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Kransekake
Almond ring tower cake
Norwegian and Danish tower of almond rings
A kransekake towers over the table at Norwegian and Danish weddings, christenings, Christmas and the 17 May national day in Norway: eighteen rings of chewy almond paste, each a little smaller than the last, stacked and laced with zigzags of white icing, often decorated with little flags. Guests break off rings from the bottom; the outside is crisp and the inside soft and marzipan-like. It is naturally gluten free, made only of almonds, icing sugar and egg whites. Baking the rings until hard is the most common mistake; take them out when they are just pale gold, so they stay chewy. If you have no kransekake tins, shape ropes and join them into rings over circles drawn on baking paper. Chef's tip: grind the almonds with some of the icing sugar and rest the dough overnight in the fridge; it becomes much easier to roll and the rings keep their shape.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the almond dough
- 1 ⅛ lb blanched almonds
- 1 ⅛ lb icing sugar
- 3 egg whitesabout 100 g, lightly beaten
For the icing
- 7 oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
To decorate
- 1 small paper flags or sugar flowers (optional)
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Grind 1 ⅛ lb blanched almonds with half of 1 ⅛ lb icing sugar in a food processor in short bursts, until very fine but not oily. Tip into a bowl and mix in the rest of the icing sugar.
5 minStep 2: Add 3 egg whites a little at a time and knead to a firm, smooth dough that holds a fingerprint without sticking. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
120 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). If you have no ring tins, draw 18 circles on baking paper, from 5 cm up to 22 cm across, each about 1 cm wider than the last, and turn the paper over onto trays.
Step 4: Roll pieces of dough into ropes as thick as your finger (about 1.5 cm). Lay each rope over a circle, cut to fit, and press the ends together. Pinch the top of each rope into a gentle ridge.
Step 5: Bake one tray at a time for 9–12 minutes, until pale golden, firm on the outside and still soft when pressed.
11 minStep 6: Cool the rings completely on the paper before moving them; they are fragile when warm.
20 minStep 7: Beat 7 oz icing sugar with 1 egg white and 1 tsp lemon juice until thick and smooth, and spoon into a piping bag with a small plain nozzle.
Step 8: Put the largest ring on a plate. Pipe a zigzag of icing over it and set the next ring on top; the icing glues it. Keep stacking from large to small.
Step 9: Finish with icing on the top ring and leave to set for 1 hour. Decorate with 1 small paper flags or sugar flowers. Store loosely covered; it stays chewy for a week.
60 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kransekake take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 150 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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