Eggcake (äggakaga)
Drygast, 2020-12-14
Eggcake (äggakaga) - A Scanian classic.
- Servings3 Portions
- AllergensEggs, Milk, Wheat
- Cook Time45 min
Egg cake - a Scanian (south of Sweden) classic that I have many memories of from childhood. This was one of Grandmas favorite dishes to offer when we visited and how can you not like "thick pancake" as a kid? If the children do not like lingonberry or pork loin, you can try replacing them with strawberry jam and "prince sausage". A combination that is not remotly close to traditional, but which my grandmother conjured up when she lacked ingredients and since then it has been a favorite of mine. It may not be the most healthy dish, but sometimes you have to treat yourself to something good and classic, especially if it is something reminiscent of good moments from childhood.
Äggakaga (äggakaka) is a traditional Scanian dish served with fried pork loin and lingonberries (jam or sweetened). Lingonberry as an accessory is, however, a relatively modern invention as only limited quantities of lingonberries can be found in the nature of Skåne. In the past, it was more common to have apple puree or butter-fried apples as an accessory instead of lingonberries. In the past, the egg cake was used to prepare for the farmers as it was easy to pack and take out into the fields.
As I am born in the south of Sweden, I pronounce the name of this dish "ÄggakAUGa" which of course is the only correct option. The spelling also usually differs between southern Sweden and the rest of the country as we like to choose "äggakaga" instead of "äggakaka", but both varieties works just as fine.
Traditional cooking of this dish often means that you first cook the side pork in a cast iron pan, removes the pork and then pour the batter into the fat from the pork, possibly with extra butter if necessary. The batter will eventually create a layer at the bottom and along the edges - when this has happens, pull the solidified mass towards the middle of the pan with a spatula and repeat this until the whole cake has solidified. In this recipe, I do as my grandmother showed me and it is more reminiscent of an oven pancake as I just give the batter a quick frying surface at the bottom of the pan before everything is put into the oven until the cake is ready. I really like this method, but if you want to do "the right way" then stir around in the pan until the whole cake has solidified.
This recipe is quite simple and you get a good experience of cooking it at home, but if you are in the vicinity of southeast Sweden, I can definitely recommend driving past " Brösarp Gästgifveri & Spa" and order a proper äggakaka that has won several awards and is thus prepared by the experts.
Ingredients
Nutrition Facts*
| Total | Serving | 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 4472.38 kcal | 1490.79 kcal | 319 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 228.95 g | 76.32 g | 16.33 g |
| Fat | 356.25 g | 118.75 g | 25.41 g |
| Protein | 102.49 g | 34.16 g | 7.31 g |
| Sugar | 114.68 g | 38.23 g | 8.18 g |
| Salt | 14.72 g | 4.91 g | 1.05 g |
* The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Cook the pork in the oven (on a baking tray with paper).
- Melt the butter (save a quarter until later).
- Mix all the dry ingredients.
- Add the eggs and whisk until all the lumps are gone.
- Add the milk and mix until smooth, then add the melted butter while stiring.
- Put a frying pan on the stove on medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the butter and then the batter. Take the pan and put it in the oven.
- After 20 minutes - check that the cake is firm enough. Depending on the frying pan used this time could be +-10 minutes. Remove it from the oven to cool down. You could also give it some time on the stove to get a nice golden brown color.
- Using a plate - flip the whole thing to transfer the cake to the plate.
- Sweetened lingonberries.
- Crispy fried pork loin.