Swedish Wedding Cakes Recipes

SWEDISH WEDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Combine the margarine, sugar, egg, and dates in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
• Combine the crispy rice cereal and the walnuts in a large bowl. Stir in the date mixture; mix well.
• Working quickly, form the cereal and date mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll balls in coconut. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Do not refrigerate.

PAUL'S KRANSEKAKE

Steps:

• Place the ground almonds and icing sugar in a large electric mixer. Add the egg whites and almond extract and mix with a dough hook. This could be done by hand but is easier with a mixer due to the large quantities. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge for a minimum of two hours, or preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/400G/Gas 6.
• Lightly brush the insides of the kransekake moulds with vegetable oil. Sprinkle a little semolina into each mould and tip the moulds to distribute the semolina evenly around the inside, shaking out any excess.
• Divide the chilled dough into six equal-sized pieces.
• Divide one of the pieces of dough into three different-sized pieces: one small, one medium and one large. Dust a work surface lightly with flour and roll each piece out into finger-width lengths that are long enough to wrap round the kransekake moulds.
• Fit the longest piece of dough inside the largest kransekake ring, pressing the ends together to seal. Do the same with the medium-sized and smallest pieces of dough. Repeat this process with the remaining five pieces of dough.
• Bake the kransekakes in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until golden-brown, then remove from the oven and set aside to cool in their moulds until hardened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, for the icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar a spoonful at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• Spoon half of the icing into a separate bowl and add the red food colouring. Whisk until the icing is bright red, then spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain writing nozzle. Spoon the white icing into a separate piping bag fitted with a small plain writing nozzle.
• To assemble the kransekake, sort the cooked rings into size order.
• Pipe a few dots of white icing onto the base of the largest ring and stick it to a large serving plate.
• Pipe zig-zag patterns onto the largest ring using first the white, then the red icing, overlapping the two. Sprinkle with red, green and silver edible glitter.
• Place the second-largest ring on top of the largest ring and repeat the icing and decorating process.
• Continue to stack the rings in decreasing size order until you have a tower of 18 iced and glittery rings. Allow the icing to set (this will stick the rings to each other), then serve.

KRANSEKAKE

Steps:

• Dough: Place almonds in a food processor and process to form fine crumbs, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and salt and process until well combined and powder-like, about 1 minute. Add egg whites and process until a dough forms (it will have the texture of cookie dough). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300°F with oven rack in the middle. Brush a set of 6 kransekake molds with butter. Divide dough in half. Working with one half of dough at a time, cut into small portions and roll into ropes that are slightly thicker than the diameter of a pencil (about 3/8-inch-to-1/2-inch thick). Fit ropes into rings of 3 molds, trimming to fit. Place molds on an unrimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer molds to a wire rack and let cool completely on baking sheet. Repeat shaping and baking process with remaining half of dough and remaining 3 molds. Carefully remove rings from molds.
• Royal Icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar and egg whites. Mix on medium-high speed until combined and thickened, about 8 minutes. If decorating with more than one color, divide icing into batches. Using the end of a toothpick, add food coloring until the desired shade is achieved.
• To Assemble: Sort rings in order of size. Fill a piping bag with icing and pipe a few dots onto the base of the largest ring and adhere to a cake plate. Pipe icing onto the base of next largest ring, and stack on top of the first ring. Repeat process, continuing to stack rings in decreasing size to form a tower of 18 rings. Decorate as desired. Allow icing to set before serving.

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.

KRANSEKAKE (NORWEGIAN ALMOND RING CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line 2 sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add unbeaten egg whites one at a time, mixing until a firm dough forms. Knead dough for 2 minutes until it holds together and doesn't fall apart easily.
• Roll dough into 18 ropes the thickness of your index finger, each rope a little longer than the next. Shape each rope into a ring. Arrange rings on the baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch smaller circles carefully, as they may finish baking before the larger ones. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract together to make icing. Pour icing into a piping bag fitted with a small tip.
• Place a doily on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of icing as large as the largest cake ring. Place the largest cake ring on the icing. Pipe icing in a zig-zag pattern over the ring. Stack remaining cake rings on top, from largest to smallest, piping icing between each ring.