Kransekake is a traditional Norwegian and Danish cake made from almond flour, confectioner’s sugar and egg whites. If you like marzipan then this cake was made for you.
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It’s common to serve at large events such as weddings, birthdays, the national day and Christmas. The traditional way to make it is as a tower of concentric rings (wreaths) which is where it gets its name from, but it can also be made as small fingers or sticks and used more like cookies. The large cake is commonly made for the large single day events, but since Christmas is a longer holiday with typically smaller gatherings the finger version is more convenient.
Anyway, since the ingredients are so simple and there’s no fancy baking chemistry involved I thought I’d try to make this with powdered erythritol instead of confectioner’s sugar. The result was a mixed success. Compared to the regular sugar sweetened version the sweet taste was a little different but that’s not really a problem, just a difference. The sugar also provides a little stickiness that’s missing from this version, and while it doesn’t compromise the integrity of the cake at all there’s decrease in chewiness that’s missing. Getting just the right amount of chewiness is really hard even with sugar, however, and it’s something that quickly goes away after a day or two in a cookie jar, so it’s not something I’m stressing over either.
The only real issue is some parts of the cake had that cold erythritol feel. I’m sure it can be avoided as only some small parts of the cake had that problem, and at first I thought the erythritol had gotten clumped somehow. Later inspection showed this not to be the case, and I suspect the issue presents itself in the edges of the cake that got hotter than the rest during baking. If there’s any erythritol experts I’d love to get some input on this.
Still, even with that issue the cake was close to the original and I would still recommend it.
Here’s the recipe I used:
500g almonds
500g powdered erythritol (the brand I use also has a little bit of stevia)
2-3 egg whites
You’re going to need a grinder. Almond grinder preferred, but coffee or spice grinder also works. A food processor will not work, and while you could use bought almond flour the result will likely be a little coarse and grainy.
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(Optional) Blanch and peel half the almonds. Make sure they’re completely dry before you continue.
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Grind the almonds and mix in the powdered erythritol
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Grind the entire mix again so it becomes really fine and well mixed.
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Add the egg whites and mix well until it becomes a thick paste
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Using your hands, roll the paste into ropes about as thick as a finger. Divide the ropes into fitting length fingers and place them on a baking sheet.
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Bake in the oven at 170C for about 15-20 minutes, until they just about start to turn golden at the edges. Pay attention at the end because they burn easy.
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Remove from the oven and let them cool until they stiffen before removing them. Wait until they’ve cooled completely before tasting.
I used a little too much egg white in mine (I tried eye-balling it while pouring from a cup I had left over from making Bearnaise) which is why they look a little melted. Normally they keep their shape perfectly, but coming straight out of the oven they will be soft and mushy. Once they cool a little they should stiffen right up, as mine did.
If you blanch half the almonds they become whiter with a lot less spotting. I’m lazy I like them rustic so I just use all the almonds as is.