The Loaded Trunk - Summer 2020 - Sweden

THE

LOADED TRUNK A collection of inspiration for a life well lived.

SWEDEN

W H ATI N’ SS I D E ?

Mood Board

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fLighT PLan

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The Swede Life

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Take you To Sweden where i Share SoMe of My favoriTe PLaceS To eaT, ShoP and exPLore

inSPired By naTure an

advenTure in The

STockhoLM archiPeLago

PLayLiST SongS

ThaT reMind Me of Sun-Soaked dayS

The Loaded Trunk TreaSureS i’M

currenTLy Sourcing

whaT’S Brewing in

My TeacuP ThiS

SuMMer

in The workShoP wiTh...

ThoMMy BindefeLd

of

SvenkST Tenn

TaSTe ThiS

SwediSh STrawBerry cake

Copyright © 2020 Jonna Robison LLC All rights reserved

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J O U R N E Y TH RO UGH SWE D E N

Sweden is an aesthetic’s DREAM journey! Gorgeous seaside villages, long sun-drenched days, lovely green countryside and wildflowers, endless strings of picturesque islands, great museums, beautiful architecture, and so much more!

01

IRIS HANTVERK

https://www.irishantverk.se/en

03 02

ILLUMS BOLLIGHUS

https://www.illumsbolighus.com/

This small company sells a variety of ASPLUND handwoven baskets, blankets and unique https://www.asplundstore.se/ home décor, but what’s most special is the collection of beautiful handcrafted brushes for High quality contemporary furniture home and body, which are made by 6 visually and home décor in classic Nordic impaired craftsmen, according to old Swedish light and airy colors and simple brushmaking tradition. This company has scandinavian designs. been making handmade brushes since 1870!

Really lovely shop.

Image credit: Asplund

This Danish shop has branches throughout Scandinavia and in Germany. Everything is Scandinavian-designed, including, kitchenware, homeware, furniture and clothing. I particularly love the leather aprons and metal teapots with wood handles (pictured below).

Image credit: Iris Hantverk

Image credit: Illums Bollighus

04

DESIGNTORGET

https://www.designtorget.se/

FAVO R I T E DESIGN SHOPS IN STOCKHOLM Image credit: Illums Bollighus

Several branches around Sweden sell a wide variety of home décor, furniture, nick-nacks and décor for the home and garden. All items are designed by a collection of 240 Scandinavian designers. There are heaps of fun, interesting products.

https://www.malmsten.se/

Lovely collection of classic Swedish furniture (designed by Carl Malmsten), as well as lighting and homewares by other designers. Located right next door to Svenskt Tenn, and the two shops are entirely different in aesthetics, and both are fantastic.

lmst en ge c redi t: M a

MALMSTEN

Ima

05

06

VINTAGE SHOPPING Vintage & antique shopping in Vasastan, a beautiful and quietish neighborhood just north of (and walkable from) Stockholm – Several shops filled to the gills with stacks of vintage furniture, dishware, art, housewares, clothing and loads more.

Boy, did I ever wish I had a trunk to fill here. I had to RESTRAIN myself! But I did pack into my suitcase a stack of vintage Gustavsberg teacups and saucers which I enjoy using frequently.

Where to find: These two streets have a plethora of vintage shops: Upplandsgatan and Odenplan

Photo credit: Svenkst Tenn

07

SVENSKT TENN https://www.svenskttenn.se/en/

Legendary furniture and interior design shop and a must visit for design aficionados. More details below in my interview with the marketing and creative director.

Image credit: Svenkst Tenn

FUN FACT

S tockholm’s subway system consists of 100 stations, each

with unique and interesting art installations on walls, platforms or waiting halls. It’s delightful to see what awaits at each station, all of which are linked to form what is essentially one of the world’s longest art exhibitions.

D

alarna, the historical province in central Sweden, epitomizes traditional Swedish culture with its charming red cottages, brightly painted wooden Dala horses and Swedes donned in traditional dress and flower crowns making merry with singing and dancing around a Midsummer maypole.

