Kransekake, meaning "wreath cake," is a stunning Norwegian wedding and Christmas cake consisting of concentric almond-flavored rings and topped with a tower of decorative icing. This traditional cake can be made with a variety of different fillings, such as jam, whipped cream, or marzipan, and is often decorated with colorful candies, nuts, and fresh fruit. It's the perfect sweet treat to impress your family and friends, and it's sure to be the highlight of any celebration.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
KRANSEKAKE
The kransekake, which translates to "wreath cake", is the signature cake of Norway and a showstopping confection that is made for special occasions. And as impressive as a tall tower made out of eighteen delicate cookie rings is, this sweet stunner is surprisingly straightforward to make. The naturally gluten-free dough is made from processing almonds until finely ground, then confectioners' sugar and egg whites are added to bind it together. After an overnight rest, the dough is rolled into ropes and fitted into specialty molds. Once baked, the rings are stacked sky-high and kept in place with royal icing, which pulls double duty as both glue and garnish.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Cake Recipes
Time 3h
Yield Makes 1 kransekake
Number Of Ingredients 8
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.
KRANSEKAKE
Kransekake is a show-stopping Scandinavian celebration dessert that literally means 'wreath cake.' The tower of ring-shaped cookies whimsically decorated with royal icing is worthy of being the center of any celebration.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories dessert
Time 1h30m
Yield 15 to 20 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
- Add the almond flour and 1 pound of the confectioners' sugar to a food processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Run the processor for about 20 seconds until the dough forms into a ball; it will be slightly sticky. Remove the dough from the food processor and form it into a disc. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Spray the kransekake molds with nonstick spray and sprinkle with semolina, tapping off any excess.
- Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll it out into a rope long enough to wrap into each mold. The width should be even and no thicker than 1/2 inch. (Keep the unused dough covered with plastic wrap.) Repeat the process until all the molds are filled. Transfer the molds to 2 baking sheets.
- Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the molds. Carefully remove each ring from the molds onto cooling racks for 10 minutes.
- To make the royal icing, add the remaining 1/2 pound confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 4 tablespoons water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form. If desired, stir a few drops of food coloring into the icing with a rubber spatula. Put the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe icing onto each ring and stack them, largest to smallest. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving.
PISTACHIO CHERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIE TOWER (KRANSEKAKE)
Provided by Food Network
Time 2h
Yield 1 large cookie tower (12 to 20 servings)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachios and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, beating just to combine. Add the dried cherries and mix just until combined; the mixture will look crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead few times with your hands until the dough comes together. Divide into 3 pieces and form each piece into a disk; wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough, one disc at a time, to 1/3-to-1/2-inch thick. Cut 2 rounds with a 6-inch cutter. Cut the center from each with a 4-inch cutter to create rings. Then cut 2 rounds with a 5 1/2-inch cutter and use a 3 1/2-inch cutter to create rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 5-inch cutter and use a 3-inch cutter to create rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 4 1/2-inch cutter and use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 4-inch cutter and use a 2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 3 1/2-inch cutter and use a 1 1/2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 3-inch cutter and use a 1-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and 2 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, leaving them whole. You may gather and reroll the scraps up to 2 times if needed but you will need to chill the dough before rerolling.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space in between. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown, about 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before assembling.
- When ready to assemble, stack the two 6-inch ring cookies atop each other, using the white Royal Icing to adhere to one another creating a sandwich. Repeat with the other like-size cookies so they are all in 2-cookie stacks.
- To assemble the tower, pipe white icing on the bottom of the stack of 6-inch cookies and set it on a decorative platter (the icing will help it adhere). Decorate the cookies with swags of red icing and add the next-largest sandwich. Continue decorating with swags of alternating colors of icing and stacks of cookies in descending sizes. Finish with the solid rounds on top.
- Add the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; turn on low to combine. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, beating with the mixer on medium speed until the icing is thick and glossy but soft enough to pipe. Divide among 3 bowls, tinting one red, one green and leaving one white. Transfer the icing to plastic piping bags; snip off the corners.
Tips:
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
- Use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool completely before frosting.
- To make the almond buttercream, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the almond extract and milk and beat until well combined.
- Frost the cooled cakes with the almond buttercream and stack them on top of each other, starting with the largest cake at the bottom.
- Decorate the cake with additional almonds, sprinkles, or flowers, if desired.
Conclusion:
Kransekake is a beautiful and delicious cake that is perfect for any special occasion. With its delicate almond flavor and stunning appearance, it is sure to impress your guests. While it may seem like a daunting task to make, it is actually quite simple to do with the right tools and ingredients. By following these tips, you can easily create a kransekake that will be the star of the show.
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