Sports Cake - Sportskage

Sports Cake - Sportskage

Sports cake, it's a contradicting name. There is nothing sporty about this cake, there's a lot of whipped cream, and you need to go to the gym after eating a piece of this. 

The sports cake is a classic cake made by the Danish "Conditori La Glace." La Glace first made this cake for the premiere of the political play "Sports Men" in november 1891. And this is why it's called Sports cake. 

The cake is a kind of layer cake, with a thin macaroon bottom with a filling of whipped cream mixed with crushed praline (hazelnut and hard caramel) and topped of with whipped cream and caramelized cream puffs. Even though it’s just whipped cream on whipped cream, it's really yummy and not overly sweet. So if you ever find you self in Copenhagen, Denmark, you have to visit La Glace, It's a little slice of old-school Denmark at its best.

It might be a huge feat to take on La Glace, but I'm making it for one of my Danish friends birthday, and when we both live in California, I can't just order a cake for her. 

The recipe is kinda secret, but La Glace publish it  in a pamphlet, when the cake turned 100 years in 1991. And a popular Danish food program showed their version on TV a few years ago. 

Here is my version inspired by "Spise med Price."

Makes 1 cake.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 250 g marzipan (almond paste)
• 370 g sugar
• 3 egg whites

Praline:

• 100 g hazelnuts
• 300 g sugar

Cream puffs:

• 100 g butter, salted
• 200 ml water
• 125 g all-purpose flour
• a pinch salt
• 1 pinch baking powder
• 3 large eggs

Caramel for dipping the cream puffs:

• sugar

Filling & frosting:

• 1½ liters heavy whipping cream (use an organic with only cream in it like Clover)

Directions:

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃)

Mix marzipan, sugar and egg whites, and spread the dough onto a 9 inch circle on a parchment  paper or in a 9 inch springform pan, well greased. Bake it for about 30 minutes.

Praline:

Roast the hazelnuts on a dry skillet, until golden brown and most of the skin loosens. Rub the skin of the nuts between some kitchen towels.

Melt the sugar in a large skillet, and add the hazelnuts, when it's golden brown. Stir until the nuts are covered in caramel. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.

Cream puffs:

Preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).

Put water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder and salt. When the butter is all melted add all the flour at once, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and keep stirring until a dough is formed and it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is slightly shiny. 

Keep beating the dough with the wooden spoon until slightly cooled, about 2 minutes.  

Beat all the eggs in a bowl. Add a little of the beaten eggs, incorporating it thoroughly before adding more. Add the egg in small amounts until you have a thick paste but not runny at all.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Fill a large pastry bag fitted with an open tip, with the cream puff dough. Pipe quarter-size circular mounds about 2 inches apart, onto the parchment paper. To get the best tops on the cream puffs stop pressing on the pastry bag before you lift it, make a small circular move with your wrist as you lift the tip of the puff. If you have small tips on the puffs anyway, dab the tops of each puff with a fingertip dipped in water to smoothen the tops. 

Caramelized puffs.

Bake the puffs for 15-18 minutes, until they are puffed up and golden brown.

DO NOT open the oven while baking cream puffs, it will cause them to deflate.

Let the puffs cool on a wire rack.

When cooled, melt sugar in a small saucepan, till you have a light brown caramel. Dip the puffs in the melted sugar, and let them dry on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be careful, the sugar is very very hot.

Filling:

The dome made, started piping.

Chop up the praline, you can use a food processor, but you don't want it to turn into a flour. You need some crunchy parts in the filling.

Whip 1 liter whipping cream, until it can hold a peak. Mix in the praline.

Whip the rest of the cream, a little softer than the other cream, this is used for piping.

Put the cake on a cake stand, and put the praline filled cream onto it like a dome.  

Pipe the regular whipped cream to cover the cake part, using a small open tip. Place the cream puffs on the dome. Pipe small petals round the puffs, so the hole dome is covered. 

NOTE: You can make the cake and praline in advance, maybe the day before.

Cinnamon Bread - Kanelbrød

Cinnamon Bread - Kanelbrød

Cinnamon bread, is a classic for many teenagers in Denmark. Teens, would buy half a bread, and eat it for lunch. The sweet soft bread is really yummy, but to be honest, it's not food, it's a cake. 

I should have opted for a slightly larger pan, but the result was absolutely scrumptious. 

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

Dough:

• ¾ cup (1½ dl) whole milk

• 60 g butter, salted

• 50 g live yeast, or 4 teaspoons dry yeast

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste

• 50 g sugar

• 1 pinch salt

• 375 g all-purpose flour

• 2 eggs + 1 for egg wash

Remounce:

• 100 g brown sugar

• 100 g sugar

• 100 g butter

• 1 tablespoon syrup

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon

Frosting:

• confectionary sugar

• water

Directions:

Heat the milk until warm and melt the butter in it. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Make sure the milk is only finger warm before adding the yeast.

Add yeast, sugar, salt and vanilla paste and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add all the flour, and finally the eggs. The dough is very wet, but keep stirring, it will form a dough.

