Um, I'm sorry, but no. Those pictures makes me shudder. Sorry, Sweden!

OMG I've never heard of this before but I am in love! As a strict vegetarian, I will find a way to make it work. BTW, the second link for a vegetarian version is in another language.

oh ick

if I visit sweden I'll try it, but ick

so how do you slice it without making a holy mess? and is it eaten w/a fork? I'd like to see a slice on a plate.

I'm with jaimemariel- I'm a vegetarian but I love this idea. Most of the links aren't in English, though, and they do seem to skim over the "how to plate and eat this" part of it. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to give it a try and see what happens.

A gallery of regrettable foods.

I don't understand why this is grossing people out...it looks delicious to me! Perhaps they aren't fans of moist sandwiches, or a sandwich you might have to eat with a fork? To each their own, I guess!

OMG, I find my self irrationally enraged at that cake. Damn you, cake! Why aren't you a cake? Why are you full of hardboiled eggs and ham!? CAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!

(The last bit should be delivered like Shatner)

Yes, count me in as disgusted.

@babygrace, couldn't tell you why it's grossing me out. Maybe it's that when I read "cake", I think of frosting and sweetness, so it's jarring to see hard boiled eggs and shrimp.

Also is that first image frosted in mayo? Double barf

When Horribly Tacky Foods Attack.

Having lived in Sweden, let me tell you these are oh so yummy. Do not judge, until you taste.

Gross. I'm totally skeeved out by sandwiches that are made in advance and get soggy. The thought of it makes me gag. (20+ years out I'm still traumatized by the memory of the grammar school cafeteria) This is like a soggy sandwich times 10. All I can think of is soggy bread and too much mayo.

Also, this looks like the stuff of all those highly questionable cookbooks of the 50s.

It's gross because these involve so much gunk on them. The concept of using mayo or soft cheeses as a frosting for bread is a bit much. Then add in the hard boiled eggs, the shrimps, what seems to be tuna salad in the first one. Cholesteral heaven.

I'm in love. Those look awesome.

One year my step-mother made me a sushi cake for my birthday -- rice, seaweed, smoked salmon, cucumber etc... in the shape of a fan. Best birthday cake ever!

hey hey hey, americanos! :)
I'm Swedish and I grew up with this...those of you that are grossed out haven't got it at all...it ain't "soggy" or gross...it's absolutely deliscious! and the best part is that you can use what ever you like in them!! meat lovers, sea food lovers, meat and sea food lovers, veggies, vegans...mix everythingm meat, eggs, veggies, fruit, sea food, you name it, as you like!! you will love it! try it before you judge it! or come to sweden and have a taste over here...it's well worth it! just sayin! :)

Yep, this definitely qualifies for an induction into the Gallery of Regrettable Foods.

Undoubtedly, these are tasty, and if put in front of me, I would certainly eat it (what can I say...I'm not picky, and I sure the h-e-double-hockey-sticks don't go hungry)...but these are DISGUSTING looking.

Number 6? I would rue the day someone stuck and candle in that and shoved it in my face.

At first I was horrified...but now, oh my god I want to make one! Perfect for my friends birthday. She hates cake and loves sandwiches.

This looks amazing, especially the first one. I am definitely making this for my birthday next month.
Sweden and Finland had some of the tastiest and most unforgettable foods I've ever had...absolutely love the sandwich options there.

In love with the first glimpse.
I'd love to make this to take to a pot luck! Of course, if my friends responded like some AT readers, then I'd be pretty disappointed. Maybe better to make it and keep it all for myself!

They serve something like this at some of the special Ikea Smorgasbords (Easter, Christmas, Midsommer, etc.) and they are really good. They are very light and tasty; although, less ornate and cake-like in appearance.

Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime has a YouTube episode on Smorgascake. It may clarify how such cakes are made (hilariously).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYBkDxao3wg&feature=related

i appreciate all the artistry & work that probably went into these, but blick. i'm sorry, but...BLICK. *shudder* lol

mmm...love at first sight! thanks for enlightening me with this swedish cake!! :D

Ok, I am not going to yuck anyone's yum here, but please people, for the love of humanity, don't eat a seafood-based sandwich cake in a crowded cubicle style office space or other places where people are packed in, like Amtrak for example. I spend several hours on the northeast corridor line trying not to get sick while the guy next to me gobbled a super-sized portion of a shrimp and cream cheese "cake".

