
• Cover with a piece of plastic wrap or a dish towel.
  
• Let the batter rise for 45 minutes to an hour, until risen in the tin between 1-2cm (you do not want it to reach the top of the tin! this can cause major overflow in the oven).
  
• Towards the end of the rising time, preheat your oven to 375F (190C).
• When the cake has risen, remove the plastic wrap and bake for about 35 minutes, until well browned on the top and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  
• After a few minutes out of the oven, remove from the loaf tin and let cool on a wire rack. Slice and enjoy!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Danish

Keyword: autumn, holiday, orange, raisin, warm spices, winter, yeasted cake

Difficulty: Intermediate