Best Kransekake Recipes

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KRANSEKAKE



Kransekake image

The kransekake, which translates to "wreath cake", is the signature cake of Norway and a showstopping confection that is made for special occasions. And as impressive as a tall tower made out of eighteen delicate cookie rings is, this sweet stunner is surprisingly straightforward to make. The naturally gluten-free dough is made from processing almonds until finely ground, then confectioners' sugar and egg whites are added to bind it together. After an overnight rest, the dough is rolled into ropes and fitted into specialty molds. Once baked, the rings are stacked sky-high and kept in place with royal icing, which pulls double duty as both glue and garnish.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories     Food & Cooking     Dessert & Treats Recipes     Cake Recipes

Time 3h

Yield Makes 1 kransekake

Number Of Ingredients 8

8 ounces (2 cups) sliced blanched almonds
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 large egg whites
Unsalted butter, softened, for molds
1 pound confectioners' sugar
3 large egg whites or 5 tablespoons meringue powder mixed with 1/2 cup water
Paste or gel food coloring (optional)

Steps:

  • Dough: Place almonds in a food processor and process to form fine crumbs, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and salt and process until well combined and powder-like, about 1 minute. Add egg whites and process until a dough forms (it will have the texture of cookie dough). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  • Preheat oven to 300°F with oven rack in the middle. Brush a set of 6 kransekake molds with butter. Divide dough in half. Working with one half of dough at a time, cut into small portions and roll into ropes that are slightly thicker than the diameter of a pencil (about 3/8-inch-to-1/2-inch thick). Fit ropes into rings of 3 molds, trimming to fit. Place molds on an unrimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes.
  • Transfer molds to a wire rack and let cool completely on baking sheet. Repeat shaping and baking process with remaining half of dough and remaining 3 molds. Carefully remove rings from molds.
  • Royal Icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar and egg whites. Mix on medium-high speed until combined and thickened, about 8 minutes. If decorating with more than one color, divide icing into batches. Using the end of a toothpick, add food coloring until the desired shade is achieved.
  • To Assemble: Sort rings in order of size. Fill a piping bag with icing and pipe a few dots onto the base of the largest ring and adhere to a cake plate. Pipe icing onto the base of next largest ring, and stack on top of the first ring. Repeat process, continuing to stack rings in decreasing size to form a tower of 18 rings. Decorate as desired. Allow icing to set before serving.

KRANSEKAKE (NORWEGIAN ALMOND RING CAKE)



Kransekake (Norwegian Almond Ring Cake) image

This is the recipe for a traditional Norwegian almond ring cake, which is often served for weddings and special events like Christmas and birthdays.

Provided by cam1988

Categories     World Cuisine Recipes     European     Scandinavian

Time 50m

Yield 24

Number Of Ingredients 7

4 ⅓ cups sifted confectioners' sugar
2 ½ cups finely ground blanched almonds
2 ½ cups finely ground unblanched almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 egg whites
1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line 2 sheets with parchment paper.
  • Combine confectioners' sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add unbeaten egg whites one at a time, mixing until a firm dough forms. Knead dough for 2 minutes until it holds together and doesn't fall apart easily.
  • Roll dough into 18 ropes the thickness of your index finger, each rope a little longer than the next. Shape each rope into a ring. Arrange rings on the baking sheets.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch smaller circles carefully, as they may finish baking before the larger ones. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  • Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract together to make icing. Pour icing into a piping bag fitted with a small tip.
  • Place a doily on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of icing as large as the largest cake ring. Place the largest cake ring on the icing. Pipe icing in a zig-zag pattern over the ring. Stack remaining cake rings on top, from largest to smallest, piping icing between each ring.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 262 calories, Carbohydrate 33.4 g, Fat 12.9 g, Fiber 2.8 g, Protein 6 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 27.5 mg, Sugar 28.2 g

KRANSEKAKE



Kransekake image

Kransekake is a show-stopping Scandinavian celebration dessert that literally means 'wreath cake.' The tower of ring-shaped cookies whimsically decorated with royal icing is worthy of being the center of any celebration.