D A L A R N A

D

The

cultural

ala horses, the perfect archetype of Swedish handicraft, have been carved by hand in the Dalarna region, the heart of Sweden, since the 1800’s. You can visit two factories in the village of Nusnäs, where you can see the process of crafting these traditional souvenirs, from carving a plain a wood block to painting & decorating a finished horse. They are traditionally red, but you can purchase them in every color of the rainbow or raw wood to paint yourself.

They are still hand carved from wood sourced from local forests and painted by hand. Each is unique and different, depending on the artist who crafted it.

I love these old symbols of Sweden!

heart

of

Sweden

Midsummer (Midsommar) is the cherished tradition centered around the summer solstice and is celebrated by feasting on a traditional Swedish smörgåsbord (including pickled herring, salmon, herbed new potatoes, bread, cheese, & schnapps), wearing flower crowns and traditional Swedish dress, and singing and making merry while dancing around the Midsummer pole. If you are fortunate enough to be in Sweden for Midsummer the celebrations in Dalarna are a delightful, cultural experience. Most of the villages have celebrations, including Sundborn, where you can enjoy a traditional lunch at Carl Larsson’s house and quaint festivities in the evening in the garden, or Leksand, where the crowd is huge and it’s quite a party.

midsummer

S

a snow white moment

taying at a Swedish stuga (tiny cottage) is a fun local experience. This adorable stuga is nestled in the forest between Orsa and Mora.

With its snug bunk beds and traditional oven, it feels a bit like being smack dab in Snow White’s cottage. The owner, Karin, leaves out a crock of butter knives, hand-carved by her father, Ingevar, along with a note to say it makes him so happy when guests take his knives home.

Carl Lars! House

&

Garden in Sundborn

T

he artist Carl Larsson and his wife, Karin, lived with their family and worked in this treasure of a house, Lilla Hyttnäs, which remains in their family and is now a museum. I absolutely loved touring this delightful home, filled with Carl’s delightful art and Karin’s handwoven textiles, and catching a glimpse into this family who seized every opportunity to celebrate life and who lived so lovingly and artfully. They painted art right onto the bare walls and there was no holding back. The house is full of color and joy, just like Carl’s art.

If you are an art or design lover, this is not to be missed! It is located in Sundborn, in the heart of the Dalarna region.

Image credits: Carl Larsson-gården

The painting directly on the wall around the doorway was a gift from Carl to Karin, who was an artist in her own right.

She was skilled at weaving and wove the textile hanging in the doorway (along with many other weavings throughout the house).

This was the guest bedroom (shown below).

Guests who slept in the little cupboard bed inscribed their names on the inside of the cupboard doors. Karin wove the tapestry adorning the blue chair and the bed covering (which pattern was created for the local townswomen to create themselves). Her work was remarkable. She was definitely ahead of her time!

KARLSBYHEDENS POTTERY Traditional pottery

workshop in Sundborn, where each piece is handpainted in cheerful floral patterns. I love my little cake plate, pictured here with kanelbullar (cinnamon buns).

Shop: Karlbyhede 32, Sundborn In summer, there’s a little shop set up near the Carl Larsson house.

WEST COAST I S L A NE D S ither visit one or two as a day trip from Gothenburg (Göteborg) or, better yet, spend a few days enjoying these scenic islands, strung along the coastline.

O R

Iaround n summer, Swedes from the country descend

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upon the islands to stay in their cottages for the season.

There’s delicious fresh seafood, boat rides, good walks and people making the most of these long summer days.

T he pretty little village of Mollösund, one of the oldest

fishing villages in Sweden, is brimming with sweet summer houses and sailboats. We rented an adorable little cottage covered in roses with delicious strawberries growing in the garden.

S T

T J ö R N

T

he lovely island of Tjörn is comprised of wooded hills, nature reserves, fishing villages and a dreamy rugged coastline.

This is a great place to visit for nature and art enthusiasts.

