Marzipan Princess Cake Recipes

SWEDISH PRINCESS CAKE (PRINSESSTåRTA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment paper.
• Make the sponge: Place the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat on high speed until pale and thickened. Properly whipped batter should be light and thick, and fall in a ribbon back into the bowl leaving trails of batter on the surface. In a separate bowl, whisk the flours (or cornstarch), baking powder and salt together. Carefully fold the dry mixture into the egg mixture until thoroughly combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool slightly in the pan for a few minutes then run a knife around the edge and remove the springform collar. Peel away the parchment and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Make the custard filling: Stir together the cream, egg yolks, cornstarch, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens. Stir in the vanilla and remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Press plastic wrap over the surface of the custard and refrigerate until firm. The chilled custard should be thick and hold in the bowl of a spoon.
• Make the stabilized whipped cream: Sprinkle the gelatin over the 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Let stand until set. Place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Set mixer speed to medium and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and then mix in the vanilla. Heat gelatin in the microwave for 5-7 seconds, or until completely liquid. Gradually add liquid gelatin to whipped cream in a thin stream with the mixer running. After all of the gelatin is added, increase mixer speed to high and beat to stiff peaks. Set aside.
• Build the layers: Torte the cake into four layers using a serrated knife or cake leveler. The layers will be very thin so do this carefully. Place the bottom cake layer on a plate or cake board. Spread on the raspberry jam and top with a second cake piece. Top the second cake piece with the custard filling (you may have extra custard). Top with a third cake layer. Pile all of the whipped cream on top and smooth into a dome shape using a large spatula. Place the final cake layer on top and press down so that all of the cake's edges are smoothed against the whipped cream and a dome shape is formed. Cover the entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream, smoothing it as much as possible. Refrigerate until the frosting is firm, about 40 minutes.
• Prep and cover with marzipan: Dust a work surface with marzipan. Knead the marzipan with your hands to soften and place it on the work surface. Add a small amount of leaf green food color to the marzipan and knead in until a consistent green color is achieved. Lightly add powdered sugar as needed to prevent sticking. Roll it to a large circle, lifting to occasionally dust underneath with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Gently lay the marzipan circle over the top of the cake and use your hands to form the marzipan to the shape of the cake. Trim the excess marzipan from the bottom of the cake using a pizza or pastry wheel. Gently tuck the bottom edges of the marzipan under the cake using the back of a butter knife.
• Decors: Paint the white Wilton candy roses with a little Baker's Rose food color dissolved in clear extract. Use a kitchen-dedicated art brush with soft bristles so the food color can easily be brushed between the petals.
• Tint leftover marzipan with a little more leaf green food color, and roll flat on a powdered sugar-dusted work surface. Cut small star-shaped flowers from the marzipan using a fondant cutter. Use leftover buttercream or a dot of corn syrup to attach the star shape to the bottom of the candy rose.
• Attach the rose to the top center of the cake using buttercream or a dot of corn syrup. Dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar using a small sieve.
• The cake needs to be refrigerated until serving time and any leftovers need to be refrigerated as well.

SCANDINAVIAN PRINCESS CAKE

Steps:

