A Simple Danish Sand Cake - Sandkage

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I hope you are in the mood for something a bit different. Sandkage is the Danish version of pound cake, and the one I want to share with you is unlike those you've tasted before. There are as many ways to make this cake as there are Danish grandmothers lurking in the kitchens of memory. I had the great good fortune to have my first taste of it in the kitchen of a neighbor when I was a child. The cake I'm familiar with used almond meal rather than the cornstarch that is found in most recipes for the cake. To be honest, I am not crazy about the texture of the cornstarch version of sandkage. I much prefer the slightly grainy texture of the cake when it is made with almond meal. Back in the day, there were no processors to make easy work of grinding nuts and seeds. We used a glass milk bottle to crush nuts placed in the bottom of a wooden salad bowl. It was was an inelegant but effective way to prepare the meal needed to make a genuine sandkage. Somewhere along the way, I lost my recipe for the cake, and rather than settle, I stopped making it. You can imagine my delight when I found Barbara Bordnick's recipe in The Way We Ate. It was very close to the version I remembered and I simply had to give it a try. I must tell you that I really like this cake. It is perfect with morning coffee and it makes a wonderful base for crushed and macerated fruit. The recipe is straight forward and I do hope you give it a try. While I've taken the liberty of adding almond extract to the base recipe, it is optional and you can omit it if you wish. Here is how a real sandkage is made.

Old Country Danish Scones

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I found this recipe in Family Circle's "Taste of Fame" feature and its name lured me as surely as the sirens lured Argonauts to their isles. I am a sucker for fried dough and because I am an adventurer, I'm not particular about its origin. A bit of dough and a vat of bubbling fat sets my heart a twitter, in more than one way. Fried dough,like pancakes and pasta, has universal appeal and while it is known by different names, you find it in most street markets around the world. I'm not sure why this version is called a scone. In truth, its taste and texture are most unscone-like and it bears no resemblance to the scones and biscuits you've come to love. This is fried dough, plain and simple and I think you will love it for that simplicity and the ease with which it comes together. The dough used to make these "scones" is wet and shaggy, but unless you are a fussbudget, the rough nature of the fried dough adds to its appeal. These scones are meant to be served plain, but I've found a sprinkling of confectioners' or cinnamon sugar will greatly improve their appearance. Get them to the table warm and serve them with good butter or your favorite jam or jelly. Ambrosia, my dear. Here is how they are made.