PILANE SCULPTURE PARK

S

heep graze alongside the interesting and unusual works of sculpture as you follow the path among the rolling green hills. It is quite fascinating and a bit surreal to view these contemporary sculptures as they sit in juxtaposition upon an ancient settlement where you can still see stones and gravesites from 2000 years ago! The gigantic white head of a woman, titled Anna, by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa, sits at the highest point of the park and can be seen from miles around.

NORDIC WATERCOLOR

M

MUSEUM

y daughter and I loved touring this interesting museum of contemporary watercolor paintings, located in the very pretty fishing village of Skärhamn. https://www.akvarellmuseet.org/en

ESCAPE TO THIS SUMMER SPOT

HAMB URGÖ This tiny island is accessible by what seems to be the shortest ferry ride ever and spent a night but wish we’d stayed longer – what a sweet place to relax, ride bikes and just enjoy!

We stayed at the most darling little place, created by a couple from Stockholm, Magnus, a photographer and Nina, a costume designer.

Nina is truly an artist, as she pieces together bits of cloth, both new and vintage to make all the bedding, curtains and decor. Simple, peaceful and CHARMING! HAMBURGÖ COTTAGES

QUICK BITES

Räksmörgås

(open-faced prawn/shrimp sandwiches throughout the west coast of Sweden) are fresh and tasty. They can be found all over, from seaside cafes to food halls. Topped with eggs, dill, cucumber and a squeeze of lemon, they are HEAVENLY!

ö stermalms Saluhall in Stockholm. This fabulous food hall, opened in 1888, is

considered to be one of the top 10 food halls in the world. European food halls are such a fantastic way to feed a group of people with a variety of tastebuds. image credit: Östermalms Saluhall

INSPIRED B Y N AT U R E Island hoppIng In stockholm archIpelago

Did you know there are 30,000 islands off the coast of Stockholm? The entire country consists of more than 260,000 islands! That tallies up to a great length of beautiful Swedish coastline and an abundance of wild nature.

Y ou can’t visit Stockholm and not experience the archipelago. We picked an island to visit and took a steamboat from central Stockholm to get there, one with numerous stops along the way over the course of a few hours. It was interesting to pass by countless rocky and forested islands, some tiny, some large, as well as watch people as they relaxed outside their charming summer cottages and sail in the sea as we simply appreciated the wild beauty of this archipelago.

O n the island of Utö we rented a cottage, rode bicycles, swam in the sea and ate the famous Utö

bread at the local bakery. What a fantastic way to soak up nature and the sublime scenery the archipelago has to offer! https://www.stockholmarchipelago.se/en/ https://waxholmsbolaget.se/

Playli" “Summer Fever” Little Big Town

“Wildflower” Tom Petty

“The Summer” Josh Pyke

“Summertime Mama” Becca Mancari

“Sunlit Juice” Henry Jamison

“Blommar dar du star”

“Amazing Day” Coldplay

“Coastline” Hollow Coves

“Watermelon Sugar” Harry Styles

“The Sound Of Sunshine” Michael Franti & Spearhead

“Life’s What You Make It” Graham Colton

“Our Last Summer”

.........

GAMMAL

ABBA

Whether you’re spending your summer sailing in the sea, strolling barefoot on a sandy beach, hiking in the wildflower-dotted mountains, swimming in the lake, or road tripping, these songs inspire that sand-in-your-toes and sunny wind-in-your-hair feeling of summer’s long, sun-drenched summer days.

Listen

to t h i s o n

s p ot i f y !

BRYR STUDIO A modern take on Swedish clogs, Bryr Studio

crafts clogs by hand in their small production studio, which also houses a retail space, in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Each pair of clogs takes about a week to create. The delicious color palette changes seasonally and clogs can be made-to-order, so if you see a color you love, snag it soon before the next range of hues replaces it. I love mine – so cute and comfy – and have another pair on the way. https://www.bryrstudio.com/

image credit: Bryr Studio

THE LOADED TRUNK L:A BRUKET This natural and organic skincare country is based on

Sweden’s west coast. L:A Bruket’s philosophy is “Innovation driven by nature, not chemicals.” They incorporate age-old sea therapy practices to formulate their products, including sustainably sourced seaweed and algae. You can order directly from their company in Sweden and they’ll ship to the US (they remove the VAT and shipping is reasonable).

