The sandwich cake phenomenon

If you are planning a lunch or going to a picnic and have run out of ideas for what to make, you might want to consider making a sandwich cake. These playful mashups of layer cakes and tea sandwiches are getting a lot of buzz, likely due to their Instagram-worthy good looks. Country Living magazine provides a good introduction to the world of sandwich cakes.

Based on the Swedish Smörgåstårta, the savory cakes are only limited by your imagination. Layers of bread, meats, savory mousses, vegetables, and cheeses offer endless possibilities. Many of the recipes are “frosted” with cream cheese and feature elaborate garnishes, mostly made from vegetables although you might find a few other variants like smoked salmon roses. 

The EYB Library contains several recipes to give you a flavor of what can be done with a sandwich cake. Here are a few to get you started:

Swedish sandwich cake from Great British Chefs – Blog Recipes by Karen Burns-Booth (pictured top)
Avocado & bacon club sandwich cake from The Kitchn
Sandwich layer cake (Smörgåstårta) from Saveur.com
Smorgåstårta/sandwich cake from Ms. Marmite Lover by Kerstin Rodgers
Smörgåstårta from Rachel Khoo’s Kitchen Notebookby Rachel Khoo