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Home » Desserts » Kransekake

Kransekake

September 15, 2020 by Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life 7 Comments

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The kransekake is an elegant Scandinavian cake that’s every bit as beautiful as it is easy to make. Learn how to make this delicious almond cake with just a few ingredients for your next big event.

kransekake next to a bouquet of flowers and a glass of wien

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you make a purchase using those links. I use all of the products included in this post and recommend them because they are products I personally love and trust. All affiliate links are clearly marked.

If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’ve probably heard about the 5 years I lived in Norway and the almost 2 years I worked in delicious little bakery nestled at the end of a fjord (Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with the details again… This time).

While we made many delicious cakes, like fruktkaker and hvit dame, one of my favorites was the kransekake (pronounced KRANS-uh-kok-uh) if for no other reason than the sheer elegance of it. Traditionally used for weddings, confirmations and holidays like Christmas and Norway’s Independence Day, the kransekake is a towering cake made out of 18 crisp almond cookies “glued” together with icing.

It’s the epitome of Norwegian baking: Simple, elegant and minimal. Don’t worry, I won’t tell your friends how easy this show-stopper was to make. 😉

Ingredients you’ll need

For a treat this beautiful, you won’t believe how few ingredients it actually requires. Seriously, we’re talking just five ingredients in total. Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Almond flour
  • Powdered sugar
  • Egg whites
  • Meringue powder
  • Water

A quick note about almonds and almond flour

Many traditional Norwegian kransekake recipes call for blanching almonds, peeling half of them and grinding them yourself.

If you want the full experience of making your almond flour from scratch, you can boil 1/2 lb of almonds for 3-4 minutes. The skin should peel right off. Spread the peeled almonds out on a baking sheet to dry overnight. Grind the peeled almonds with 1/2 lb of unpeeled almonds.

If you’d rather skip this step, you can simply purchase super-fine almond flour straight from the grocery store, which is available both with and without the skin.

A traditional kransekake dough would be made of equal parts blanched almond flour and whole almond flour. If you don’t want to purchase both, either one will work; Just know that it will change the taste and color of the dough slightly (the skin gives it a little extra flavor).

The kransekake in this post is made with 100% blanched almond flour.

flat lay of different kinds of almond flour

How to make a kransekake

First, make the kransekake dough.

Stir together the almond flour and powdered sugar. Add the egg whites and beat until the dough clumps together. It should resemble something similar to pie dough, but it won’t be quite as smooth because of the almond flour.

Second, form the kransekake rings.

Grab small fistfuls of dough and roll them into strips that are roughly the same thickness as your finger.

Gently press the dough into your kransekake ring mold (affiliate link), trimming the ends so that they just overlap. Gently press the ends together to seal.

rolling out kransekake dough

Third, bake the kransekake.

Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes, or until just golden. Allow to cool in their rings.

Finally, make the icing and assemble the cake.

In a bowl, whip the meringue powder and water until frothy. Add the powdered sugar and whip until you reach a piping consistency.

Pro tip: Despite your best efforts, sometimes the rings don’t come out perfectly even, which means your kransekake might lean if you’re not careful. To avoid this, I like to stack my kransekake without icing so I can turn it as needed to ensure the rings stack up evenly and straight.

Fill a piping bag with the icing, pipe it onto the rings and stack.

partially stacked rings of a kransekake

Garnish with fresh flowers, candies or just leave it plain. If you’re using fresh flowers, check out my tutorial on safely adding flowers to a cake.

hands wrapping flowers with floral tape

Kransekake variations

Don’t feel like making a whole 18 ring cake? Kransekakestenger is a common variation that makes individual size pieces. Instead of forming the dough into rings, the dough is formed into 5″ logs and baked on a baking sheet at 400F for 8-10 minutes or until golden. The kransekakestenger are then dipped in melted dark chocolate.

Tips for making a kransekake

  • Purchase a kransekake mold: To ensure your kransekake don’t spread while baking, you’ll want to use a kransekake mold. This is the kransekake mold I use (affiliate link).
  • Making a half batch: If you don’t want to make a full size cake, you can halve the recipe, but be sure you’re filling the right rings in your cake form.
  • Freezing kransekake: Unfrosted kransekake keeps well in the freezer. Simply places the rings in an airtight plastic bag. Thaw at room temperature until no longer frozen.
kransekake against a white tile backdrop

Frequently asked questions

What does kransekake taste like?

Kransekake tastes like a lightly sweetened almond cookie.

How do you cut kransekake?