Provided by Food Network Kitchen

Categories     dessert

Time 1h30m

Yield 15 to 20 servings

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 pound almond flour
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
3 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Nonstick baking spray
Finely ground semolina, for dusting
3 tablespoons meringue powder
Food coloring, optional

Steps:

  • Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F.
  • Add the almond flour and 1 pound of the confectioners' sugar to a food processor. Pulse about 10 times to combine. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Run the processor for about 20 seconds until the dough forms into a ball; it will be slightly sticky. Remove the dough from the food processor and form it into a disc. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
  • Spray the kransekake molds with nonstick spray and sprinkle with semolina, tapping off any excess.
  • Working with a quarter of the dough at a time, roll it out into a rope long enough to wrap into each mold. The width should be even and no thicker than 1/2 inch. (Keep the unused dough covered with plastic wrap.) Repeat the process until all the molds are filled. Transfer the molds to 2 baking sheets.
  • Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the molds. Carefully remove each ring from the molds onto cooling racks for 10 minutes.
  • To make the royal icing, add the remaining 1/2 pound confectioners' sugar, meringue powder and 4 tablespoons water to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form. If desired, stir a few drops of food coloring into the icing with a rubber spatula. Put the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe icing onto each ring and stack them, largest to smallest. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving.

KRANSEKAKE (18-LAYER NORWEGIAN WEDDING CAKE)



Kransekake (18-Layer Norwegian Wedding Cake) image

Few ingredients with very helpful directions to aid you in making this. You will need graduated ring pans and a cookie press. This is a family recipe from the Petzenhausers from Lake City. Their 18 year old daughter won a blue ribbon at the 2008 Iowa State Fair for this recipe.

Provided by Charlotte J

Categories     Low Cholesterol

Time 45m

Yield 1 cake

Number Of Ingredients 5

1 lb almond meal or 1 lb almond flour
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
4 egg whites
powdered sugar
butter, melted

Steps:

  • Mix almond meal and powdered sugar until there are no lumps.
  • In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. (A stand mixer works best for this.).
  • Whites should stand straight in a peak when you lift out the beater.
  • Reserve 2/3 cup of the egg whites, and mix remaining egg whites into almond flour/powdered sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or with your fingers.
  • The dough will be thick and should have the texture of cookie dough.
  • Place the dough into a cookie press.
  • Using a star-shaped disk, press the dough into kransekake rings that have been greased and coated with bread crumbs or white corn meal.
  • Test one ring by baking at 325 degrees for 15 minutes.
  • If this sample has tunnels, you may need to add a little more powdered sugar.
  • If the dough doesn't rise, you may need to add a little more of the egg white.
  • Do not over bake.
  • After baking all the cake rings, cool to nearly cold before removing the cake from the rings.
  • The cake should be only be slightly brown on the tips of the dough.
  • After baking all the cake rings, cool to nearly cold before removing the cake from the rings.
  • Use a thin knife to start lifting each ring out gently.
  • If a ring breaks, save it and serve it in little pieces around the bottom of the cake.
  • You can either stack the rings into a cone shape and lightly drizzle icing in a scallop pattern or v-pattern around each ring, or you can drizzle the rings with icing first and then stack them into a cone.
  • If you would like to freeze the kransekake, fill empty ice cream buckets with the unfrosted rings layered between sheets of waxed paper.
  • Icing:.
  • Mix powered sugar with a little melted butter.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 4209.9, Fat 230.5, SaturatedFat 17.7, Sodium 227.6, Carbohydrate 479, Fiber 53.6, Sugar 404.6, Protein 110.9

PISTACHIO CHERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIE TOWER (KRANSEKAKE)



Pistachio Cherry Shortbread Cookie Tower (Kransekake) image

Provided by Food Network

Time 2h

Yield 1 large cookie tower (12 to 20 servings)

Number Of Ingredients 12

1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups finely ground pistachios
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
Royal Icing, recipe follows
3 1/2 cups (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons meringue powder
6 tablespoons water
Red and green food coloring