 Let the dough rise until it's doubled in size, for about 1 hour. 

Mix the butter, sugars, syrup and cinnamon for the remounce.

Pour the dough out onto a flour dusted workspace, and fold the dough 4 times, to deflate it. Roll it out so it’s as long as your loaf pan and about four times as wide.

Spread the remounce evenly on the dough, leaving a strip along the short side free. Roll up the dough, like you would cinnamon rolls, ending with the part that is free of the remounce. Half way in fold up the sides to keep the remounce inside the bread, while baking.

Put the bread in a parchment lined loaf pan. The parchment paper, makes it easier to lift out of the baked loaf.

Cut small slits in the sides of the loaf, this makes the loaf look braided. Let the loaf rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven for 400℉ (200℃).

Brush the loaf with egg wash, and bake the loaf for 15 minutes, then cover the loaf with aluminum foil, and bake for another 30-45 minutes.

Mix confectionary sugar with a little water to form a thick paste. Let loaf cool completely before frosting. 

Enjoy!

This post has been submitted to the Yeast Spotting Site.  

The Danish version:

Kanelbrød

Ingredienser:

Dej:

• 1½ dl sødmælk

• 60 g smør, saltet

• 50 g gær, eller 4 tsk tørgær

• ¼ tsk vanilla pasta, eller korn fra ½ vanillestang

• 50 g sukker

• 1 knsp salt

• 375 g hvedemel

• 2 æg + 1 æg til at pensle med

Remounce:

• 100 g burn farin

• 100 g sukker

• 100 g smør

• 1 spsk sirup

• 2 spsk kanel

Glasur:

• flormelis

• vand

Fremgangsmåde:

Varm mælken op og smelt smørret i den varme mælk. Hæld smør/mælk i en røreskål. Vær sikker på at mælken kun er fingervarm før du tilsætter gæren. 

Tilsæt gæren, salt, sukker og vanillen og rør indtil gæren er opløst. Tilsæt melen og æggene. Dejen vil være våd og usammenhængende, men bliv ved med at røre  indtil det er en sammenhængende dej.

Lad dejen hæve til den er doblet i størrelse, det tager ca. 1 time. 

Bland alle ingredienserne til remouncen og sæt den til side.

Kom dejen ud på et meldrysset bord, fold dejen 4 gang for at slå dejen ned. Rul dejen ud, så den er lidt længere end brødformen, og 4 gang så bred.

Spred remouncen ud over dejen, på nær et lille stykke i den ene ende af den korte side. Rul dejen, som du gør når du laver kanelsnegle. Halvvejs fold siderne ind, så remouncen bliver inden i brødet ved bagningen.

Kom brødet i et form foret med bagepapir. Dette gør det lettere at få brødet ud, når det er bagt.

Klip små hakker i brødet, så det ligner at det er flettet. Lad brødet hæve i ca 30 minutter. 

Forvarm oven til 200℃.

Pensl brødet med sammenpisket æg, og bag det i 15 minter. Herefter lægger du et stykke staniol hen over toppen, så brødet ikke bliver for mørkt. Bag brødet videre i ca 30-45 minutter.

Bland glasuren til en tyk pasta, og kom lidt på toppen af det kolde brød.

Velbekomme!

Rhubarb Crumble with Liquorice Marzipan

Rhubarb Crumble with Liquorice Marzipan

I was told to make more recipes with rhubarb, and of course I complied. This one is for you Vibs.

Ingredients:

• 400 g rhubarb
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon raw cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon raw liquorice powder
• 35 g marzipan with liquorice, shaved  

Crumble:

• 75 g brown sugar
• 40 g all-purpose flour
• 40 g rolled oats
• slivered almonds
• 60 g butter, salted, and chilled
• ¼ teaspoon fine liquorice powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425℉ (220℃). 

Wash and slice the rhubarb and mix them with sugar, cornstarch and liquorice powder. Set aside while making the crumble. 

Mix brown sugar, flour, oats and liquorice in large bowl. Add chilled butter, using your fingers, blend butter into mixture until coarse crumbs form, then mix in the almonds. 

Divide rhubarb mixture among 3-4 ramekins. Sprinkle the liquorice marzipan on top of the rhubarb. Divide oat mixture among dishes, sprinkling it evenly.

Place ramekins on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350℉ (175℃), and continue baking until the crisp topping is golden brown and rhubarb filling is bubbling at edges, about 15-20 minutes longer. Let the crumbles cool for a while before serving.

Serve crumbles with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some cream fraiche.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Rababercrumble med lakridsmarcipan

Ingredienser:

• 400 g rabarber
• 1 spsk maizena
• 1 spsk rørsukker
• ½ tsk raw liquorice powder
• 35 g marzipan with liquorice, høvlet  

Crumble:

• 75 g brun farin
• 40 g hvedemel
• 40 g havregryn
• mandelflager
• 60 g koldt smør, saltet
• ¼ tsk fine liquorice powder

Fremgangsmåde:

Opvarm ovnen til 220℃. 

