Earning your Christmas Stripes (Vinarterta:)

There is a tradition in my family, drawn from the Icelandic lines (another punny reference to its black and white striped appearance).  The tradition's name is Vinarterta.

From Great-Grandmothers (Amma) to Grandma, to my Mom, to me, and I'll teach the kids--so this one's for family and friends who want to try it.  I recommend a party:)  Kick off the holiday baking with some coffees, maybe a hot cocoa, or mulled wine, etc...

If you're in Canada, the square tins are out in the shops now, and it fits in a big one, making it just right for aging in a cool area...

Vinarterta

1 cup butter

1 ½ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 cups flour

3 tablespoons cream

1 tablespoon almond extract

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, cream, and almond extract.

Then add the flour, baking powder, and cardamom.  Mix.

Divide dough into 5 balls.

Pat each into greased 9 inch round or 8 inch square pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F. until light brown, (About 20 minutes)

Prune Filling:

            375 grams pitted prunes

            ¾ cup white sugar

            ½ cup prune juice (water the prunes were cooked in)

            1 tablespoon cinnamon

            1 tablespoon vanilla

Cover prunes with water in a pot.  Cook until tender.  Add sugar, cinnamon and ½ cup of water in which the prunes were cooked.  Bring to a boil and cook until thickened a little.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Cool and then spread on all but one of the layers.  Stack the layers.  To the top add the layer that is without filling.

Tips from my mom and I on assembly (which you can't get in just any old recipe--and this really is an old recipe!)  

• Let the cake layers cool completely, and let the filling cool too--I know it says that in the recipe, but I'm EMPHAsizing it, because if you rush it, you mush it!
• Mom puts the first layer of each cake onto enough plastic film to wrap the whole cake, so it's ready to store in its container, and you're not having that big moment of holding a heavy five layer cake wishing it won't break while you precisely load it into the tin.
• Because I like to be sure I'm evenly distributing the filling, I set the four layers flat, and do it that way.
• I've left the filling a couple mms shy of the edges for only the bottom layer, and right to the edges on the rest- because the weight of the top layers press it out just a little more on the bottom layer.
• Once you have it all distributed, the next step is assembly: place the first layer, on its plastic wrap, into the container, with the plastic coming up and over the sides, ready to wrap the whole thing...
• Stack the filling-topped layers onto each other, into the tin, take a moment to anticipate the flavours on Christmas Eve, and wrap it up!    

Let ripen for 3 – 4 weeks in a cool place (not the fridge, but you don't want it too warm or it could spoil).  After it's ripened, freeze if you like, or just keep it refrigerated.

Credit to my mom for this one, and her years of making it for the tips--Thanks!!!!