A Guide To Baking Traditional Norwegian Wedding Cake

Kransekake, or wreath cake, is a traditional Norwegian cake served at weddings and other celebrations. It is made of 18 rings of almond cookie dough, stacked and held together with royal icing. The cake is time-consuming to make and requires a special ring mould, but the results are impressive. The rings are made from a soft, chewy, and slightly crunchy almond cookie dough. The dough is rolled into ropes and shaped into rings, before being baked and stacked together. The cake can be decorated with flags, candies, ribbons, or flowers.

Making the dough

The dough itself is made with just a few ingredients: ground almonds, confectioner's sugar, egg whites, and sometimes flour or potato starch. Some recipes also add a little lemon juice or almond extract for extra flavour. Mix the dry ingredients, then stir in the egg whites. Knead the dough until it holds itself together. It should be very soft and slightly sticky. Wrap the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least eight hours, or overnight.

The next day, you can begin to shape the dough. Divide it into 18 pieces and roll each piece into a long rope, or "snake", with your hands. The ropes should be the thickness of your index finger, or a little thicker. Each rope should be a little longer than the last, ranging from about 12 inches to 20 inches long. Shape each rope into a ring, pinching the ends together. If you are using kransekake moulds, place the rings into the moulds. If not, place them onto a lined baking sheet.

Shaping the dough

Firstly, it is important to chill the dough before shaping. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for at least eight hours, or even overnight if possible. Chilling the dough will make it easier to handle and prevent it from drying out during the shaping process.

If you are using a cookie press or a stand mixer with a sausage stuffer attachment, you can fill the device with the chilled dough and extrude it into long ropes or "snakes". The ropes should be slightly thicker than the circumference of your index finger, or about 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch in diameter. If you don't have access to these tools, you can also roll the dough out by hand to create the ropes. Keep the dough covered while you work to prevent it from drying out.

Next, shape each rope into a ring. If you are using kransekake molds, place the ropes into the forms, pinching the ends together to seal them. If you don't have molds, you can shape the ropes into rings by hand and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The rings should be placed at least 2 inches apart to allow for expansion during baking. For a traditional Kransekake, you will need 18 rings of gradually decreasing sizes, with the largest ring being about 20 inches long and the smallest about 12 inches long.

If you have any dough left over after filling the molds or shaping the rings, you can piece it together by pinching the ends of short pieces together and rolling them out to smooth the seams. Be careful not to overfill the molds, as this will make it difficult to remove the rings after baking.

Once you have shaped all the rings, they are ready to be baked. Preheat your oven to between 375°F and 400°F. Bake the rings for 10 to 15 minutes, keeping a close eye on them to prevent burning. The rings are done when they turn a light golden brown colour.

Allow the rings to cool completely in the pans before removing them. The Kransekake rings will be soft and chewy, but slightly crunchy, and they will stiffen as they cool.

Now you are ready to assemble your wedding vake! Starting with the largest ring, pipe a thin layer of royal icing or thick frosting in a zig-zag pattern on top. Stack the next largest ring on top, pressing down gently to adhere it to the icing. Repeat this process until all 18 layers have been stacked.

Your traditional Norwegian wedding vake is now complete! The tower of rings should stand tall and impressive, held together by the icing or frosting. This spectacular cake is sure to be a show-stopping centerpiece at any wedding or special celebration.

Baking the dough

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C) to 400°F (200°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll the dough into 18 ropes of varying lengths, with the longest rope being about the thickness of your index finger. The ropes should decrease in length and thickness, with the smallest rope being half an inch thick. Shape each rope into a ring.

Arrange the rings on the prepared baking sheets, making sure to leave at least 2 inches between each ring. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rings are golden brown. Keep an eye on the cookies as they bake, as they can burn quickly.

Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets. Once cooled, carefully remove them from the pans by inserting a sharp knife under the baked dough and gently lifting. If any rings break, keep the pieces together so you can mend them with royal icing.

The rings should be crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They will puff up a bit in the oven, so it's important not to make them too thick or they may melt together. However, if they're too thin, they may become hard and dry.

Tips:

• If you are using a non-stick pan, lower the temperature to 300°F (150°C).
• Grease the pans with butter or shortening, but do not use cooking spray.
• For easier removal, grease the pans and then sprinkle with breadcrumbs, uncooked Cream of Wheat, or potato starch flour.
• If you don't have a ring mold, you can make the rings free-form on parchment paper. Use a pencil to draw 18 circles in slightly different sizes, with the largest circle being 8 inches in diameter and the smallest 2.5 inches.
• The dough will be very stiff, so it's recommended to use a stand mixer or food processor to mix it.
• If you are using a cookie press, attach a 1/2-inch tip and fill it with the dough. Alternatively, use a stand mixer sausage stuffer to create the long strips.
• If you are using kransekake molds, butter and dust them with potato starch flour before filling them with the dough.

Making the icing

The icing used in a Kransekake is typically royal icing. This is made from egg whites, confectioner's sugar, and sometimes almond extract or lemon juice. The ingredients are mixed until smooth and the icing is thin enough to be drizzled through the fine tip of a pastry bag.

Some recipes suggest adding a small amount of vanilla extract or lemon juice to enhance the flavour of the icing. The lemon juice also adds a subtle brightness to the mixture.

If you are concerned about consuming raw egg, you can use water instead of egg whites. This will result in a less bright white icing, but it will taste the same.

Once the icing is ready, it can be placed into a piping bag with a small tip or a plastic freezer bag with the end snipped off.

Assembling the cake

Once you've baked your rings and they've cooled, it's time to assemble your Kransekake. Here's how:

Assembling the Kransekake:

• Group similar-sized rings together to keep you organized as you assemble.
• Starting with the largest ring, pipe the royal icing around the top in a zig-zag pattern.
• Top with the next largest ring, ice and repeat until all 18 layers have been stacked.
• Decorate the completed cake with flags, candies, ribbons, or edible flowers.
• Alternatively, decorate each layer and then immediately add the next one on top to glue the layers together. This makes the Kransekake more stable, but it can be hard to remove each ring from the tower to eat.
• If you want the Kransekake to be easier to eat (but less stable), decorate each ring and let it dry before adding a ring on top.
• You can also skip the decoration and simply stack the rings – many Norwegians do this as well.
• If you are serving the Kransekake at a party, you can remove the bottom couple of rings and break them into pieces to lay them around the Kransekake base. This way, people can begin to eat the Kransekake without taking apart the tower, so it still looks beautiful.

Frequently asked questions