That video was gross and funny at the same time. What a train wreck! Mayo AND whipped cream together? Some of the look good, but I'm not too keen on soggy bread either.

Um... these are not appetizing... at all!

me wants them, my precious

The 70s are back!!

Yes! Too bad my husband hates mayo, or I'd be looking for a reason to make one ASAP.

Awesome and terrifying at the same time...

At first glance, I was grossed out. But then, upon seeing that it's a Swedish thing, I forgave the cake. I'd give it a shot!

What a great idea!

Wow I think they look really cool! I like the idea of doing something a bit different and special with a sandwich. I'm a vegetarian too I'd really like to have a go at a veggie version just for fun. It is perhaps a bit 70's but not in the nasty processed 70's way. I think this would be really fun for a party.

I like the individual ones. They look more like a super sized canapé. I'd make those.

Love them! They would make a crowd burst into applause when you put them down, just for sheer exuberance!

My mother made ladylike pastel sandwich loaves for fancy occasions in the 1960's, and it's the same principle. They didn't get soggy at all - it's a matter of choosing the right fillings and layering them properly.

Oy..........

What else is there to say?

Ugh. Not surprised these are from Sweden. I was so sick of sandwhiches by the time I left there. Stockholm has the worst food out of any city I've been to with Helsinki being second, imho.

I just served sandwich cakes at my housewarming party. These are so the next big food trend. They are totally delicious, and they've made a comeback in Nordic parts for the funny retro vibe.

I've made them with goat cheese and mascarpone, and a Greek version with feta, olives etc.

They're a party food, not an every day food. If you eat birthday cake, you can stop screaming about cholesterol now.

Isn't this just like the sandwich loafs that were all the rage in the 50s? There was one at my 50s-themed bridal shower and it was quite tasty. You have to use a very dense bread so taht it doesn't get soggy.

I guess I'm with most everybody else on this one - the ones that say "Hey, look! I'm a CAKE!" don't appeal to me, but I love the individual cakes on the first line. I think those would be great for a shower or tea. The south still believes firmly in the tea sandwich for such events, and I think something special and different would be a big hit. Adding it to the party ideas file!

I'm laughing, imagining the reactions of the four year olds at my son's birthday party this weekend if I made one of these for them!

I used to read this American woman's food blog, who lived in Finland at the time. The whole blog was mostly complaining about how everything was cooked wrong in Finland. She'd keep looking things up in a dictionary and then complain that something that is clearly called a "tart" in Finnish ("torttu") is not even a tart at all, and even worse, in Swedish, "tårta" means "cake". She was upset because she thought this meant Finns and Swedes did not understand cooking properly. It didn't make sense to her that different languages had words that sounded like an English word, but then did not mean the same thing.

She took it upon herself to take all these incorrect Finnish recipes and fix them, so the "torttu" would actually be a tart, and so on. She had the Cook's Illustrated style of obsessively doing it over until she considered it "perfect".

In this way, she destroyed her way through most of Finnish cooking. She has thankfully since then moved back to America, where everything is cooked the way it's supposed to be.

This is a way of saying, just because different cultures have ideas about food that are different from American ideas, doesn't mean that they are necessarily wrong.

(I can only imagine some of these readers' reactions if this was the first time they saw sushi. "Eww raw fish, that is so wrong.")

Genius! How have I lived so long without encountering one of these? Perfect for Game Day potluck.

Seeing as how most of these recipes aren't even in english, and the first one in the pack doesn't use mayonnaise or whipped cream… I'm not so sure from where all this disgust is coming. Look at the Panini Happy post again. That sandwich looks läckra!

Cuban's make a "Cake de Bocadito," which sounds just like the sandwich loafs that JONLIZ remembers, and like the smorgastarta. The fillings can be chicken salad, ham salad, egg salad, tuna, preserves, etc. My mother ordered one for a party years ago and I can tell all the naysayers on this thread that it was absolutely addictive. If you like the fillings, white bread and cream cheese, you will like the "cake." It's like a giant tea sandwich.

Psh. I'm surprised at how disgusted people are of this. I'm Swedish, and have tasted lots of smörgåstårtas, and IT'S DELICIOUS. Don't judge it too harshly! At least we Swedes don't fry everything, like you Americans... ;) And no, they aren't frosted in just mayo. That would be disgusting. You commonly use créme fraiche/sour cream, often with a little (emphasis on the little) bit mayo mixed in.