• Make the genoise: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray, line each with parchment, then spray parchment. Combine cake flour, almond flour, and salt in a medium bowl.
• Whisk eggs, yolks, and granulated sugar in a mixer bowl set over a pot of simmering water until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Attach bowl to mixer, and whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes. Raise speed to high, and whisk until mixture is pale and thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Sift flour mixture over egg mixture, and gently fold. When almost incorporated, slowly add melted butter, and fold.
• Divide batter between baking sheets, spread evenly, and bake until golden brown and springy to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Run a knife around edges of pans, and invert onto a clean surface; discard parchment. Using an 8-by-3-inch cake ring, cut out 4 circles. Choose the 3 thickest cake circles, and reserve the fourth for another use.
• Make the pastry cream: Bring milk, vanilla seeds, salt, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk yolks, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar to combine. When milk begins to boil, remove from heat. Slowly ladle half the milk into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture into saucepan, place over medium heat, and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and whisk in cold butter. Strain into a medium bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface, and let cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (or overnight).
• Make the simple syrup: Bring granulated sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, and stir in Armagnac if using. Let cool.
• To assemble the cake: Place the cake ring on a 9-inch cardboard circle. Place 1 cake circle in ring, and lightly brush top with syrup. Using a small offset spatula, spread jam on cake layer. Whisk 2 1/2 cups cream until stiff peaks form. Cover jam with 1/2 cup whipped cream. Top with another cake circle, and brush top with syrup. Cover this circle with pastry cream. Place final cake circle on top, pressing down gently, and brush top with syrup. Spoon remaining whipped cream over cake, and smooth. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or preferably overnight).
• Whisk remaining 1/2 cup cream in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Remove cake ring, and coat sides of cake with whipped cream. Refrigerate cake until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Knead a golf-ball-size piece of marzipan with a couple of drops of blue food coloring, adding more drops as needed to reach desired color (this piece should be a few shades darker than the final). Knead half the colored marzipan into remaining marzipan until color is evenly distributed. (Add remaining half if needed to reach desired color.) On a surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll out marzipan to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Place a doily in the center of marzipan. With the rolling pin, slowly but firmly roll over doily to create an imprint. Gently remove doily. Rub confectioners' sugar into marzipan with your fingertips to fill imprint. Place marzipan over cake, smooth sides, and trim bottom edges. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

PRINCESS CAKE

Steps:

• Whip the egg yolks until they are pale yellow and doubled in volume. In another bowl, whip the egg whites until frothy, gradually adding the sugar until the foam becomes stiff. Fold half of the whipped egg whites into the yolks. Fold in the remaining egg whites thoroughly, until uniform in color. In 4 batches, fold in the sifted flour and the baking powder then the butter.
• Immediately pour the batter into two 10-inch greased cake pans and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool on a rack. After they've cooled, run the tip of a knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen them from the pans and remove. Using a long serrated knife, slice both cakes into 1/2-inch thick disks. Only 3 will be needed, reserve the rest for future use.
• Place a 10-inch springform pan without a bottom on a 12-inch cakeboard. Place 1 layer of the sponge cake on the bottom, and generously brush with the syrup. Spread the jam evenly over the syrup and place a second layer of sponge cake on top of the jam. Brush with syrup and spread the prepared cream on this layer. Top with a third layer of sponge cake and again, brush with the syrup. Using your hands, press lightly on the cake to ensure cake is level. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove the springform mold from the cake and generously frost the sides with the reserved Whipped Cream. Pour the remaining Whipped Cream directly on the center of the top of the cake and using a spatula, make a mound, working from the center out. The height of the Whipped Cream should be approximately 1 1/2-inches in the center and about 1/2-inch on the edges.
• Dust a work surface again with confectioners' sugar and roll the light green marzipan to a 1/10-inch thick circle, using as much confectioners' sugar as necessary during rolling to prevent the marzipan from sticking to the work surface. When you're finished rolling, marzipan should be stretched enough to cover the entire cake and sides. Roll marzipan on rolling pin and gently lay it down on top of the cake, smoothing out the dome and lightly pressing on the bottom edges of the cake to form a perfect dome. Decorate with leftover marzipan, making a braided border on the edge of the cake or simply dust the entire cake with confectioners' sugar.
• Bring the milk and vanilla bean to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes to infuse. Remove vanilla bean. Whisk the eggs, cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Add half of the milk into the bowl containing the eggs, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the saucepan containing the remaining milk, whisking over moderate heat. Continue whisking until the mixture is thickened and begins to simmer. Allow cream filling to simmer, whisking for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer into another bowl, cover and allow to cool completely.
• Whisk heavy cream with sugar until it is firm and holds its shape, being careful not to over whip. Fold one-fifth of the cream into the cooled pastry cream and refrigerate, covered, until chilled (approximately 1 hour). Reserve the remaining whipped cream in the refrigerator, covered.
• Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, remove from heat and allow to cool.
• Color a walnut size piece of marzipan with the green food coloring until the marzipan is deep green. Reserve. Using a sifter or a fine mesh strainer, dust a scrupulously clean work surface with confectioners' sugar. Tear off a pea-sized piece of green marzipan and knead it with the remaining marzipan until it is uniform in color. Add additional pieces from the green marzipan until it achieves a light green color (it should be the color of a Granny Smith apple). Discard the leftover deep green marzipan.