They create gorgeous creams, lotions, body wash, candles, soaps, bath salts, body oil, face masks, perfume oil, dish soap and even pillow spray for sweet dreams. Try the lip balm! https://www.labruket.us/

Image credit: L:A Bruket

WHAT’S BREWING T

In my teacup this summer

he organic loose leaf teas at Mountain Rose Herbs are delicious and beautiful. I’m enjoying the ruby red Hibiscus High Tea, especially iced, on these warm summer days. The tea contains hibiscus flowers, honeybush, rosehips, lemongrass, spearmint leaf, orange peel and rose petals. With a few leaves of lemon balm or mint plucked from the garden and a spoonful of honey, it’s the perfect cooling summer infusion. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/hibiscus-high-tea/profile

IN THE WORKSHOP WITH Marketing & Creative Director of Stockholm’s legendary Svenskt Tenn

THOMMY BINDEFELD Image credit: Svenskt Tenn

One of the most creative, colorful and interesting companies I have come across i n a l l o f m y w o r l d t r a v e l s i s S v e n s k t Te n n .

In a country and culture known for its d e s i g n e x c e l l e n c e , S v e n s k t Te n n s t a n d s alone as the design visionary of Sweden.

I was thrilled when Thommy Bindefeld agreed to be interviewed for this summer issue of INSPIRED. I really enjoyed insights into the daily life of a creative director and a bit more about t h i s f a s c i n a t i n g c o m p a n y.

SVENSKT TENN But before I share the interview, I felt it would be meaningful to give y o u a b r i e f h i s t o r y o f S v e n s k t Te n n …

Estrid Ericson, an art teacher and pewter artist, launched Svenskt Tenn (“Swedish Pewter”) in Stockholm in 1924 in order to make and sell her pewter objets d’ art. She was a true visionary.

The company soon expanded to include furniture and interior design, and Ms. Ericson collaborated with a variety of hand-selected artists and designers. Meanwhile, Josef Frank, a renowned Austrian architect and former professor of Building Design at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts, left Austria for Stockholm with his Swedish wife, Anna, to escape the antisemitism that was expanding in Austria. He was known for his unique style of modernism, embracing color, comfort and artistic style. He joined Svenskt Tenn in 1934 as chief designer.

Together, Ms. Ericson and Professor Frank’s brilliant collaboration, which spanned decades, created a unique design aesthetic combining a mix of classic and modern design, exuberant color, natureinspired patterns and simple forms to create an exclusive collection of furniture, lighting, textiles, wallpaper as well as accessories.

Professor Frank left upwards of 2000 furniture sketches and 160 textile prints with the company and remains one of Sweden’s most influential designers in history. Many of his creations are still in production. Ms. Ericson remained at the helm of her company until 1975, when it was sold to the Kjell and Märta Beijer Foundation, with a promise to preserve her vision for Svenskt Tenn. 45 years later the foundation continues making good on their promise by not only preserving the company’s core values established at the very beginning, but by donating ALL profit to research in the areas of environmental sustainability, genetics, biomedicine and pharmaceuticals. Truly remarkable!

A s c r e a t i ve d i r e c t o r o f S ve n s k t Te n n , w h a t d o e s a t y p i c a l d ay l o o k l i ke f o r yo u ?

I w o u ld s ay th at n o d ay is like th e o ther one… I have a team th at w o r k s w ith all v is u al p arts o f the brand; exhibitions, th e lo o k o f th e s h o p in Sto ck h o lm, our web and produc t d evelop ment. I ’m als o res p o n s ib le for our design c o llab o ratio n s and in all the ways our brand is used and co mmu n ic ated. I ’m als o p art o f th e board of direc tors. This me an s th at I ’m ( n o rmally, w h en th ere’s not a global pan demic ) mo s t o f th e time, in s o me way, leading my team in me e tin gs an d d is cu s s io n s o n p ro duc ts and aesthetic s, f ro m general ques tio n s to d etails .

