Blog - Danish Recipes

Danish Layer Cake with Strawberries & Cream

August 23, 2024 by Louise Leave a Comment

Experience Danish Tradition with a Strawberry and Cream Layer Cake

There’s something truly special about a Danish layer cake, or "lagkage," that captures the essence of celebration in Denmark. This classic dessert is more than just a cake—it's a tradition that brings friends and family together to create sweet memories. Whether it's for a birthday, a holiday, or just because, a Danish layer cake always steals the show with its delicate layers and rich flavors.

Today, I’m excited to share with you a recipe for one of the most cherished versions of this cake: the Strawberry and Cream layer cake (danish lagkage). Imagine light, airy sponge cake layered with smooth vanilla cream and sweet, juicy strawberries, all topped off with a generous layer of whipped cream and a scattering of fresh berries. It’s a simple yet elegant dessert that perfectly balances sweetness with the natural tartness of the strawberries.

In this post, I'll walk you through each step of creating this stunning cake—from baking the perfect sponge to assembling the layers with care. Whether you’re new to baking or a seasoned pro, this recipe is sure to become a favorite in your repertoire. Let’s dive into the heart of Danish dessert culture and create a lagkage that’s as delightful to look at as it is to eat!

Danish Layer Cake with Strawberries & Cream

10 personer

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1 1

Resting time 4

Total Time 1 6

Ingredients

Layer cake bases

4 eggs
150 g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
150 g all-Purpose flour

Pastry cream

2 sheets gelatine
1 vanilla pod
70 g sugar
4 egg yolks
40 g cornstarch
4 dl whole milk
3 dl whipping cream

Strawberry/rhubarb compote

100 g rhubarb, fresh or frozen
150 g strawberries, fresh or frozen
3 tablespoon sugar

Additionally

500 g fresh strawberries, cut in half/quarters
75 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
a few mint leaves, can be omitted

Instructions

Layer cake bases

Beat eggs and sugar very light. Beat for approximately 5 minutes.
Mix the baking powder, vanilla sugar and wheat flour together in a bowl.
Sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and fold gently with a dough scraper.
Put baking paper in the bottom of a springform pan (22 cm) and grease the edge of the pan with butter, margarine or oil. I use a grease spray/baking spray.
Spread the dough in the form and tap it lightly on the table a few times.
Put the cake in the oven at 200 degrees normal. oven for approximately 25 minutes.
Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin and then remove it to a wire rack.
Split the cake into 3 equal-sized layer cake bases. Use a serrated knife for that. Start by marking two cuts all the way around the cake and then cut through.

Pastry cream

Put the husblas in a bowl of cold water.
Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and mix with a little of the sugar.
Put vanilla sugar, sugar, egg yolks in a bowl and whisk it together. Add the cornstarch and whisk together. Then add 0.5 dl of the milk and whisk it together.
Put the rest of the milk (3.5 dl) and the empty vanilla bean into a saucepan. Heat it to just below the boiling point. Then pour the warm milk into the egg mixture while whisking. Pour it all back into the pot.
Heat the vanilla cream over medium heat while whisking constantly (important!). When it bubbles and thickens, let it continue to cook for a few minutes while still whisking.
Remove the pan from the heat. Squeeze out the water from the house air and add it to the cream. Stir the cottage cheese completely into the cream and transfer the cream to a bowl that you cover with cling film. Make sure the film is completely down on top of the cream.
Refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or longer).

Strawberry/rhubarb compote

Place strawberries, rhubarb and sugar in a saucepan with a lid and heat over medium heat.
Stir occasionally and remove your compote when the berries and rhubarb are well cooked.
Refrigerate until you need to use it.

Assembling the layer cake

Remove the empty vanilla pod. Then beat in the cold vanilla cream well.
Whip the cream to a light foam.
Fold your whipped cream into the vanilla cream. Do it in two rounds.
Find a dish for your layer cake and put a layer cake base on it.
Spread half of the compote on top of the base.
Then put ⅓ of the pastry cream on top and then spread ⅓ of the strawberries and ⅓ of the chopped chocolate on top.
Put the next layer cake base on top and repeat with compote, pastry cream, strawberries and chocolate.
Add the last base and spread the rest of the pastry cream, strawberries and chocolate. I also garnished with a few mint leaves.
Put the cake in the fridge until it is to be served.

Save on Pinterest Gem som favorit Print Recipe

Danish apple cake (Æblekage)

February 6, 2024 by Louise Leave a Comment

Here you can find the recipe for a class danish apple cake. In Denmark it is called 'æblekage' and danish æblekage consists of apple porridge, crushed danish makroner and whipped cream. It is kind of a danish apple trifle. So good!

Danish æblekage

In Denmark we have a long tradition of making a classic æblekage. You can make many sorts of danish apple cakes, but this one, which looks like an apple trifle, is very popular.

