The kransekake is everything you love about playdoh, cookies, and cakes – all rolled up into one stunning cake. It tastes of sweet almond paste, dreams, and smiles. The Kransekake (which translates to wreathe cake) is often served for weddings in giant portions, or at birthdays and baby showers in smaller portions. Tradition dictates that there be 18 rings, although people vary it up all the time.
Today I’m sharing a kransekake that is a bit more manageable for, say, a travel-themed birthday party or family gathering. She’ll will feed 8-10 adults.
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8-10 people | 1 hour |
| Cook Time |
| 12-15 minutes |
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The kransekake is everything you love about playdoh, cookies, and cakes – all rolled up into one stunning cake. It tastes of sweet almond paste, dreams, and smiles. The Kransekake (which translates to wreathe cake) is often served for weddings in giant portions, or at birthdays and baby showers in smaller portions. Tradition dictates that there be 18 rings, although people vary it up all the time.
Today I’m sharing a kransekake that is a bit more manageable for, say, a travel-themed birthday party or family gathering. She’ll will feed 8-10 adults.
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Ingredients
For the cake:
- 8 oz slivered almonds , ground (1 3/4 cups)
- 8 oz powdered sugar (about 2 cups)
- 3/4-1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 egg whites
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Royal Icing:
- 1/2 lb powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp meringue powder
- water , as needed
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
For the cake:
- One important thing with this recipe is to measure everything by weight. This will ensure you have the proper ratio, no matter how your almonds are cut. You can sometimes do this on the scales at the grocery store. It’s okay, that’s what they’re there for. Once you have 8 oz almonds, grind them up in a food processor.
- Pulse until they transform from hard nut to fine powder. When they are ready, the powder will just begin to “cake up” on the sides of the processor. Be careful not to over process or the powdery almonds can turn to almond butter.
- Next, add in a happy snowfall of powdered sugar… again, your best bet is to weigh it out…and the flour. You”ll need between 3/4 and 1 cup. Gently pulse this cloud of goodness together, evenly distributing the ingredients.
- Finally, stream in the two egg whites and oil. Pulse again until the mixture comes together into a soft ball. You should be able to roll this dough into ropes by lightly flouring your hands. If it is much stickier than that, you’ll need to add more flour.
How to Shape the Kransekake Rings:
- While most people use kransekake molds which set your cake to be a certain size, you can still make a beautiful cake without them (the molds, not the people). Either way, always start by rolling out the smallest rings and go larger. This makes sure they will stack and it also makes sure you don’t come up short before you get to the smallest ring, leaving a huge opening in the top of your cake. Here’s what I worked out: make 2 of each length: 4″, 6″, 8″, 10″, 12,” 14″ (they should all be equal thickness – about 1/2 inch around). Use a ruler, it really helps. And work with lightly floured hands. Even with two of the same size, they bake up with slight variations, making a smooth stack. If you really want, you can make 1 each of 4″, 5″, 6″, etc but you might have to think a little harder when organizing them on the baking sheet. While you work, keep the dough covered with saran so that it does not dry out. You can place the rings inside each other for baking as long as they do not touch. I managed to fit them all on two baking sheets.
- Bake at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and lightly golden brown. Let cool completely.
How to Decorate the Kransekake with royal icing:
- Make meringue icing by whipping meringue powder and icing together until peaks begin to form. Then add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Carefully pipe zig-zags of icing all around the largest ring. Do it in a squiggly-wiggly hap-hazard way. The one thing you need to be sure of, is that you get the icing on the side and the top of the ring, because the icing will glue the cake together for stability. Your icing should flow easily, without any breaks. If it breaks you probably need more water. Keep adding layers, going from largest ring to smallest.
- Let the icing harden before storing. I wrapped this whole thing up in saran wrap and stored on my kitchen counter until the next day. It was delicious. The cake is like a cross between an almond cookie and a meringue – soft, slightly chewy and totally divine.