Cakes

Norwegians love their cakes, and with good reason. It’s too bad we even have to use that word in English to describe what they call “kake” because I’ve never tasted anything in America that comes close to the heavenly mouthfuls of dessert I ate while in Norway. Cakes are served at birthday parties, confirmations, baptisms, and any time someone wants people to show up, because if it’s an occasion for a cake, a large turnout is assured. Many churches even have cake and coffee after the service as a guaranteed way to keep people lingering around and visiting with one another. No one passes up the opportunity to eat cake (and as my bathroom scales can attest, either did I.)



A Norwegian birthday party is not at all like an American party where we serve one cake, big or small, depending on the number of people expected – Norwegians serve several cakes; chocolate cake, cheese cake, fruit cake, marzipan cake, “soft” cake (nut cake is my favorite). Often they plan to have one cake for every two people in attendance. They also have out bowls of candy, cookies, Jello in several flavors, and lots of ice cream… all with Vanilla Sauce at the ready. Cousin Kari says, “We don’t leave until all the cakes are gone.” And they aren’t kidding. (The parties often go until the wee hours of the morning.)


The only weird custom I noted about the whole cake thing is that they don’t cut them symmetrically. If it’s a round cake, we Americans might cut things in nice pie shaped slices… but not Norwegians, any old miss-shapen hunk out of it will do. Same thing with the rectangle cakes – no square cuts for them – they just slice off a piece any old which way and eat as much as they want.


Considering how many ways Norwegians are orderly and precise, it surprises me they are so sloppy with their cake cutting. I guess it’s gotta come out somewhere.