How To Create A Savoury Birthday Cake

OK, so this savoury birthday cake is only semi healthy. But we have to break out now and then especially at birthday times…

so, recently I made a beautiful savoury birthday cake for a friend, if I may say so myself…

I was elected to bake for her by some of our Maj Jong team mates. And, as our birthday girl does not like sweet cakes I decided to search for a savoury birthday cake recipe. It had to be something very special as is this birthday girl. Because although she doesn’t eat them, she bakes the most delicious cakes and her birthday cakes are to die for.

Semi Healthy Birthday Cake

To be honest I was thrilled when I got the idea of a savoury birthday cake because I have long since given up baking. My family prefer to eat savoury rather than sweet I’m happy to say. So what you don’t see you don’t crave, simple as that. I also knew that I would do a better job creating a simpler one, a Smorgastarta. I discovered later on that this is the proper name.

So I googled savoury birthday cakes and you would not believe the range my search brought up. It’s amazing what you can do with bread, vegetables and fruit. However, it’s very fiddly and you need lots of time to devote to the project. Furthermore, your friend needs to be very special for this time consuming effort.

One great thing was that the recipe suggested it should rest in the fridge overnight before icing and decorating…phew. Getting the crusts off 2 very fresh cobs is no easy task. But then slicing it into layers without turning it back into dough was so stressful, slight exaggeration there.

However, when the birthday girl is such a perfectionist, well, you’re up against it aren’t you? The filling was the easiest bit but to say it was ugly at that stage of the project was to put it mildly. It looked like a monstrosity with all the jagged edges of bread sticking out.

No Plastic Containers

I trimmed it as best I could, to make it look round, no easy job, covered it with grease-proof paper (no plastic containers) and put it in the fridge. Sat down, put my feet up and had a gin and tonic, because it was evening time by then and I felt I deserved it.

Next morning, and this was truly the best and most enjoyable part, I pasted the sour cream all over the cake. Icing does not have to be fancy and perfect these days. I decorated the top and sides, and couldn’t believe the finished result.

I had created this savoury birthday cake much to my own surprise and delight.

Our friend, the birthday girl was amazed and delighted and ate a good chunk of it as did the others in our group. So I will make this tasty savoury cake again as my daughter’s birthday is coming up this month. I might even start taking orders!

The healthy layers in this tasty cake are…

Smashed avocado
Sour cream with chopped chives
Smoked salmon
Sliced cucumber
Chives, standing up around the side, about 4-5″ /10-12 cms long
Radishes and yellow, orange and red cherry tomatoes for top decoration.
Two round white cob loaves (the only non healthy ingredient) all crusts removed

Needless to say it was scrumptious

As I said at the start of this post, I would not make this cake again, well I lied, I have made it twice since for special occasions and it was so enjoyed by everyone that I will certainly be making it again and again…just changing the ingredients, as there are so many healthy beauties in the market that have become more acceptable to even the most hardened savoury haters.

Rye Bread and other Veg

One other thing too is that you don’t need to use white bread…Rye is also so much tastier as is multi grain and so many more types in the marketplace, becomes more interesting…it also doesn’t have to be round, it can be oblong or square which is easier for shaping than the round bread.

Just one more thing you get quicker and more creative with practice…I’m getting quite hungry now as it’s lunch time…pity I don’t have a slice of that lovely cake to tuck into.

I think it’s somebody’s birthday soon though!

How To Create A Savoury Birthday Cake