PRINSESSTåRTA (SWEDISH PRINCESS CAKE)

Steps:

• Prepare pastry cream: whisk sugar and cornstarch together in a medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in milk and egg yolks until combined. Turn to medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from heat and whisk in cold butter and vanilla until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of custard and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours or up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat two 8-inch round cake pans with baking spray and line the bottom of each pan with parchment paper.
• Bring a medium saucepan filled with 1 inch of water to a simmer over medium heat.
• Combine eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set the mixing bowl over the pot of simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until a thermometer reaches 110 degrees F (43 degrees C), 5 to 6 minutes.
• Return bowl to the stand mixer. Beat with a whisk attachment on high speed until mixture is pale yellow and has tripled in volume, about 3 minutes. Fold in flour until just combined. Fold in melted butter and vanilla until combined. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Use a long, serrated knife to split each cake layer in half horizontally. Set cake aside until pastry cream is ready to use.
• Assemble cake: spread the cut side of each cake layer with warm raspberry jam. Place one cake layer, jam-side up, on a cake plate. Spread 1/2 cup pastry cream over cake. Repeat process with two more cake layers, ending with remaining cake layer on top, jam-side down. Place a 4-inch wooden skewer through the middle of the cake to hold layers in place. Reserve remaining remaining pastry cream for another use.
• Beat heavy cream and 1/4 cup powdered sugar at medium-high speed with an electric mixer in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream around side of cake. Mound remaining whipped cream on top of cake, spreading to create a smooth dome.
• Knead together marzipan and gel food dye until color is evenly distributed. Roll out marzipan in between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to a 15-inch circle; gently remove top piece of parchment paper. Invert marzipan and drape over cake; gently remove remaining parchment paper. Gently press marzipan down over cake, starting at the top of cake and working your way down to create a smooth dome. Cut away any excess and tuck ends of marzipan under cake.
• Dust top of cake with sifted powdered sugar. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

PRINSESSTåRTA: SWEDISH PRINCESS CAKE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a large saucepan, bring the half-and-half to a simmer over medium-high heat.
• In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks , cornstarch, sugar, and salt until smooth.
• Add half of the scalded milk to the bowl containing the eggs, constantly whisking to incorporate.
• Return the entire mixture to the saucepan containing the remaining milk, whisking over moderate heat.
• Continue whisking for about 2 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is thickened and begins to simmer.
• Allow the pastry cream to simmer, whisking for an additional 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and cold, unsalted butter.
• Transfer to another bowl and allow it to cool completely.
• Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or up to three days before using.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F for shiny metal or glass pans, or 375 F for dark or nonstick pans. Grease the bottom and sides of 2 (9-inch) cake pans .
• Mix the cake mix, water, oil, and egg whites in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
• Pour 1/3 of the batter into 1 (9-inch) cake pan and 2/3 of the batter into the second 9-inch cake pan.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden.
• Remove the cakes from the oven and cool on a rack.
• When the cakes have cooled, use a serrated knife to slice the larger cake into 2 equal halves.
• Gather the ingredients.
• In a saucepan, make a simple syrup by heating the water and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Whip together the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Knead the green food coloring into store-bought or homemade marzipan .
• Then shape it into a disk of about 8 inches long.
• Place the disk between 2 (18-inch) lengths of waxed paper. Working from the middle of the marzipan, use a rolling pin to roll out the disk into a 16-inch circle of even thickness.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Lightly brush the simple syrup onto each of the 3 cake layers, taking care not to oversoak them.
• Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons raspberry jam onto each of the 2 halves of the larger cake.
• Divide the pastry cream into thirds, folding 1/3 gently into the whipped cream.
• Spread the remaining 2/3 of the pastry cream on top of the raspberry jam of the 2 cake halves.
• Stack the 2 pastry-covered halves, then top with the remaining cake.
• Frost the sides of the cake with the whipped cream in a 1-inch layer.
• Spoon the remaining whipped cream on top of the cake. Use a spatula to smooth the cream into a dome.
• Remove the top level of waxed paper from the marzipan. Dust your rolling pin with confectioners' sugar, then lift the marzipan using the bottom piece of waxed paper and drape the marzipan circle over the pin (you can lightly roll the marzipan around the pin as you would ​a pie crust). Remove the waxed paper and transfer the marzipan to the cake.
• With your hands, gently press the marzipan down over the cake, working from the top down.
• Smooth it down the sides, then cut off any excess at the bottom with a knife or cooking shears.
• Tuck the marzipan under the edge of the cake.
• Sprinkle the cake with confectioners' sugar or decorate with marzipan cutouts.
• Serve and enjoy.