Steps:

  • Beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until combined. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined.
  • In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, ground pistachios and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar, beating just to combine. Add the dried cherries and mix just until combined; the mixture will look crumbly. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead few times with your hands until the dough comes together. Divide into 3 pieces and form each piece into a disk; wrap with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
  • When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Roll the dough, one disc at a time, to 1/3-to-1/2-inch thick. Cut 2 rounds with a 6-inch cutter. Cut the center from each with a 4-inch cutter to create rings. Then cut 2 rounds with a 5 1/2-inch cutter and use a 3 1/2-inch cutter to create rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 5-inch cutter and use a 3-inch cutter to create rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 4 1/2-inch cutter and use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 4-inch cutter and use a 2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 3 1/2-inch cutter and use a 1 1/2-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 3-inch cutter and use a 1-inch cutter to make rings. Cut 2 rounds with a 2 1/2-inch cutter and 2 rounds with a 2-inch cutter, leaving them whole. You may gather and reroll the scraps up to 2 times if needed but you will need to chill the dough before rerolling.
  • Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch of space in between. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown, about 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before assembling.
  • When ready to assemble, stack the two 6-inch ring cookies atop each other, using the white Royal Icing to adhere to one another creating a sandwich. Repeat with the other like-size cookies so they are all in 2-cookie stacks.
  • To assemble the tower, pipe white icing on the bottom of the stack of 6-inch cookies and set it on a decorative platter (the icing will help it adhere). Decorate the cookies with swags of red icing and add the next-largest sandwich. Continue decorating with swags of alternating colors of icing and stacks of cookies in descending sizes. Finish with the solid rounds on top.
  • Add the confectioners' sugar and meringue powder to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; turn on low to combine. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, beating with the mixer on medium speed until the icing is thick and glossy but soft enough to pipe. Divide among 3 bowls, tinting one red, one green and leaving one white. Transfer the icing to plastic piping bags; snip off the corners.

RING CAKE (KRANSEKAKE)



Ring Cake (Kransekake) image

Ring cake or kransekake cake is a traditional Norwegian wedding cake. It is actually an almond based cookie baked into a total of 18 rings of different size and is stacked to form a tower starting from the largest ring to the smallest. The texture is kind of interesting: Crunchy from the outside and chewy from the inside.

Provided by insensate

Categories     Dessert

Time 40m

Yield 18 Rings

Number Of Ingredients 4

500 g almonds
500 g powdered sugar (icing sugar)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 egg whites

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
  • Grind the almonds into fine powder. I used an old fashioned nut grinder. You can use the regular grinder.
  • Add in the sugar and baking powder to the almonds and mix.
  • Now keep on adding the egg whites one by one and kneading the Almond mixture with the whites with gentle hands until a dough is formed.
  • Once the dough is formed time to shape the rings. roll out the dough into sausage shape. Thickness should be about 1/4 inch.
  • Fill in the kransekake pans to form the rings. There will be a total of 18 rings.
  • Bake for 10 minutes in the oven and pull out and completely cool before take out of the molds.
  • While the rings are cooling off you can prepare the icing.
  • Instructions for the icing: Lightly beat 1 large egg white in a bowl. Now keep on adding icing sugar to the egg white little by little (1 tablespoon at a time) until you attain the desired consistency (It should be at a pouring consistency but not runny).
  • Once the rings are completely cooled and the icing is ready its time to form the tower.
  • starting from the larger ring to the smallest build up a tower.
  • Place the largest ring on the plate and with the icing create a zigzag pattern on the ring and when the icing is still wet place the next size ring over it. The icing acts like a glue holding the rings together.
  • Continue until you reach to the smallest ring.
  • Decorate as desired with ribbons, toothpick flags with personal messages and flowers.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 536.5, Fat 16.4, SaturatedFat 1.3, Sodium 128, Carbohydrate 95.5, Fiber 3.4, Sugar 88.5, Protein 7.2

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