Kransekake is a traditional Norwegian celebration cake made with ground almonds, egg whites, and icing sugar. It has a light texture and nutty flavour, quite similar to marzipan.
Day 1: Bring a pan of water to the boil. Blanch 500 grams raw almonds for 60 seconds only. Drain and plunge into cold water. Drain and remove skins. Spread out on a baking tray covered with a tea towel and leave overnight to dry.
Day 2: Grind almonds and mix with 500 grams icing sugar and one egg white. Transfer to a large saucepan and heat over a low heat. Slowly add two more egg whites, stirring until the dough is hot to touch. Add enough of the remaining 3-4 egg whites, if needed, to make a not too sticky dough. Place in a bowl, cover in clingfilm and chill in the fridge overnight.
Day 3: Roll dough into finger thick circles, place into a kransekake ring pan and bake at 180 C for 12-14 minutes, until very light golden. Allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Make icing with 75 grams icing sugar, 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 egg white and drizzle or pipe in a zig zag pattern over each ring. Assemble, starting with the largest ring first on the bottom and finishing with the smallest while icing is still wet. Fill kransekake with sweets, if desired.