Kransekake Recipe
This cake takes up to two days to make as the dough needs to rest and freeze.
Dough
1 pound of almonds
1 pound powdered sugar
4 egg-whites
Note: If you do not have the time or inclination to make the almond “dough” by hand, you can buy almond paste at Hornbacher’s or Cashwise. Solo makes a good one—it is $8/8 ounces (you would need 2).
Icing
1 egg-white
2-3 cups of icing sugar
Step 1
Skinning the almonds: Add only half the almonds to a pot of boiling water. Turn off the heat and leave them for 2-3 minutes. Pour the almonds into a strainer and rinse them under cold water. Take a fistful of the almonds at a time and rub them in a towel to make the skin loose. Pop the almonds out of their skin and leave to dry for a few hours or over night.
Step 2
Making the dough: Grind the skinned and unskinned almonds in an almond grinder or food processor. Add the icing sugar and mix. Add egg-whites until the mixture becomes stretchy and firm. Cover the bowl with plastic and put in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Step 3
Baking the cake: Grease kransekake molds and sprinkle with semolina or fine bread crumbs. Note: You can also make free-form rings by rolling them by hand. No need for semolina or bread crumbs, instead use baking paper so the dough doesn’t stick to the baking tray. Heat oven to 350 F. Take a lump of dough at a time and roll into finger thick lengths that fit the molds and join by squishing them together. If making free-form rings, make the smallest first to guide ring size progression. Make sure the rings overlap in size so they can rest on each other creating a pyramid shape. Cook the rings in the center of the oven for about 10mins or until golden. Cool them before putting them in an air-tight box. Leave the box in the freezer for at least 24 hours. This will make the kransekake nice and chewy.
Step 4
Constructing the cake: Defrost the rings for 30mins minimum. Make icing by beating one egg white with 2 cups of icing sugar, add more if necessary—it should be the consistency of peanut butter. Fill the icing in an icing-bag. Assemble the cake from biggest ring to smallest using the icing as glue by zig-zagging the icing across the rings.