Scandinavian Brita Cake, GF

A summertime classic topped with a cloud of meringue, whipped cream, and berries

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I’ve been eyeing this dessert for a year now and have been doing experiments with the cake and meringue layers, and the time is nigh to share it.

Like a trifle in cake form, Brita cake in Finland, PInocchio kake in Sweden, as well as Verdens Beste Kake (World’s Best Cake) in Norway— are all similar cakes that are made with a vanilla sponge cake baked with a meringue topping, cooled, and layered with fresh berries and cream, or in the case of the Norwegian version, layered with pastry cream lightened with whipped cream with sliced almonds baked on top of the meringue layer. Verdens Beste Kake is well worth the trouble of the extra steps of making pastry cream, but I like this simplified version for very hot days when you want to spend a minimal amount of time in front of the stove.

I made my version with a quick, one-bowl yogurt cake and used some Greek yogurt in the whipped cream topping—not so much that it’s tangy, but enough that it serves to nicely stabilize the topping.

The cake as a whole is luscious, creamy, and made in a single layer topped with fruit which is a departure from the traditional way to make it by cutting the baked cake in half and sandwiching it. I took inspiration from the food writer Susan Spungen who makes hers in a single layer, which I found to be beautiful as well as very practical if you are transporting the cake. It makes a stunning presentation either way, and for a cake that bakes in only 20 minutes, a great summertime choice with the plethora of fruit available.