In a state whose motto is: "Live free, or die,” one might think of a brash countryside filled with gun shops on either side. The simplicity of New Hampshire’s slogan understates the beautiful scenery, kind-hearted people, and perhaps makes it sound a bit boring—which it is anything but.

We recently visited some of our longstanding family friends in Tamworth. This town stretches for miles with tall, flourishing trees on either sides of the road. The acreage between houses is drastically different from the small suburban and/or city life that I've grown up around. I kept thinking to myself, imagine cutting that lawn! I felt so at ease without the hustle and bustle of the city, and enjoyed the look of the sun reflecting off of the bright green grass and only the sounds of the breeze and nearby animals to accompany it.

Motorcycle week is one of the popular attractions of this area, but Tamworth is also well known for its outlet shopping. Naturally, we took advantage of the latter. However, as you may know, shopping for hours can be exhausting! Your back and feet ache, you forgot to eat because you’ve been so preoccupied with which shirts to combine for your 2 for $15 deal, and truthfully, you could have used some caffeine about 3 hours ago. Am I right?

We took two days to shop around the outlets and get some great summer deals, and ended each day with a bit of a ritual: coffee (with Baileys for those over 21), snacks, and a good nap. To go with our coffee, we indulged with some goodies from a local, one-of-a-kind bakery: Scandinavian Baking.

Inside you’ll find the wonderful owner, Betty Schneider, and an authentic Scandinavian setting.

While there are many options to choose from, my Aunt Peggy brought home one of the most popular menu items, Scandinavian Almond Cake, for one evening, and Lemon Tea Cake for another. Both were absolutely divine! They were dense and moist on the inside and had a delicious glaze on top.

The Scandinavian Almond Cake was the clear favorite of the group.

As much as I loved the Scandinavian Almond Cake, I surprisingly was a big fan of the Lemon Tea Cake. Usually when I want something sweet, I stray from the fruity items and go straight for the rich, chocolate treats that I know are going to fulfill my sweet tooth. However, this cake totally did it for me! It was (again) dense and moist on the inside, and had a very refreshing taste with each bite. It had just the right amount of lemon flavor without overwhelming your taste buds and leaving a sour aftertaste in your mouth. It’s a good thing I had some willpower that weekend, because I kid you not, I could have had at least 2-3 slices of each cake. Next time, I’m hoping to try her equally popular Swedish Apple Cake.

If you’re feeling up to the challenge, you can actually purchase the cakes in their baking tins and make your own sometime!

I’ve raved about their cakes, but Scandinavian Bakery has many other options that are reasonably priced as well. Here is a sneak-peak at their menu in case you’re ever in the area.

When we asked Betty for a statement about her bakery, she replied with a saying that she has printed on all of her brochures: “Mat skall lagas med karlek och smor,” which translates to: food should be prepared with love and butter. It was a daily tradition at 10:00am and 2:00pm for her family to sit down and serve Cardamom Coffee Cake or Swedish Coffee Bread, and thanks to Betty’s wonderful bakery, we had the opportunity to take part in that tradition!

If you ever get the opportunity to visit New Hampshire, I guarantee you will find yourself keeping busy and in need of a break. Make your way to Scandinavian Baking for that morning or afternoon snack made with plenty love and butter!

Details:
Scandinavian Baking
12 Deer Hill Road
Chocorua, NH 03817
603-323-2021 or 603-662-6047

http://scandinavianbakingnh.com/

Alexis Donaldson is the Intercultural Editor for Wandering Educators

Photos courtesy and copyright Margaret Poirier