Makes 1 kranskake
THIS TOWERING, FRAGRANT, LIGHTLY SPICED COOKIE-CAKE HYBRID SITS RIGHT IN the center of what I consider to be the ultimate Venn diagram of baking. It’s at once wildly impressive, not actually complicated, and can be made well ahead of serving. The bonus point for kranskake is that it’s as fun to make as the history surrounding it. Called kranskake in Norwegian and kranskage in Danish, it’s a Scandi stunner that often appears on such special occasions as holidays, baptisms, and weddings. The invention of it is credited to a Danish baker sometime in the 1700s, and it was originally designed to lie on its side, mimicking a cornucopia, filled with candies and chocolates. But one look at an upright, towering version, and the winning posture is clear. One tradition is for the bride and groom to lift the top of the cake together, and the number of rings that pull up indicates the number of children they will have. Position your hands carefully, my friends!
Forming the dough into perfect rings for a kranskake requires a set of special molds obtained easily online or at thrift stores. It’s a fun project, especially with multiple ring makers, rolling out the dough into long tubes just the right length to form each circle, part guessing game, part Play-Doh free-for-all. Because the dough is superpliable and gluten-free, it won’t toughen up as you squish and reroll dough portions as many times as needed to get each ring just right. The crunchy royal icing drizzled between each layer serves as an edible concrete of sorts, and adds a sweet snap to the chewy almond rings. As precarious as she looks, a good kranskake will not topple for anything, making it an awe-inspiring centerpiece that’s a literal taste of history, and magical enough to draw people around the table.
18 ounces/510 g sliced almonds*
4¼ cups/510 g confectioners’ sugar, divided
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Nonstick cooking spray for molds
Small sprinkles, edible glitter, or other edible decoration (optional)
2 large egg whites
2½ cups/300 g confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Prepare the rings: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel S blade, combine the almonds with ½ cup/60 g of the confectioners’ sugar. Process continuously until the almonds are very finely ground.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the almond mixture, remaining 3¾ cups/450 g of the confectioners’ sugar, cardamom, lemon zest, and salt. Mix on low speed to blend. Add the egg whites and vanilla and stir until the dough is evenly mixed. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or up to 3 days.
Position racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 300°F/150°C. Spray six 3-ring kranskake molds with nonstick cooking spray.
Turn out the dough onto a work surface. Working 1 portion at a time, roll the dough into long ropes, no more than ½ inch/1.25 cm in diameter, just shy of snugly filling each ring—the dough will grow in size during baking and you don’t want the rings sticking together. It’s a bit of trial and error to guess how much dough you’ll need to create a rope that completes each size circle, but it becomes easier to eyeball it as you go. Pinch the ends of each rope together to form a seamless ring.
Set the filled molds directly on the oven racks and bake until the dough rings are somewhat firm to the touch, dry in appearance, and lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Err on the side of giving the rings an extra minute or two of baking if you’re not sure—underbaked rings will fall apart upon unmolding. Set the molds on wire racks and allow the rings to cool in the molds before turning them out.
Prepare the icing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt until smooth and thick. Blend in several drops of lemon juice to adjust the consistency of the icing—you want something fluid but not runny, that can easily be piped but will hold its shape and not drip down the rings as it’s applied. Scrape the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip, or use a resealable plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner of the bag with scissors.
Assemble the kranskake: Pipe a few small dabs of icing onto a serving plate, and affix the largest ring to the plate. Pipe thin lines in a zigzag pattern all around the circle. Gently press the next-size ring on top. Continue icing and stacking the rings until the entire kranskake is assembled. If you wish to add small sprinkles or edible glitter to your kranskake, do so layer by layer, after you apply icing and before pressing on the next ring. For slightly larger baubles applied all over the structure, stick them on at the end of construction with small dots of icing. Allow the icing to set completely before displaying and serving.
*I love the nubbly texture, natural look, and flavor of using almonds with the skins. If you can find preground almond meal, you can skip the food processor step.