Country:  Norway

Prep./cook time: 1.5 - 2 hours

Ingredients:

Cake

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 eggs (separated)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tablespoon cold water

Filling

• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 + 1/2 cup half-and-half (half cream, half milk)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strawberry (or apricot) jam (warmed and strained)
• 1 pint fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• Topping
• 1 + 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Steps:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees celsius.

Cake

1. Blend flour and baking powder.
2. Whip egg whites until fluffy.
3. Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff and meringue-like.
4. Beat egg yolks until frothy.
5. Fold egg yolks and flour mixture into the egg whites.
6. Divide batter between two pans.
7. Bake layers for 30 minutes or until center springs back.

Custard Filling

1. Mix egg yolks, butter, cornstarch, half-and-half and sugar in a small saucepan.
2. Cook, stirring over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and thick.
3. Remove from heat and cool.
4. Stir in vanilla.

Assembly

1. Cut layers into two.
2. Put a bottom layer on the plate
3. Moisten with orange juice.
4. Spread with 1/2 custard.
5. Top with a layer.
6. Moisten with orange juice.
7. Spread with jam.
8. Reserve a few nice strawberries for garnish on top.
9. Slice strawberries and place on top of jam.
10. Top with a layer.
11. Moisten with orange juice.
12. Spread remaining custard on layer.
13. Top with final layer.
14. Moisten with orange juice.
15. Whip cream and flavour with powdered sugar and vanilla. 
16. Ice with whipping cream. 
17. Garnish with preserved strawberries or other fruits: grapes (cut in half), kiwis (sliced), mandarin oranges (from a can works) and blueberries. Bananas can work also but they go brown after a while.

Tips/Tricks:

I haven't mastered getting the cake to be as thick as I remember Grandma's being (might be an Alberta/BC thing), so I do two layers and have the middle be both custard and jam. In which case you could half the custard (but I like custard, so I make what is here and only use half).

Why this recipe?