PRINSESSTåRTA (PRINCESS CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 3 baking sheets, greased and lined with baking parchment.
• Beat together the eggs and sugar on high speed in a stand mixer or using a hand-held electric whisk. Beat until the mixture reaches ribbon stage-you will be able to see the traces of the mixture when you move the whisk.
• Use a 8-inch diameter plate to draw three circles on baking parchment. Cut these out and place one parchment circle on each of the three baking sheets. Set aside.
• Combine the flour, salt and vanilla in a separate bowl. Sift into the egg mixture, bit by bit, carefully folding using a figure-of-eight movement until incorporated. Pour the cooled melted butter down the side of the bowl and fold carefully again, trying not to knock out air.
• Divide the mixture evenly between the parchment circles on the baking sheets spreading right to the edges of each circle with the back of a spoon. If they go over a bit, don't worry, you can cut these bits off afterwards.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing the baking parchment. If the parchment sticks, slightly dampen the paper side with cold water and the paper will come off easily. Trim any untidy edges using a sharp knife.
• In a saucepan, heat the milk with the scraped out seeds from the vanilla bean.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar and add the cornstarch.
• When the milk has just reached boiling point, take off the heat and pour one third into the egg mixture while whisking continuously.
• Once whisked through, pour the egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk. Return to the stove and bring to the boil, carefully. Whisk continuously as the mixture thickens, for just under a minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the salt and butter.
• Pour into a cold bowl and place a sheet of baking parchment on top to prevent the cream from forming a crust as it cools. The mixture will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days.
• If using homemade marzipan instead of store-bought, blend the ingredients together in a food processor until you have a smooth marzipan.
• Roll the mixture into a log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before using.
• Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar until stiff. Spoon two thirds into a separate bowl. Mix the remaining one third of the whipped cream with the prepared pastry cream.
• Make sure your prepared layer cake bases are completely even in size. If not, trim to fit. Place the bottom layer on your chosen serving plate; you won't be able to move the cake once assembled.
• Spread the raspberry jam/jelly evenly onto the base layer of the cake, then add half of the pastry cream mixture. Top with the second cake layer. Repeat with the remaining jam/jelly and second helping of the pastry cream mixture. Add the top cake layer.
• Using a cake spatula, spread three quarters of the remaining stiffly whipped cream in a thick layer on the top and the sides of the cake. Make sure the cake is covered evenly all over to prevent jam/jelly from seeping out. Some people prefer to shape the cream into a dome; I quite like more of a level top on my princess cake, but it is up to you.
• Next, roll out the green marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar or over the top of baking parchment (to prevent sticking). Roll out into a large, even circle, big enough to cover the top and sides of the cake (around 14 inches in diameter).
• Carefully drape the marzipan on top of the cake and peel back the baking parchment, if using. Pull gently around the edges to bring the marzipan down to cover the cake, taking care not to overstretch. Once the marzipan is smoothed over and touching the base all the way around, trim away the excess. Press the edges gently in at the base.
• To make the rose decorations, mold the pink royal icing or marzipan into ¾-inch tall teardrop shapes for the inside buds. Then roll out small round petal-shaped pieces of icing around ¾ x ¾-inch and wrap each one around the bud in layers. Cut the base off and fix the roses on top of the cake. Lastly, roll out the green royal icing or marzipan and cut out leaf shapes to fix by the sides of the rose. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.