W h a t i s a n i m p o r t a n t s k i l l yo u h ave l e a r n e d w h i l e yo u ’ ve b e e n w o r k i n g i n t h i s i n d u s t r y ?

Sinc e I h ave a back gro u n d as a d es igner myself, I have a gr e at r e s p e c t for other people’s creativity and my way of w o r k in g is ve r y respectful to other people’s knowledge. If I give an id e a or an assignment to somebody that I trust, I le t th at p e r s o n go all the way and don’t interfere in their c r e ative p r o c e ss. When I see the result, I can give my inp u t, bu t n o t d u rin g th e p ro ces s . Another important le sso n I h ave le arn ed is th at ‘time’ is the most important in gr e d ie n t in making long lasting, high quality, good d e s ign . Yo u c an never stress any part of the process, the d e s igning, th e pro to ty p in g n o r th e produc tion.

My daughter was telling me about the S w e d i s h w o r d , L a g o m , a n d t h a t i t ’ s a key p a r t of Swedish culture. Is lagom something that i s r e p r e s e n t e d i n t h e c o m p a ny ?

Fo r me th e Sve n s k t Te n n ae s th e tic s is ve r y f ar f r o m ‘Lago m’, in th at s en s e Sven s k t Ten n is not typic al Swedish.

May be that’s w hy it is s o ap p reciate d both in Sweden and ab r o ad . On e h as to have in mind that Josef Frank came f ro m c en tral E uro p e an d h ad h is o rigin in another ae sth e tic s an d h eritage.

“There’s nothing wrong with mixing old and new, with combining different furniture styles, colours and patterns. Things that you like will automatically fuse to form a relaxing entity.”

- Josef Frank -

Image credits: Svenkst Tenn

Image credit: Svenskt Tenn

H o w h a s t h e b u s i n e s s evo l ve d i n t h e p a s t 1 0 - 2 0 ye a r s f o r yo u r p r o d u c t s a n d w h e r e d o yo u s e e i t g o i n g f r o m h e r e ?

I see that th e in te r e s t f o r go o d q u ality, c raf ts man s h ip and viewing a p r o d u c t f r o m a s u s tain ab le p e r s p e c tive has grown imme n s e ly. Cu s to me r s ar e mo r e an d mo r e interested in th e b ac k gr o u n d o f a c o mp any, h o w th e company is r u n an d th e h is to r y b e h in d e ac h an d eve r y product. I h o p e an d b e lieve th at af te r th e c r is is w e ar e in right now, whe n we come out on the othe r side , we will be even mo r e co n s cio u s abo u t wh at we bu y an d how things ar e p r o d u c e d . I f yo u b u y a go o d q u ality product, yo u c an h ave it f o r th e r e s t o f yo u r lif e an d the next gene ration can inhe rit it. That is sustainable !

W h e r e d o m o s t o f yo u r c u s t o m e r s c o m e from?

Of c ourse, we can’t re ally te ll whe re the custome rs visit ing the shop c o me f r o m, b u t w e k n o w th at w e h ave a lo t o f visitors comin g f r o m ab r o ad . On lin e w e c an s e e th at af te r Sweden, most custome rs come from Scandinavia, the US and UK and Ge r many. I gu e s s th at th e s e ar e th e mar ke ts where Svens k t Te n n ae s th e tics ar e ap p r e ciate d.

W h a t w o u l d yo u l i ke p e o p l e i n t h e U S t o u n d e r s t a n d a b o u t yo u r c o m p a ny t h a t yo u d o n’ t t h i n k t h ey d o r i g h t n o w ?