Vask og skær rabarber i små stykker, og bland dem med sukker, maizena og lakrid pulver. Sæt til side, mens crumblen laves.

Bland brun farin, hvedemel, havregryn og lakrid i en stor skål. Tilføj smørret,og brug fingrene til at smuldre smøret i blandingen. Bland mandlerne i tilsidst. 

Fordel rabarberne i 3-4 ramekiner, drys lakridsmarzipan ovenpå. Fordel havregrynsblandingen i et jævnt lag over rabarberne.

Placer ramekinerne på en bageplade med bagepapir. Bag kagerne i 10 minutter. Reducer herefter ovntemperaturen til 175℃, og fortsæt bagningen indtil de er gyldent brune og rabarberblandingen bobler i kanten, ca 15-20 længere. Lad crumblen køle et godt stykke tid før servering.

Server crumblen med en kugle vanilleis eller cream fraiche.

Velbekomme!

Boil cake - No-bake cake

Boil cake - No-bake cake

Boil a cake - it sound crazy. But my mom boiled this cake all through my childhood. In my school we had a class-gathering in the classroom the last day before our christmas- and summer break. We all had to bring some kind of snack, and I always brought this Boil cake. 

Actually it's just at pound cake "baked" in a French Savarin Pan floating in a big pot of soft simmering water. It is a bit tricky to make, because if any water get into the batter the cake is ruined. But when you get the hang of it, the result is a very juicy and soft cake without any dark brown caramelization. My mom topped the cake with an icing made from confectionary sugar, orange juice and orange zest. 

Ingredient: 

• 200 g Butter (salted and soft)

• 150 g sugar

• 2 teaspoon vanilla paste

• 4 eggs

• 200 g all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing: 

• confectionary sugar

• 1 orange (some of the juice and zest)

Directions: 

Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a simmer. The French Savarin pan should be able to float freely in the pot. Well, my pot was not large enough, but it works anyway.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, mix in the vanilla paste. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix just until fully incorporated. Fold in the dry ingredients. 

Boiling of the cake.

Pour the batter into the Pan.

Place the pan in the pot and DO NOT put a lid on. The condensation will drip into the batter and ruin the cake. 

Boil the cake for about 50-60 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Remove the pan from the water, and let the cake cool somewhat before removing it from the pan. 

Mix confectionary sugar with orange zest, and just enough juice to make a paste. Pour the icing over the cake.

Enjoy!

The Danish version:

Kogekage

Ingredienser:

• 200 g smør (saltet of stuetemperatur)

• 150 g sukker

• 2 tsk vanilla paste eller kornene fra en vanillestang

• 4 æg

• 200 g hvedemel

• 1 tsk bagepulver

Glasur: 

• flormelis

• 1 appelsin (skallen og noget af saften)

Fremgangsmåde:

Fyld en stor bred gryde med vand, og varm det op til det næsten koger. Gryden skal være så stor, at en randform kan flyde i gryden. Ok, min randform hviler på kanten, hvilket virker fint.

Rør smør og sukker sammen til det er blegt og skummende. Tilsæt æggene et ad gangen og derefter vanillien. Bland bagepulveret med melet og kom det i dejen. Fordel dejen i formen og kom formen over i gryden. Pas på at der ikke kommer vand ned i formen, for så er kagen ødelagt. Der skal IKKE låg på gryden, da kondensen vil gøre kagen meget svampet, hvilet ikke er rart.

Kog kagen i 50-60 minutter til kagen er færdig, og der ikke hænger noget ved, når du stikker en nål i kagen. 

Fjern kagen fra gryden og lad den køle lidt af inden du vender kagen ud af formen.

Lav glasuren af appelsinsaft, flormelis og revet appelsinskal, og kom den over den afkølede kage.

Velbekomme! 

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

This is my first take on this classic American cake, but it definitely won't be my last time making it. I now understand why this moist cake has been a favorite here in the US for years. I like that is not overly sweet and still have the caramelized topping.

Ingredients 

• 115 g (1 stick) salted butter 
• 75 g sugar 
• 75 g brown sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 225 g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 120 ml milk
• 50 ml plain yogurt

Topping:

• 60 g butter 
• 100 g Brown sugar 
• 7 pineapple slices 
• 7 cherries, pitted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).

Melt the butter for the topping in a saucepan, and pour it into a 9 inch baking pan. Sprinkle with the brown sugar . Lay the pineapples and cherries on top. Set aside.

Batter:

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. Melt the butter in saucepan and whisk in both sugars, making sure there are no lumps. Whisk in yogurt, milk, vanilla and pineapple juice. Start mixing the dry ingredients and mix until it's just incorporated. 

Pour the batter over the pineapples in the pan and bake the cake for about 20 minutes, then cover the cake with some aluminum foil and bake for another 25 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. 

Let the cake cool for a few minutes before inverting it onto cake stand.

You can serve the cake warm or wait until it cools down. 

Enjoy.