Indlægget Danish Layer Cake with Strawberries & Cream blev først udgivet på Danish Recipes.
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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
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.
Indlægget Danish Layer Cake with Strawberries & Cream blev først udgivet på Danish Recipes.
]]>Indlægget Brunsviger cake blev først udgivet på Danish Recipes.
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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
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.
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.
Indlægget Brunsviger cake blev først udgivet på Danish Recipes.
]]>Indlægget Danish apple cake (Æblekage) blev først udgivet på Danish Recipes.
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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)
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.
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.
Indlægget Danish apple cake (Æblekage) blev først udgivet på Danish Recipes.
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