Smörgåstårta - Swedish Sandwich Cake

Smörgåstårta is a party dish from Sweden. Layers of sandwich fillings and white bread are stacked, frosted and garnished to resemble an elaborate and gaudy celebration cake. Served at birthday parties and anniversaries this retro 70's sandwich cake is an entrenched part of Swedish culture and  has experienced a revival amongst young Swedes lately. Policemen in Sweden have even been known to ask for Smörgåstårta as a bribe to solve cases. Here's the story http://www.thelocal.se/8748/20071010/ This type of cake is also popular in Finland where it is known as voileipäkakku.

a smörgåstårta can have almost any type of savory fillings and toppings, but traditionally uses egg, vegetables, seafood, ham, pate, smoked salmon, or caviar. I made mine with alternating layers of egg salad and smoked salmon cream cheese decorated with shrimps, hard boiled eggs, smoked salmon, cucumber, caviar, and dill

White bread sliced lengthwise works best as a base. I placed 3 slices side by side on the dish I planed to serve it on  and spread a generous layer of egg salad on top. The next layer of bread is placed perpendicular to the first and spread with a thick layer of cream cheese blended with smoked salmon. After 4 layers of filling I placed a round cake pan on top and cut around it to create the cake shape. I wrapped it in plastic wrap and left it a couple of hours to let the layers set. I frosted it with a half mayonnaise half sour cream mix and started adding the decorations. This dish is very rich and filling and a small sliver is all most people can eat. This is meant to be a lavish. fattening indulgence, so if your looking for a low fat or vegan version please go HERE.
In Toronto we use the smörgåstårta  as a fun centrepiece in the bridal suite in the daytime before weddings.

no one would eat a slice this big