ᚠ The Ultimate Viking Sweet Treat: Honey, Apple & Hazelnut Cake (We Tried It!) ᚠ
When we picture Vikings feasting in a longhouse, most of us imagine endless roasted meats, hearty stews, and horns of mead. But it turns out the Norse had a serious sweet tooth, too! While they didn't have refined sugar or chocolate, they made incredible use of what nature provided.
I decided to recreate one of their classic sweet treats—a honey-baked apple and hazelnut cake—and honestly, we tried this at home and it was absolutely delicious! It turns out dense, rich, and wonderfully chewy with an incredible caramelised honey flavor.
If you want to give it a go yourself, here is how the Vikings used to make it over their open hearths, along with the quick modern recipe I used so you can try it in your own kitchen!
🍯 What the Vikings Used (The Ingredients)
Back in the day, the Norse relied strictly on seasonal, wild ingredients they could forage or farm:
- Wild Hazelnuts: Foraged in huge quantities for healthy fats, protein, and a deep, nutty flavor.
- Apples: Highly prized in Norse mythology (associated with Idunn, the goddess of youth). Fresh in summer, or dried and stored in root cellars for the winter.
- Raw Honey: Their absolute luxury sweetener! Beehives provided the only primary sugar in the Viking diet.
- Eggs: Gathered from farmstead chickens or wild bird nests to bind it all together.
- Butter or Lard: Used generously to grease their heavy cooking stones.
🪵 How They Made It Back Then (The Old Way)
Without modern ovens or refined flour, making a treat like this over a hearth fire was a real craft:
- Grinding & Chopping: They crushed wild hazelnuts using heavy hammerstones against flat mortar stones, and sliced dried apples fine using their seaxes (small utility knives).
- Mixing: In a carved wooden bowl, they mixed the crushed nuts, chopped apples, thick raw honey, and beaten eggs into a thick, sticky paste.
- The Soapstone Griddle: Instead of an oven, they cooked over the central open fire (langeldr). They used a flat soapstone griddle or iron bakestone rested directly over low embers.
- Cooking: After slathering the hot stone with fresh butter, they spread the batter flat and slow-cooked it, carefully flipping it with a wooden spatula until it was golden-brown and sticky.
🍳 The Modern Recipe (How to Make It Today)
I adapted the traditional method for a standard modern oven, and it takes under 30 minutes. It requires no flour at all, making it naturally gluten-free!
Ingredients:
- 200g Hazelnuts (toasted and finely chopped)
- 100g Dried Apple Rings (finely diced)
- 250g Raw Honey
- 3 Large Eggs (beaten)
- 1 tbsp Butter (for greasing)
- Optional twist: 1 tsp cinnamon or cardamom (the Vikings actually brought these spices back via trade routes!).
Instructions:
- Prep Your Oven: Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F / Gas Mark 4). Line a baking dish or round tart tin with baking paper and grease it lightly with butter.
- Combine the Good Stuff: In a mixing bowl, toss together your chopped hazelnuts and diced dried apples. Pour in the honey and give it a good stir until everything is coated.
- Add the Eggs: Pour in the beaten eggs and mix thoroughly until you get a thick, wet batter.
- Bake: Spread the mix evenly into your prepared pan. Bake for about 15–20 minutes until the top turns a rich, golden brown and feels set.
- Cool & Slice: Let it cool down completely in the tin before slicing—it firms up into a brilliant chewy, bar-like texture.
My Personal Serving Tip: It’s great on its own, but serving it slightly warm with a dollop of thick Greek yogurt or Skyr, plus an extra little drizzle of warm honey on top, takes it to another level!
📊 Quick Measurement Conversion Chart (UK / Metric ➔ US)
For our members outside the UK, here is a handy quick-reference chart to convert the recipe measurements:
| Ingredient / Setting | UK / Metric | US Equivalent |
| Hazelnuts | 200g | 2 Cups |
| Dried Apples | 100g | 1 Cup |
| Raw Honey | 250g | ¾ Cup |
| Butter | 15g (1 tbsp) | 1 tbsp |
| Oven Temp | 175°C (Gas Mark 4) | 350°F |
Give it a try and let me know what you think—have any of you experimented with historical recipes like this before?
