Kransekake (Norwegian Wedding Cake)

 

Naturally gluten-free, this recipe is like marizpan in cake form. Use a Norpro Nonstick Kransekake Cake Forms to make this even easier!

• Dough
• 600g almond flour
• 600g powdered sugar, sifted
• Combine almond flour and powdered sugar in a large bowl.
• 5 large egg whites, beaten
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Add the beaten egg whites and the almond extract and mix to a dough with your hands.
• Tightly wrap with saran wrap and chill for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• Shaping
• 150g-200g pistachios, finely ground
• Heat the oven to 375°F. Place the ground pistachios on a large baking sheet
• Split off 1/8 to ¼ of the dough and roll into a long rope that's about 1/4-inch thick (about the same as a large marker). Cut the dough into strips (these will become rings): The smallest strip should measure 8cm, the next 11cm, the next 14cm and so on. Continue in 3cm increments until you reach the largest strip, which should measure 41cm long. Gently roll the ropes in the pistachios, pressing down to coat well.
• Shape the strips into rings on baking sheets or ringforms, and press ends to seal.
• Baking
• Bake at 375°F until until lightly golden and starting to crack, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely before assembling the tower, about 1 hour.
• Icing
• 2 egg whites
• 300g powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• For the icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar a spoonful at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• Assembly
• Once the rings have cooled, begin to build the tower. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a number 4 writing nozzle. Pipe a few dots of white icing onto the base of the largest ring and stick it to a large serving plate. Pipe the icing in a zig zag pattern around the ring. Repeat with the remaining rings, stacking them one on top of the other, from largest to smallest, piping a zig zag pattern on every ring.