Sweden's culture minister has faced a huge backlash after she was pictured cutting a cake designed as a native African woman.

Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth was invited to cut the cake, which had blood-red sponge, at the Museum of Modern Art in Stockholm to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation.

Critics described it as a 'racist spectacle', and demanded Ms Liljeroth resigned as a result of her participation.

A spokesperson for The Association for African Swedes told news agency TT: “To say that you did this for a good cause only makes the mockery of people who are victims of racism and of circumcision worse”

The controversial image, which was heavily circulated in the Swedish media, forced the culture minister to respond claiming that the whole situation was a misunderstanding.

She said in a statement: “I was invited to speak at World Art Day about the freedom of art and its right to provoke.

“And then they wanted me to cut into the cake. I don't review art, but I can very well understand that this whole situation was misunderstood.”

The black cake, part of an exhibition on World Art Day, was intended as part of the artist's project illustrating degrading stereotypes of black people through history.