The Danish apple trifle is very easy to make and is a perfect dessert for when you are having guests over. You can prepare the dessert several hours before. And you can even make the apple porridge days before, if you just contain it in the fridge in meanwhile. When you then want to make the danish apple trifle, you can just crush the danish makroner, make the whipped cream and you are good to go!

Danish apple cake recipe

Normally you would serve this danish apple cake recipe in a large bowl. But I just thinks it looks so nice when each portion is arranged in a glas of its own. You can choose yourself whether you would like to arrange it in a large bowl or in a glass.

As you can see i use danish makroner in this danish apple cake. If you live outside Denmark it can be a bit difficult to find them. But i found a Scandinavian store where you can buy danish makroner.

Danish apple cake (Æblekage)

4 people

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Ingredients

500 g apples
50 g cane sugar
0,5 vanilla pod
0,5 dl water
150 g danish makroner
2,5 dl whipping cream

Instructions

Peel the apples and cut them into small pieces. Spread the apple pieces in a pan.
Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod and mix with some of the cane sugar.
Add water, cane sugar, the vanilla from the vanilla pod to the apples in the pan.
Let it cook on medium heat until the apples are cooked. It took me 10 minutes and then the apples had the perfect texture. How long the apples should be cooked depends on which apples you use.
Put the apple porridge in the fridge and let it cool completely.
When your apple porridge is cold, crush the danish markoner and whip the whipping cream and turn it into whipped cream.
In a serving glas you put crushed danish makroner, apple porridge, crushed danish makroner and apple porridge. You finally top it with whipped cream and decorate with crushed danish makroner. You can also make it in one large bowl instead of portioning.
Put the dessert in the fridge undtil it is ready to be served. It can easily stand for a few hours.

Save on Pinterest Gem som favorit Print Recipe

Danish apple trifle

There are always many opinions on how a traditional danish apple cake is made, but this recipe is my take on it. Some people would say, there should be more/less apple porridge, danish makroner etc. You can adjust the recipe the way you like, but i really like this combination.

You can easily adjust the amount of apple trifles, and if you make the apple dessert for many people it might be easier to make it into one or two big bowls. The dessert can be made any time of the year, but the apples are always better when they are in season.

Brunsviger cake

December 18, 2023 by Louise Leave a Comment

Brunsviger is a traditionally danish cake. It is a classic yeast dough, with a mixture of brown sugar and butter on top, which caramelises so beautifully in the oven. Here you will get my recipe for the classic danish brunsviger cake.

When the dough has risen, make small indentations with your fingers. It is in those holes that all the good sugar filling must run down, so that the filling is not only distributed on top of the cake but also runs down into the cake.

In the eyes of the Danes, Brunsviger originates from Funen (Fyn). However, pictures have been found from a German town Braunschweiger (translated brunsviger to Danish) back in 1800, where a cake similar to it was baked.

In Denmark we celebrate Brunsvigeren's Day every year. We celebrate it on the last Thursday before the autumn holidays. In the year 2024 it will be October 10.

Brunsviger cake

6 personer

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Resting time 1

Ingredients

Dough

1 dl whole milk
50 g butter
25 g yeast
25 g sugar
1 egg
250 g all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt

Filling

125 g butter
175 g brown sugar
2 tablespoon syrup

Instructions

Dough

Heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted. The liquid should only be lukewarm.
Crumble the yeast in the warm milk and butter.
Add sugar, eggs, wheat flour and salt and knead the dough until it becomes shiny and flexible. I use a mixer for this.
Put the dough in a form approximately 24x34 cm lined with baking paper.
Press the dough well to all the edges and make sure to make a small border around the sides so that the filling does not flow too much under the cake during baking.
Put a damp tea towel over the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 hour. While the dough rises, make the filling.

Filling

Put butter, brown sugar and syrup in a saucepan and let it melt together over medium heat. It doesn't have to come to a boil, just heat until it can be stirred completely. Set aside.
Collect the brownie
Put a little water on your fingers and poke deep holes with your fingers in the dough. But without poking a hole in the bottom. Make plenty of holes!
Spread your cooled but still warm filling over the pan.
Put the brownie in a heated oven (general heat) at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
When it comes out of the oven, I tilt the mold a little so that the filling comes a little over the edges as well.
Allow the brunsviger to cool and then serve while it is still freshly baked.

Save on Pinterest Gem som favorit Print Recipe

Tips for the recipe!

You have to be careful not to bake it too long in the oven. Don't overbake the cake, otherwise it can become dry. In fact it is better the cake is a little bit underbaked.

Brunsviger is one of those cakes that you should eat within a few hours. It tastes extra good when it has just set and is still a little warm.

Brunsviger variations

Some peope eat brunsviger with whipped cream on top, it seems to be mostly in North Jutland. I have also read versions where there is vanilla cream in the filling.

Risalamande - The Classic Danish Christmas Dessert

December 15, 2023 by Louise Leave a Comment

Risalamande with cherry sauce is the most wonderful Christmas dessert. It is a classic Danish christmas dessert that is especially served on Christmas Eve and for christmas lunches. Here you get my recipe for the classic danish risalamande that I serve every year for my family.

