Norwegian Julecaka

In our family you simply can’t have Christmas without it—my Norwegian grandmother’s traditional Julecaka (Jule–Christmas–caka). Absolutely delicious, this yeast bread is infused with hand-ground cardamom spice and candied fruits. My grandmother Emma, who lived until 104, was four years old when she and her family immigrated to America from Norway. My mother learned from her and passed the tradition on to both my sister and me. My daughter is now 18 and can bake Julecaka as well. 

A few weeks before Christmas my mother would begin baking. Oh, how we anticipated those first loaves! Once they emerged from the oven, they had to cool to the degree they’d permit the tasty powdered-sugar glaze. But oh, the joy with our first bite—bread toasted under the oven broiler so the dripping frosting didn’t kill the toaster—slathered with fresh butter. Ah, the sweet taste of Christmas. My mother’s piano accompanied us with every relocation our family undertook. She’d vigorously play traditional Christmas carols. Sing, eat, sing, eat, then eat some more. 

Buying baked goods or even bread from the store was inconceivable to us. We baked everything. After I Ieft home for college and eventually attended grad school, I brought this tradition with me. My roommates didn’t have the appreciation inherent within my own tradition, but no one ever turned down a slice of bread.

Twenty-six years into my marriage with Mark brings the same anticipation of this bread. Even before harvesting and decorating a fresh tree early in December, I begin baking. Mark likes Julecaka so much that I bake additional loaves to keep in our deep freeze for post-holiday treats. I love cherries, so I altered the recipe to replace some of the diced candied fruit with candied cherries. A circle of friends expect their annual loaf! 

Norwegian Julecaka Recipe

To crush the cardamom seeds, we would open the pods and use a chef’s knife to meticulously grind the seeds to bits. I now use my spice grinder. This spice is essential to the bread; you’ll get the best flavor from fresh seeds.

3 cups whole milk

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 beaten eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed

2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1 cup candied fruit

2 cups raisins

1 teaspoon crushed cardamom spice 

Glaze

2–4 tablespoons milk

1 cup powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla

Scald milk (heat milk until it reaches 181 degrees Fahrenheit). Add butter, sugar, and salt. Let cool to warm (100–110 degrees). Add the eggs, then add 4 cups of flour and yeast. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Let the dough sit for 20 minutes. Add in the candied fruit, raisins, and cardamom spice, plus enough additional flour for kneading. 

Knead the dough. Cover the bread bowl with a clean, dry cloth, then place in an oven with the light on where the dough will slowly rise, usually for around 45 minutes, depending on the warmth of the room. It will double in size—when you poke the bread it will spring back slowly and leave an indent. Punch it down, then let it rise again as before. Shape into loaves (size depends on how large you want them—2 or 3). Let them rise a third time. Loaves will increase to almost twice their size. [1]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until done, at least 45 minutes (the internal temperature should be 180–200 degrees). Keep an eye on the bread; when the tops of the loaves begin looking too brown, cover them with foil.  

Let cool completely, then make a sugar glaze to drizzle on top. Whisk 2 tablespoons of milk into the sugar. Continue to add milk a spoon at a time as needed to form a thick consistency. Then, add in the vanilla. You want the glaze to be thick! Drizzle across the bread loaves and use the back of a spoon to spread it out. 

Let cool. Slice. Butter up. Enjoy.

[1] Guide on allowing bread to rise

The featured image is courtesy of Mary Miller and is used with her kind permission for Cultivating.

Mary Miller

Mary has cherished life-long literary dreams coupled with a passion for ministry, all of which lead her to study English literature and later theology and counseling in seminary. She has been designing artisan jewelry for nine years while homeschooling son Ian and daughter Julianna. After 14 years of ministry in San Diego she and her husband Mark Miller, along with their teenagers and cat, Lord Peter Wimsey relocated to Charlottesville, VA where they enjoy farm life, chickens and all. Mary enjoys off-the-wall humor, gardening, cooking, and curling up with anything penned by Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, or Jane Austen.

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