What Makes Christiania, Copenhagen's Dream Cake Unique?

In 1971, Christiania was founded as an anarchist society in Denmark's capital city Copenhagen — home to the World's Best Restaurant in 2022. Today, hippies still call the area home, and tourists flock to it to experience the social-experiment-turned-community firsthand, per CNN Travel. While not every resident is happy about the influx of visitors, Christiania reliably serves up treats to satisfy any cravings that might arise while visiting the micronation. 

When munchies strike, the cafés in Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania, offer organic dishes and local produce, and many establishments display serve-yourself buffets in order to minimize food waste (via Six-Two). In addition to vegetarian fare and hearty falafels sold in the early hours of the morning, Vice highlights one particular cake so soft and spongy that when touched, it springs back into place. The dessert has garnered special attention — and for good reason. After one bite of this sweet delight, you, too, may feel like you're in a certain land made of dreams.

Imagine a fluffy sponge cake, which is different from a chiffon cake, with an irresistible layer of coconut caramel on top, and you have an idea of a baked delicacy that is served alongside an afternoon cup of tea or a morning latte in Denmark. It's no wonder this dessert is loved throughout the whole country. 

Meet the Danish drømmekage, also known as "dream cake" in English. The spongy treat originated in 1960 in the small town of Hjallerup, where a Danish woman won a cake-baking contest with her recipe (via Cookist). This goodie is now served in coffee shops and bakeries throughout the Scandinavian country.

The cake component of drømmekage is made from a simple batter of eggs, milk, vanilla, flour, and other ingredients. To make the topping, butter, brown sugar, milk, and unsweetened coconut flakes are combined and simmered in a saucepan. Once the sponge is ready, it's topped with the coconut-caramel mixture and then baked a little longer. When it's out of the oven, the warm treat is sliced to serve (via Nordic Food & Living). We're sure this cake smells like a dream too.