Risalamande - The Classic Danish Christmas Dessert

Risalamande with cherry sauce

Risalamande is a classic dessert that you eat in most Danish homes on Christmas Eve and for Christmas lunches. The name comes from the French word riz à l'amande, which means rice with almonds. The dish has a French-sounding name, even though it is Danish.

Risalamande is actually a fairly simple dessert. It consists of rice porridge in which you are mixing whipped cream, sugar, almonds and vanilla. You usually serve it cold and with cold or warm cherry sauce on top. I myself prefer to warm the cherry sauce.

Danish risalamande recipe

It is quite popular in many families in Denmark to make a big pot of rice porridge on the day before Christmas Eve. You eat it with cinnamon sugar and a dollop of butter in the evening. The rest of the rice porridge you use on Christmas Eve to make risalamande.

It's very smart, as you get rid of the trouble of cooking the rice porridge at the same time as you have to roast the perfect Christmas duck and many other important things for Christmas Eve. Here you get my recipe for risalamande as I like it.

A whole almond and a almond present

When you are making your risalamande it is very important to hide one whole almond in the risalamande before serving. The one that gets the whole almond also gets the almond present.

Risalamande

6 persons

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Ingredients

Rice porridge

180 g porridge rice
2 dl water
1 liter whole milk
1 teaspoon of sugar
1-2 vanilla pods
1 pinch of salt, can be omitted

risalamande

150 g almonds, blanched
40 g icing sugar
5 dl whipping cream

Served with

cherry sauce

Instructions

Rice porridge

Halve the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds. Spread them in a little sugar.
Pour water and rice into a pot and bring to the boil and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the milk and bring the porridge to the boil while stirring. Put the vanilla beans and the empty vanilla pod into the pan.
Cook the porridge under the lid on low heat.
Stir it regularly so that the milk does not burn at the bottom. The porridge is ready when it has boiled for approximately 40 minutes.
When you have a finished rice pudding, put it in the fridge so it gets completely cold. Feel free to make it the day before you have to make the risalamande.

Risalamande

Remove the skin from the almonds by pouring boiling water over, drain the water and pour over with cold water. Repeat this 2 times. Then you can easily remove the skin from then almonds.
Chop the almonds them either finely or coarsely. It depends on what you like best. Stir them into the bowl with the cold rice pudding.
Add icing sugar to the porridge.
Whip the cream to a light foam in another bowl.
Spread the lightly whipped cream a little at a time into the porridge, and carefully turn it around until it is completely distributed.
Refrigerate the risalamande dessert until ready to eat (preferably at least 2-3 hours). Serve it with warm or cold cherry sauce.

Save on Pinterest Gem som favorit Print Recipe

If you want the recipe in Danish you can find it on my Danish food blog.

Cherrysauce for risalamande

The most common sauce for risalamande is the cherry sauce. There are actually quite a few other variations that you can try with your rice ala mande.

Orange sauce

Raspberry sauce

Strawberry sauce

Caramel sauce

Skinless almonds for risalamande

For rice ala mande you need lots of almomonds. And for this wonderful Christmas dessert, it is important that the skin is removed from the almonds. This is done by putting the almonds in boiling water, after which you can slip the skin off the almond.

Leftovers of the risalamande

At Christmas, we often cook a lot of food, and in order for the food not to go to waste, we have to find something to use the leftovers for. Remains of rice ala mande can, for example, used for the danish klatkager or waffles. You can also easily just eat the leftovers of the dessert the next day, just as you did on Christmas Eve or for Christmas lunch.

FAQ for the recipe

Can you freeze risalamande?

I would not recommend freezing the risalamande. There is a high probability that the whipping cream will separate and it will be watery in consistency.

How long can risalamande keep in the fridge?

Stick to the shelf life of your whipping cream.

How long before Christmas Eve can I make risalamande?

I usually cook the rice porridge on the 23rd of December, and on the morning of the 24th I then make the risalamande. That's how I think it will be best. But if you can't manage to make the dessert on the 24 December, you can make it completely on 23 December.

Please allow the dessert to stand for 2-3 hours before you serve it.

Can I replace the vanilla pod with something else?

I would definitely recommend using a vanilla pod, but I also know it can be an expensive affair. You can therefore replace the vanilla pod with vanilla powder - and you can also use vanilla sugar if necessary.

What country does risalamande come from?

Although the name sounds very French, it is actually a genuine Danish recipe. It is also only in Denmark that we eat it on Christmas Eve.

Is it called risalamande or rice a la mande?

There are many different ways to spell the classic danish christmas dessert. A single search on Google offers, among other things, on rice a la mande, rice à l'amande, rice ala mande. But I've read up that risalamande is the correct way to write it, so I stick with that.

What does risalamande mean?

Translated it means rice with almonds. And that really describes very well what it consists of.