My partner is half Norwegian and remembers, quite fondly, having Kransekake at Christmas-time when he was a child growing up in Norway. His mother (Bestemor – Norwegian for Grandmother) gave me her recipe and every few Christmases I make one for the family. It’s a bit of a laborious procedure, but well worth it. The leftovers freeze really well so you don’t have to worry about eating the whole thing right away.Traditionally small Norwegian flags are used to decorate this cake, and it is made for any sort of celebration (weddings, birthdays, Norwegian Independence Day, etc.) but this year I went for more of a Christmas tree theme with silver balls instead. There is also a tradition of filling the hollow centre of the cake with a nice bottle of something or sweets.
Bestemor’s Kransekake
- 500 grams raw almonds
- 500 grams icing sugar
- 3-4 egg white
- 75 grams icing sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 egg white
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: serves 20
Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Norsksmith says
Very interesting. My mother-in-law’s recipe uses almond paste. Hers and other one’s I’ve run across mix the almond paste and slightly fluffy egg-whites cold to make a dough which is chilled before forming and baking. Your approach sounds likely to get some structure in the dough before the baking, keeping the rings more circular in cross section. Ours tend to flatten and often flow to adjacent pan ring. I may need to try your approach for comparison.
julie says
Lovely!! We have blanched ground alomnd flour available here in stores. I imagine we could use that to save time? Would you agree?
Laura Loves Cakes says
Wow this is amazing…I’ve always admired these but have never been brave enough to try making one! This looks great…really impressive. Thanks also for entering this month’s Calendar Cakes 🙂 P.S I want one of those counter top grinders!
Camilla @Fabfood4all says
I so know these as I am half Danish and had 2 as my wedding cakes, my husband called them Madonna’s bra! I have never made Kransakake but if I did I would just use shop bought ground almonds even though I’m sure your’s would taste far better! You’ve spurred me on to make this now – if people don’t want to make such a huge quantity you can just make individual bars and keep them in a cake tin too!
Javelin Warrior says
I love this! It’s beautiful and sounds so tasty. And while I’m sure it’s quite a pain to make, the end result looks fantastic. Maybe that’s why it’s for special occasions 🙂 I’m so glad you were able to share!
Lisa-Jane says
Good grief this looks like a labour of love!