Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake

This delicious Hjónabandssaela - Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake recipe features an easy rolled oats and cardamom base and streusel topping pressed into a cake tin that is filled with sweet rhubarb for a slice of spring at it's finest!

Iceland has some incredible dishes that I’m yet to delve into and this rhubarb bake has been on the list whilst we patiently waited for longer days and rhubarb season to appear.

History of Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake

In Icelandic this is called Hjónabandssaela which translates to a variety of names from Happy Marriage Cake to Wedded Bliss. With the exact origins of the dish not clear, however, the ingredients can be found easily and it requires little effort to whip up meaning anyone can bake this and impress their loved one!

Ingredients and substitutions for Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake

• Rhubarb: Five medium fresh rhubarb stems will suffice to give you the amount you need here. If you can't source pink stems, that is totally fine! The color of your rhubarb does not define it's sweetness when baked.
• Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar works best with the rhubarb to draw out the moisture and will sweeten the cake, without adding too much flavor. The brown sugar helps add a light complimentary flavor to the cardamom and helps activate the baking soda.
• Oats: Simple rolled oats are used, no quick oats or steel oats which might result in a different texture within the cake.
• Flour: Plain or all purpose flour is best to create a nice light crumb to our crust and crumble.
• Baking soda: This is the key to the our cake lightly rising thanks to the brown sugar (the acid that baking soda needs to work with to rise) so don't leave it out, unless you are using self raising flour. You cannot sub baking powder like for like for this recipe as baking soda is 3-4 times stronger so you would need plenty more which would leave an after taste!
• Butter: Unsalted butter was used here, though salted butter would also work if that’s what you have on hand and softened will help you create that crumble texture.
• Eggs: As well as adding structure to the cake crust, the egg binds everything together so is essential.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake:

Step 1: Cook the rhubarb: Place the rhubarb, sugar vanilla extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat with a lid on.

Step 2: Cook until soft: Stir intermittently, but still has some shape, approximately 15 minutes.

Step 3: Blend oats: Place into a blender or food processor and pulse to make a little finer, but not completely fine like flour.

Step 4: Dry ingredients: Pour into a medium bowl and stir to combine.

Step 5: Wet crumble: Cut until it resembles a rough crumble. Add the egg and combine on low until the mixture resembles a wet crumble.

Step 6: Spoon: Two thirds of the dough into your cake tin and press firmly into the base and sides of the tin.

Step 7: Fill: Spoon the rhubarb compote over the crust and top with clumps of the remaining crust unevenly.

Step 8: Bake: Until golden.

Step 9: Slice and serve: Serve up with a little whipped cream and enjoy!

More rhubarb recipes you’ll love

Dutch Rhubarb Cake

Irish Rhubarb Pie

Estonian Rhubarb Crumble Cheesecake

Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake

Sylvie Taylor

This Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake recipe has a crumble crust dough that you press into a tin with a rhubarb compote center that bakes up golden and has hints of cardamom throughout.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Cooling time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Icelandic

Servings 10

Calories 394 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Rhubarb compote

• 500 grams / 1 pound fresh rhubarb sliced into ½ inch thick pieces
• 50 grams / ¼ cup superfine/caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake crumb

• 135 grams / 1 ½ cups rolled oats
• 240 grams / 1 ½ cups plain flour
• 100 grams / ½ cup superfine/caster sugar
• 50 grams / ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 grams / ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 225 grams / 7.93 ounces butter softened and cubed
• 45 grams / 1 medium egg room temperature

Instructions

 

Rhubarb compote

• Lightly greaseproof your cake tin and set aside.
• Place rhubarb, sugar vanilla extract in a medium saucepan over medium heat with a lid on.
• Stirring intermittently, to ensure it cooks evenly until the rhubarb is soft, but still has some shape approximately 15 minutes.
• Remove and set aside to cool fully.

Cake crumb

• Preheat your oven to 200C/400F.
• Place the oats into a blender or food processor and pulse to make the oats a little finer, but not completely fine like flour.
• Pour the oats, flour, sugars, ground cardamon and baking soda into a medium bowl, stirring to combine.
• Toss in the butter and cut into your mixture until it resembles a crumble mixture, it will be quite clumpy.
• Add the egg and combine on low with until the mixture resembles a wet crumble and no dry portions remain in the base of your bowl.
• Spoon two thirds of the dough into your cake tin and press to cover the base and sides of the tin.
• Spoon the rhubarb compote over the crust and top with clumps of the remaining crust unevenly.
• Place in the oven and bake until golden, approximately 25 minutes.
• Remove and set aside to cool before removing from the tin.
• Slice and serve with a little whipped cream.
• Dig in!

Video

Notes

• Rhubarb: Five medium fresh rhubarb stems will suffice to give you the amount you need here. If you can't source pink stems, that is totally fine! The color of your rhubarb does not define it's sweetness when baked.
• Baking soda: This is the key to the our cake lightly rising thanks to the brown sugar (the acid that baking soda needs to work with to rise) so don't leave it out, unless you are using self raising flour. You cannot sub baking powder like for like for this recipe as baking soda is 3-4 times stronger so you would need plenty more which would leave an after taste!
• Oats: Simple rolled oats are used, no quick oats or steel oats which might result in a different texture within the cake.
• Cake tin: A spring form tin that is 20 cm or 8 inches was used to get the cake out of the tin easily, however, a standard cake tin of similar size would also work well.

Adapted from Daytona Strong

Nutrition

Calories: 394kcal

Keyword cake, rhubarb, spring baking

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!