Three steps up, I squeaked and wiggled around on the vinyl-covered seat of the tall kitchen chair in the warmth of my grandmothers kitchen. As the late November snow fell, Oluf Corrigal was assembling the layers of cookie-like cake with a stewed jam of prunes, cloves and cinnamon to make venitarta (also known as vinatarta), a traditional Icelandic cake served at Christmas. I loved this holiday treat and looked forward to it almost as much as Santas arrival.
My grandmother had been hard at it for three days. There was sticky prune filling on the oven door, the cupboards, the floor. I was welcome to watch but was firmly told to stay out of the way. I marvelled at how she moved among the mess, expertly pulling another set of layers from the oven on upside down round cake pans and set to cool, while another set went in.
The result was the perfect balance of buttery and crisp cake with a deeply aromatic filling. Almost as important as the flavour were the layers no less than six, each of exacting and consistent width shows expertise and understanding. In the eyes of many in the neighbourhood, and our small Manitoba town, my grandmother was an expert.
Once the kitchen was clean to a sparkle, and all cakes carefully wrapped with wax paper, then foil, everyone in the family would receive their own venitarta.
She made it all look so easy. Little did she, or I, know this experience would inspire me to pursue a career in pastry and a deep love of feeding people.
DOUGH
Combine:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tsp baking powder
4 cups flour
Cut in:
1 cup butter
Add:
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
Chill overnight.
SOAK OVERNIGHT:
3 cups prunes
FILLING
Next day:
Bring prunes to a boil and then simmer until soft.
Take out stones, if any, and put through grinder, leaving water in pot. Return prunes to pot with original water.
ADD
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Boil until thickened (about 1 1/2 hours)
Add 1/2 tsp cloves, just before finished
Roll dough to 1/8 thickness on back of a round cake pan. Bake at 350F, 10-12 minutes. When all the dough has been baked into rounds, layer dough and spread prunes in between, ending with dough.
Top with icing.
My grandmas recipes were never very detailed. If you have any questions, e-mail me at [email protected] and Ill forward them to my Auntie Leanne, who picked up the Icelandic family tradition and has become a bit of an expert herself.