W h a t s e t s S ve n s k t Te n n a p a r t f r o m o t h e r c o m p a n i e s l i ke yo u r s i n S w e d e n , S c a n d i n av i a or Europe?

I h ave never, du rin g my years in retail, heard of a c ompany th at is o w n e d by a foundation and that all profit is given to r e s e ar c h . On top of that, part of our task is to secure a u n iq u e h e r itage for the future, the heritage of the f o u n d e r E s tr id Ericson, a strong and determined woman w h o , in 1 9 2 4 , started her own company, as well as the h e r itage o f o n e of the greatest designers and architects o f h is time, J os ef Fran k.

B e in g ow ned by a fo u n d atio n mean s that we c an look at all o u r dec is ion s w ith a very lo n g p ers pec tive and that prof it is imp o r tan t ( to co n tin u e s u p p o rtin g researc h) but se cur ing the bran d fo r th e fu tu re is as important.

I’m very pro u d to w o r k at a c o mp any w h e r e all p r o f it is given to res e ar c h , to a go o d c au s e f o r man k in d an d coming gene ratio n s ( in s te ad o f in to a p r iv ate o w n e r ’s poc ket) and th at we , by do in g wh at we ar e do in g, ar e sec uring some crafts man s h ip th at o th e r wis e wo u ld die out. The kno w le d ge o f s o me c raf t is s ad ly go in g to d ie with a gene ratio n th at is n o t go in g to be ar o u n d fo r mu ch longer, and this is happe ning all ove r the world.

D o yo u d i s t r i b u t e yo u r p r o d u c t s t h r o u g h a ny showrooms in the US? No, we only h ave th e o n e s h o p in Sto c k h o lm an d f o r the rest of the world we se ll online . This is a way to not over-exploit th e b ran d , th e h e r itage an d th e limite d amount of d e s ign s by J o s e f Fran k . I t’s a w ay to s e e to that the brand can live foreve r.

W h a t i n s p i r e s yo u ?

Everything! I s p e n d a lo t o f time in my gar de n du r in g spring and su mme r, an d th at give s me time to think and refle c t. I t’s ve r y in s p ir in g to s e e w h at n e w young designe rs do and to work with the m. I do a fe w projects every ye ar w ith s tu d e n ts at th e d e s ign s c h o o ls here in Stoc kh o lm, wh ich is ve r y in s p ir in g an d e n joyable .

W h a t a r e yo u r t o p 3 P l a c e s w h e r e yo u s e e k i n s p i ra t i o n i n S w e d e n ?

Ar t an d d e s ign museums such as N ationalmuseum in Sto c k h o lm an d Röhsska in Gothenburg. Swedish n atu r e - th e f orest as well as the clean and soft cliffs on the Sw e d is h w es t co as t.

Image credit: Svenskt Tenn

Image credit: Svenkst Tenn

H o w d o yo u s e l e c t t h e c o n t e m p o ra r y product designers (accessories, lighting, h o u s e w a r e s ) yo u c h o o s e t o c o l l a b o ra t e w i t h a n d c a r r y i n yo u r s h o p ?

I lo o k f o r d esigners that have an aesthetic that somehow c o n n e c ts w ith Josef Frank and the aesthetics we work with. B ut s ometimes it is als o in teresting to work with a d e s ign e r th at has a different design language like, for examp le , th e Finnish designer, Harri Koskinen, who n o r mally r e duces and takes away. For us, he instead ad de d an d d id tw o b eau tifu l lamps that really work well at Sve n s k t Te n n .

J o s e f Fra n k ’ s i c o n i c t ex t i l e d e s i g n s w e r e o bv i o u s l y i n s p i r e d by b o t a ny. H o w d o e s nature continue to inspire products into their design projects?

Sin c e h is d e s ign is th e fo u n d atio n of our design, eve r y th in g that we add also had a connection to or in s p iratio n fro m n atu re.

