Instead of cake: Liquorice

Instead of a wedding cake – Liquorice

Forget the usual wedding cake and consider serving a liquorice buffet instead! It’s guaranteed to be a unique ‘cake table’. Here are some amazing reasons why this could be the perfect choice for you. We Swedes have a real soft spot for liquorice. As Swedes, our love of liquorice is deeply rooted in our cultural heritage. Including a liquorice buffet at your wedding is the perfect tribute to Swedish tastes!

01. Nuts, such as almonds or cashews, coated in liquorice powder offer a lovely crunch and an intense liquorice flavour.

02. Maccarones – Although they may not be as common as classic flavours like vanilla, chocolate or raspberry, if you’re a liquorice fan, they make the perfect dessert for your liquorice buffet!

03. For those who love crème brûlée: a classic crème brûlée flavoured with liquorice and topped with a caramelised sugar crust for a crispy contrast.

04. Liquorice ice cream! A refreshing and creamy ice cream flavoured with liquorice, served in small ice-cream cups!

05. Chocolate pralines with liquorice: The perfect combination of two fantastic flavours that complement each other. The sweetness of the chocolate is balanced by the spiciness of the liquorice, creating a harmony for all liquorice lovers!

So with that in mind, why not let the magic of liquorice take centre stage at your wedding? It’s a way of celebrating our Swedish heritage whilst creating a memorable and unique experience for you and your guests. Who knows, perhaps the liquorice buffet will become the new trend for weddings in Sweden!

A few facts about liquorice:

Liquorice is made from the liquorice root. Liquorice extract is extracted from the roots. This is used to make ‘pure’ 100% liquorice. There isn’t much liquorice in liquorice sweets – just 1–6 per cent – so black colouring is added to make them black: E153, vegetable carbon.

To make soft liquorice, such as Finnish liquorice, wheat flour and sugar are mixed with liquorice. And to make salty liquorice, salmiak – a synthetic salt, ammonium chloride – is added. The liquorice extract is then used to flavour all sorts of different sweets, toffees, fudge, sugar caramels and so on.

In Iceland, people began mixing liquorice with chocolate early on, and liquorice chocolate is currently very popular. Liquorice is widely used in baking and cooking. Liquorice can also be used for external applications. This trendy liquorice has been prized for thousands of years, both for its flavour and for its healing properties. For example, liquorice is anti-inflammatory, expectorant, soothing to the skin and helps raise blood pressure. It also masks bitter tastes and was therefore used in many medicines in the past. Did you know, for example, that liquorice roots were found amongst the treasures in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun?