[2] Originally, the food comes from Småland (traditionally smalandsk), ostkaka is made with raw milk and cheese rennet.

[citation needed] Ostkaka is an eggy, crustless cake with cottage cheese, ground almonds and lemon zest; it is usually served with whipped cream and jam.

Ostkaka is traditionally produced by adding rennet to a warm milk and flour mixture and letting the casein coagulate.

This is said given rise to a tradition of allowing guests to take their portions from the centre of the Ostkaka, thereby avoiding any traces of copper that may have leached into the mixture where it is in contact with the pot.

Since the process of curdling milk is somewhat complicated, alternative recipes intended for home cooking instead use fresh cheese as a base to simulate the texture of the dessert.