I understand that this is a recipe blog, but I don't quite understand what to make of this trend of announcing to the entire world that something is disgusting and that there is no way you're going to eat it. I have been having problems with my parents doing this loudly in restaurants and at social events and I cringe every time it happens.

Some quintessentially American foods can seem strange to people who did not grow up eating them, too. I've yet to declare something disgusting and refuse to eat it at my mother-in-law's table, though!

An example is pumpkin pie. I can't for the life of me wrap my head around taking a vegetable, and sweetening and pureing it and turning it into a dessert. If it's done with pumpkin, why not cauliflower? Tomatoes? Peas?

I wouldn't call it disgusting, and I have tried it many times. It's not for me, but I am sure it makes perfect sense in context and if you grew up with it.

I'm completely intrigued. I can totally see this being one of those things that your inner eight-year-old wants to flee in terror from, but then ends up being super, life-changingly awesome. Like the first time you try sushi and you're convinced that you're going to throw up, but then it's amazing and you go on a total sushi bender and wipe out an entire paycheck. Wait...that didn't happen to everybody in college? Oh.

I'm Belgian and have lived in 7 countries (Canada inclusive) and travelled to many many more. I love cooking dishes from all over the world. The reactions here surprise me a bit. I bet most of you have not even tried to make this Smörgåstårta.In Belgium too we eat a lot of mayo sandwiches, or cream cheese mixed with something (fish, ham,...). The bread is not soggy by lunch time (perhaps buy some good quality bread?). And none of my kids have suffered food poisoning from taking mayo sandwiches to school for lunch. Of course, never in warm weather.
The sandwich cake from panini happy looks delicious and I will try it out.

They sure are colorful. I give it six months before these are all over the DIY wedding blogs - probably in mini sizes.

Yea not sure I'd eat any of these..at all.

Ummm....does nobody like bagel and lox? This looks like the ULTIMATE bagel and lox. I can't wait to try this! Can you imagine serving at a brunch? yum.

Also surprised at the dislike expressed in previous comments. Count me in. I'd love to try some of them. Then again I like double-decker club sandwiches with tomato, bacon, turkey, ham, cheese, lettuce, avocado, and mayo. And I'll own up to a guilty pleasure in "layer-dip" concoctions in the midwest as well as a layered caviar pie which seems to smorgastarta without the bread. I'm sure some hipster foodcart or coffeeshop will start doling them out here in Portland and we'll have insta-cool.

im not a snob but i feel SO SAD and slightly depressed at all the negative comments here. yeah yeah everyone is entitled to their opinion but truly these look delicious to me. i dont take it personally but it still makes me sad. i feel like asking "whats the matter with americans?" :-( -born in detroit.

I can haz with pickles?

Look like salad sandwiches gone wild! They look brilliant and I think I must be making one coz I can't imagine them turning up in local eateries soon. My Australian point of view is "Mmmmm, food..."

@ Katepk: Your "highly questionable 50s cookbook" comment made me laugh so hard I spit out my Smorgastrata. You nailed it!

*smorgastarta :/

I think cake is just the worst (well most of them) so I would love to try this! They look so funny.

I'm a vegetarian and I think these look wonderful! I'm going to try this for my next party.

Sandwich cakes are very polarizing for Americans, but then again almost anything is.

Woah, this is freaking genius. I'm totes doing this for my next fancy potluck!

That vid is hilarious @anniet, thanks for sharing.

As for the yuck-sayers, you're boring. If you don't want to try something new, this probably isn't the blog for you.

Did these get Americanized into six foot long hoagies?

Yeah, I remember when one of my Ameican colleagues went looking for a McDonalds in Rome. You, Americans, are soo-o conservative :))).
The things are so delicious looking and (judging by ingredients) tasting, totally bought and going to make me one of those.

Those things look epic!

While it does feel like something you'd see in an orange tint within a 70s party hosting cookbook, I would happily eat the hell outta these and if someone I knew wanted to go to all the effort, I'd embrace the novelty! Sure would taste good

As an American married to a Swede, who lived in Sweden, let me confirm that sandwich cakes are f-ing disgusting.

I love my husband and his country! I love seafood! But these are absolutely an abomination to my American palate. I can't help it. It's a bunch of ice-cold unflavored seafood pasted onto white bread with mayonnaise. Yes, imagine the glue needed to hold all this together.

i can't imagine how some of these readers would behave when they go to a party and say such things when presented with something they don't like the look of. have you at least tried it? i enjoy sandwiches so i'm going to give it a go.