The rings of the kransekake are traditionally pulled apart rather than sliced.

How do you serve kransekake?

Kransekake is traditionally served by itself or with a cup of coffee.

What’s the difference between kransekake, kransekaker and kransekakestenger?

Kransekaker is the plural form of kransekake. Kransekakestenger uses the same dough but rather than making a stacked ring cake, the dough is formed into individual cookie logs.

Can you make kransekake without a mold?

While you can make kransekake without a mold, it’s very difficult to get the rings to come out even and uniform enough for stacking. The molds are well worth the investment.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear how it went in the comments below. Better still, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram with #thesimplesweetlife. I love seeing your creations!

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Kransekake

kransekake against a white tile backdrop
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

The kransekake is an elegant Scandinavian cake that’s every bit as beautiful as it is easy to make. Learn how to make this delicious almond cake with just a few ingredients for your next big event.

  • Author: The Simple, Sweet Life
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 18 rings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Norwegian

Ingredients

Scale

For the kransekake dough:

  • 1 lb almond flour
  • 1 lb powdered sugar
  • 4 egg whites

For the icing:

  • 1 tbsp. meringue powder
  • 2 tbsp. water
  • 1/4 lb powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Grease your kransekake rings.
  2. Stir together the almond flour and powdered sugar. Add the egg whites and beat until dough clumps together.
  3. Roll the dough into strips that are roughly the same thickness as your finger.
  4. Gently press the dough into the ring, trimming the ends so that they just overlap. Gently press together to seal.
  5. Bake at 400F for 8-10 minutes, or until just golden.
  6. In a bowl, whip the meringue powder and water until frothy. Add the powdered sugar and whip until you reach a piping consistency.
  7. Pipe the icing onto the rings and stack.
  8. Garnish with fresh flowers, cookies or candies.

Notes

  • Purchase a kransekake mold: To ensure your kransekake don’t spread while baking, you’ll want to use a kransekake mold. This is the kransekake mold I use (affiliate link).
  • Making a half batch: If you don’t want to make a full size cake, you can halve the recipe, but be sure you’re filling the right rings in your cake form.
  • Freezing kransekake: Unfrosted kransekake keeps well in the freezer. Simply places the rings in an airtight plastic bag. Thaw at room temperature until no longer frozen.
  • Eating your kransekake: Kransekake is eaten most easily by pulling off rings and eating them with your hands like a cookie.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 ring
  • Calories: 237
  • Sugar: 30.9g
  • Sodium: 14mg
  • Fat: 8.8g
  • Saturated Fat: 0.7g
  • Carbohydrates: 35.4g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 4.8g
  • Cholesterol: 0mg

Keywords: kransekake, how to make a kransekake, kransekake oppskrift

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @thesimplesweetlifeblog on Instagram and hashtag it #thesimplesweetlife

If you liked this recipe, you might also like…

  • Norwegian marzipan cake
  • Kransekakestenger
  • How to vary a basic cake recipe

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Filed Under: Cakes, Desserts, Scandinavian Baking

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Comments

  1. Sue Gregory says

    September 17, 2020 at 8:08 pm

    I love the simplicity and elegance of this cake and your photos and flowers are gorgeous.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Jenny says

    December 22, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    Can I lower the sugar to almond flour ratio? It’s a little too sweet for me.

    Reply
  3. Dana says

    March 2, 2021 at 11:07 am

    Can you freeze the dough? Then bake later.

    Reply
    • The Simple, Sweet Life says

      April 4, 2021 at 6:42 pm

      Hi Dana! We used to bake and then freeze the kransekaker at the bakery I worked at, but I haven’t tried freezing the dough prior to baking. This is something you can do with most cookie doughs so I imagine it would work just fine with this dough as well.

      Reply
  4. Darlene Cornell says

    December 18, 2021 at 7:10 pm

    Can you use finely ground almonds instead of almond flour?

    Reply
    • Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says

      December 18, 2021 at 7:31 pm

      Hi Darlene! As long as it’s really finely ground, yes. 🙂 You can find a great tutorial on grinding your own almond flour here: https://foolproofliving.com/how-to-make-almond-flour/

      Reply
    • Tone Crossman says

      May 11, 2022 at 11:58 am

      Yes you can use the ground almonds I do all the time.

      Tone

      Reply

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I'm Claire, the baker, blogger, sprinkle enthusiast, and cookie painter behind The Simple, Sweet Life. Whether you like simple sweets, comfort (baked) foods, or works of sugar art, you're sure to find something here to sweeten your day! Get to know me better here!

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