Kransekake - A Danish Wedding Cake
Makes a 70-80 cms tall cake (halve this for more regular and easier to transport option)
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1100grams/39ozs almond meal (ground almonds)
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1100grams/39ozs icing/powdered sugar
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1/2 cup flour plus perhaps 1/4 cup more if dough is too sticky plus extra flour for dusting molds and rolling
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10 egg whites
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4 tablespoons unflavoured oil (like almond oil)
For icing
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3 egg whites
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6 cups icing sugar
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3 teaspoons lemon juice
You will also need: 1 set of Kransekake forms, a large cake board and some white fondant. If you want to paint a gold ring around the fondant then mix up a little vodka with some edible gold dust and brush it on with a small paintbrush.
Step 1 - If you're using a standard Kitchenaid or Breville mixer, do this in two lots as the mixture is too large to do together-at least while it's first mixing up. In the large bowl of an electric mixer add the almond meal and flour and sift in the icing sugar. Add 4 of the egg whites into the mix and mix with a paddle on low speed. Add a little of the 5th egg white until you reach a moist but rollable consistency. Cover your hands lightly in flour and if the dough still sticks to them add a little more flour. Cover with cling wrap so that it doesn't dry out.
Step 2 - Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Grease each kransekake mold with oil and sift over with flour. Take a small amount of the dough and roll it out and place it in the molds, joining any joins straight away before it dries out. Don't fill too much as it will expand a little. Cover the dough in the molds with cling wrap so that it doesn't dry out. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it is a light golden shade. Cool in tin and if any are sticking together then quickly run a knife between them before they cool and harden. Remove from the tin once cooled.
Step 3 - Sort rings into graduating shapes. Make royal icing by sifting the icing sugar in a bowl and whisking in the lemon juice and egg whites. Using a piping bag fitted with a small plain tube (I used some made of baking paper-three in total), place some royal icing on the bottom of the largest ring and adhere it to the cake board. Then with the royal icing, draw patterns on the rings as seen above. Sandwich these together with more royal icing which sets like glue (and is great for warm weather- unlike chocolate it doesn't melt).
I also put some royal icing on the bottom of the ring that was to sit on top of each ring-this was only necessary as I had to transport it a distance but normally I don't think it is needed. Traditionally, it is served with Danish flags in it. To cloak the rest of the silver board in fondant, roll out 500grams/1 pound of white fondant on a lightly dusted cornflour/cornstarch surface and follow the instructions here. Use a rectangle of overhead projecter sheet to smooth out the surface and to disguise the join.