I think these look great. I wish I could figure out a way to incorporate them into my grain free Primal way of eating, as I do still miss sandwiches...and cake! (I admit, a few are a bit odd, including one lumpy salmony one, and the one with kiwi/tomatoes/radishes...kiwi could not possibly taste good with the other ingredients.)

It would be very hard for me to travel to Sweden and not partake in sandwiches like these or openfaced ones...especially with shrimp and dill.

I think most of the readers must be too young to remember the "tea sandwich" loaves that were a common part of baby showers and bridal showers in the 60's in America (well in California, at least). Usually, they consisted of a layer of ground ham, a layer of tuna salad, & a layer of egg salad. All separated by layers of white bread and cream cheese with a cream cheese "frosting" on the outside. They were served chilled and were actually pretty tasty! I never saw one decorated quite as elaborately as these Smorgastratas though.

These look amazing, and as with a lot of other Scandinavian food, if you let how it looks/sounds turn you off to it, you're probably missing out big time and you're a total sucker.

here's one way to do it, HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THIS??!! :)))

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSRr0EzVEYM&feature=related

What a bunch of childish remarks! If you haven't tried it, then you don't know what it tastes like, do you? Be open minded... Sandwiches are good, right? So you just mix in an orderly way a few flavors, and the result is delicious. My Mom, who is Swedish, makes her with four layers: chicken, ham, egg salad and tuna. On the outside she covers it with a blue cheese cream, and it is absolutely amazing. She catered for many years and this was one of her most ordered plates. On the other hand, in my country people make this horrible Cheez Whiz and deviled ham sandwich cake which I hate... It's a matter of using the right ingredients. It doesn't get soggy and it not a mess to eat. Give it a try, you might just discover a new favorite.

I'm not saying they wouldn't taste good, but those photos are so raunchy to me! Talk about unappetizing!

I'm amazed at how rude people are in their comments...especially those either unfamiliar with this 'cake' or even unwilling to go check out some of the posts and get their facts straight.

The top one is frosted with a combination of cream cheese and sour cream and I think it's beautiful. Just because it's not customary for our American palate does not make it bad.

Makes me want to make one!

This looks so good...just wish the recipes were in english so I could under stand them!!!

I was so intrigued by this idea and just made a gluten free version so my hubby can have something substantial to eat at a BBQ we are attending tomorrow.

I hope the people there aren't as close minded and rude as some who have commented on this blog post.

I understand that seeing a cake shape (traditionally sweet) and discovering it is in fact, a sandwich (traditionally savory) may be a little surprising. But I am in awe of how many people are SO opposed to this. It's a sandwich for crying out loud!

I'm fascinated by my stomach-churning reaction to these pictures. I don't understand why I'm grossed out, but I am...

I want to love these but am revolted

They look so yummy!!

Aw, I like it! What a great idea for a healthier office birthday choice. Instead of everyone eating cake on top of their regular lunch, the office could have this for lunch instead! Could be a great idea for a catering business...

And I don't think using cream cheese or mayo as frosting is gross at all...most sweetened frostings use exactly the same ingredients, they just also include a ton of sugar.

best comments ever. haahaaa.

Along the same lines as the "sandwich glacée" my father-in-law used to make each Christmas:
http://www.radio-canada.ca/emissions/l_epicerie/2011-2012/recette.asp?idDoc=1574
Grocery stores in Quebec sell special coloured (red, green) sliced loaves of bread to give them festive colours.

i love cake! i love savory!

I, too, was a little grossed out by this.

Cue trip to nordic country! I was curious but still apprehensive (and I ate lots of weird stuff let me tell you). I have family members make this so I could "just try it."

I ate my words... and massive amounts of the cake. With a knife and fork of course. It was SO good. Really it is so much better than the sum of it's parts! It does seem a bit 50s to us, but there its a normal thing!

"Fruit and liverwurst sandwich cake."

Those words simply do not go together.

Count me as a member of the I Hate Soggy Bread club.

Kitchn, how about a simple translated version. I would give it a try.

i'm so excited to make this on christmas day with the christmas dinner left overs (we are having our holiday dinner on christmas eve). this is going to be the highlight of our holiday dinner.