Princesstarta (Princess Cake)
Bronte Aurell in the book ScandiKitchen: Fika and Hygge: Comforting cakes and bakes from Scandinavia with love on Amazon here:https://amzn.to/3fFiaFrThis sweet cake is perfect for a sunny day with its layers of light cake, pastry cream, fruity jam, and chewy marzipan.
Yield: 1 cake
Materials
Pastry Cream
- 500 ml Whole milk
- 1 Vanilla pod seeds scraped out
- 1 1/2 egg Whole egg plus one egg yolk
- 100 grams Caster sugar (granulated sugar)
- 30 grams Cornflour (cornstarch)
- Pinch of salt
- 25 grams Butter
Chantilly Cream
- 300 ml Whipping cream
- Sugar to taste
Genoise Cake
- 25 grams Butter melted melted
- 120 grams Caster sugar
- 120 grams All Purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder* optional
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla or vanilla extract or seeds from ½ pod
Jam
- Jar of your favorite jam
Marzipan
- 200 grams Finely ground almonds Use ground almonds, then re-grind them a few ties to make them extra fine.
- 100 grams Granulated sugar
- 100 grams Icing sugar (Powdered sugar)
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- Green food gel
Instructions
Make the Pastry Cream
- In a sauce pan heat up milk and vanilla until it simmers
- In a bowl whisk eggs, sugar, and corn starch together.
- Temper the eggs by adding a little bit of the hot milk into the bowl while vigorously whisking. Once combined, add egg and milk mixture back into the pot and continue to cook.
- Stir constantly so mixture doesn't scorch on the bottom until thick and it slightly bubbles.
- Remove from heat and push through a sieve if there are lumps of scrambled egg. If not, place in a bowl and mix with a pinch of salt and the butter.
- Place plastic wrap over the mixture, making sure it is pressed all along the top to prevent a skin from forming, and place in the refrigerator over night or until chilled.
Make Chantilly Cream
- In a mixing bowl whip cream and sugar until it forms fairly stiff peaks.
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill until needed
Make Genoise
- Sift together flour and salt and set aside. This is also when you will combine the baking powder if you are using it.
- In a mixing bowl whip on high speed eggs, and sugar until thick. This will take approximately 4-5 minutes. This is called the ribbon stage because if you pick up the whisk, you should be able to draw a figure-8 with the mixture.
- Fold in the dry ingredients. Be extra careful as you do not want to deflate all the air you worked to hard to incorporate.
- Fold in butter and vanilla
- Pour batter into three baking pans that have been lined with parchment paper and a bit of cooking spray.
- Bake in 350° oven for about 8 minutes.
- Cool on a rack until needed
Prepare Marzipan
- In a food processor, combine the almonds, sugar, and egg white until it forms a dough
- If you are using premade marzipan, warm it up with your hands until it becomes pliable.
- Add the green food coloring a little bit at a time until the dough becomes a lovely minty green color.
- Roll out the marzipan into a circle large enough to drape over the entire finished cake
Assemble cake
- Remove cake from pan. Make sure your hands are damp as the cake will be sticky.
- Place one cake layer on your cake plate. Spread a thin layer of jam over the surface. to the edges.
- Spread a thin layer of the pastry cream over the jam to the edges.
- Place second cake layer on top and repeat with jam and pastry cream.
- Place third cake layer on top. Spread the Chantilly cream on top of cake to the edges, forming a bit of a dome shape.
- Roll the marzipan over a rolling pin and prepare to drape over the entire cake. Carefully mold the marzipan over the top and sides forming a clean surface
- Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top, and decorate with roses and leave with modeling chocolate or left over marzipan.
Video
Notes
If you do not have time make every layer, feel free to use premade cake rounds, whipped cream, pastry cream, jam, and marzipan. As long as you spend some time and attention to the finished product, you will be a huge hit.