Image credit: Svenskt Tenn

H o w d o yo u l o o k a t t h e u s e o f c o l o r a n d p a t t e r n a t S ve n s k t Te n n ? I t ’ s q u i t e a c o n t ra s t f r o m t h e t y p i c a l S w e d i s h a e s t h e t i c o f c l e a n l i n e s a n d s i m p l i c i t y. products into their design projects?

I t’s o ften said th at Jo s ef Fran k brought c olor to Sweden, wh ich is n o t really true if you look at his tor ic al arts an d crafts , b u t he c ertainly brought c o lor to Swed en at a time w h en f unc tionalism, min imalis m an d mo d ern is m w ere at their peak. From th e time of th e Wo rld Exh ib ition in Stoc kholm in 1 9 3 0 , th e s o b e r and “color-less” became synonymous with Sw e d is h d e s ign .

W h a t a r e t h e 3 a l l - t i m e f avo r i t e t ex t i l e p a t t e r n s a n d 3 a l l - t i m e f avo r i t e i t e m s c u s t o m e r s l ove t o p u r c h a s e f r o m S ve n s k t Te n n ?

- Pr in ts Gr ö n a F åglar (Green b ird s ) Te h e ran M anh attan - Clas s ic D es ign s Th e c an dle h o ld er Vän s k ap s k n u ten (The Knot of Fr ien ds h ip) Th e We llp ap p (Co rru gated ) cabinet Th e Liljev alch s s o fa - N e w D e s ign s Th e Dagg v as e (d es ign - Carin a Seth Andersson) Th e Flas k vas e (d es ign - M ich ael Anastassiades) Fabr ic An acap ri (d es ign - Lars N ilsson)

TASTE THIS Swedish Strawberry Cake

Strawberry cake is a classic dessert for Midsummer (Midsommar) when Swedes celebrate light and the longest day of the year. Traditionally a sponge cake is lavished with vanilla cream, strawberries and whipped cream. Everyone tends to make their own version. I tested recipes and experimented until I came up with my own adaptation.

VANILLA PASTRY CREAM (Make several hours ahead or the day before) • • • • • • •

2 cups whole milk 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped 1 Tbsp vanilla extract 1 egg + 3 egg yolks 2/3 cup caster sugar 1/2 cup flour 3 Tbsp butter, softened

In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a boil with the vanilla bean seeds & vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk sugar and flour together.

Add egg and egg yolks to flour mixture, whisking until smooth and well combined. While whisking, gradually add hot milk until smooth.

Return mixture to the saucepan and whisk constantly over medium heat, while scraping bottom and sides of pan.

Turn heat to low and simmer 1 to 2 minutes until thick.

Remove from heat, add butter and whisk to combine.

Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap pressing directly onto the creamto prevent a skin from forming.

Refrigerate until cool, several hours or overnight.

CAKE • 2-1/4 cups sifted cake flour • 1 tsp salt • 1-1/2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp baking soda • 3/4 cup butter, softened • 3 eggs + 2 egg whites • 3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 1 tsp lemon zest Whisk dry ingredients together and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat for about 2 minutes.

Then beat in sour cream, vanilla extract and lemon zest.

Beat in flour mixture on low speed just untilcombined.

Pour into buttered and floured 9” cake pans. Bake at 350° F / 180° C for approximately 23-25 minutes until toothpick inserted in center is clean when removed.

Cool on wire racks.

ASSEMBLE CAKE Wash 2 pints of fresh strawberries and to half of them, remove green tops and cut into approximately ¼” slices.

Make a whipped cream using 2 cups heavy cream, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Cut cake layers in half. Place one half on cake plate, spread a layer of vanilla pastry cream, a thick layer of whipped cream and scatter sliced strawberries. Repeat with remaining layers.

Add whole fresh strawberries to the very top and dust lightly with powdered sugar. Enjoy this heavenly cake which tastes like Swedish summer!

Note: To make the smaller cake pictured I halved the recipe and baked the cake in two 6” pans.

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Concept by Jonna Robison Produced by Sophie Robison Authored by Jonna Robison All photographs (except where noted)

by Jonna Robison