Prinsesstårta (PRIN-sess-TOHR-tuh) or Princess cake, is three spongy layers of cake alternating with jam, vanilla custard and whipped cream, topped with a thin layer of bright green marzipan
Jenny Åkerström is credited as the originator of the recipe. Åkerström was a Swedish home economics guru at the beginning of the 20th century and was even an instructor to the three Swedish princesses, Margaretha, Märtha, and Astrid, daughters of Prince Carl (brother of King Gustaf V).
She published a four volume series of cookbooks called Prinsessornas Kokbok: Husmanskost och Helgdagsmat (Princesses Cookbook: Home Cooking and Holiday Food). The first edition came out in 1929 with the princess’ portraits gracing the cover. With it’s great success came eighteen reprints with revisions up through 1952.
Here is the recipe from Mary Berry of the Great British Baking Show:
Ingredients
For the vanilla custard
600ml/20fl oz milk1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways and seeded scraped out
6 free-range egg yolks
100g/3½oz caster sugar
50g/1¾oz cornflour
50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
For the jam
200g/7oz raspberries
175g/6oz jam sugar
For the sponge
4 large free-range eggs
150g/5½oz caster sugar
75g/2½oz cornflour
75g/2½oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
50g/1¾oz butter, melted
For the fondant rose
25g/1oz pink ready-to-roll icing
icing sugar, for dusting
To decorate
750ml/1 pint double cream
50g/1¾oz dark chocolate (36% cocoa solids), melted
For the marzipan
400g/14oz ground almonds
150g/5½oz caster sugar
250g/9oz icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
1 tsp almond extract
green food colouring paste (do not use liquid food colouring)
Method
1. For the vanilla custard, pour the milk into a pan with the vanilla seeds
and vanilla pod and place over a low heat until just simmering. Remove
from the heat.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together until
pale and creamy.
3. Remove the vanilla pod from the warm milk. (You can rinse this off to use
in making vanilla sugar.)
4. Stir the warm milk slowly into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture back
into the pan and cook over a low heat for 4-5 minutes, whisking, until the
mixture thickens. (It should be very thick.)
5. Remove from the heat and beat in the butter until melted and
incorporated. Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with clingfilm toprevent a skin forming and leave to cool. Set aside to chill in the fridge.
6. For the jam, tip the raspberries into a deep saucepan with the sugar and
two tablespoons of water. Cook gently over a low heat, stirring
occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil
and boil vigorously for about four minutes, or until the temperature
reaches 104C/219F on a sugar thermometer. Transfer to a heatproof
bowl and leave to cool completely.
7. For the sponge, preheat the oven to 180C/160C(fan)/Gas 4. Grease and
line the base of a 23cm/9in springform tin with baking parchment.
8. Put the eggs and sugar into a large bowl and using an electric mixer,
whisk together until the mixture is very pale and thick and the whisk
leaves a trail on the surface when lifted. This will take about five minutes.
9. Sift the cornflour, flour and baking powder over the egg mixture and
carefully fold in using a large metal spoon. Fold in the melted butter,
taking care not to over mix.
10. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until the
sponge is golden-brown and has just started to shrink away from the
sides of the tin. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When cool
enough to handle, turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
11. For the fondant rose, roll 10 little pieces of fondant into small balls about
the size of a cherry stone.
12. Dust two small pieces of greaseproof paper with icing sugar and one by
one, place the balls of fondant between the sheets of greaseproof and
flatten each ball out with your fingers, to a thin circle, approximately
2cm/1in in diameter. These form the petals. Roll the first petal up like a
sausage to form a bud and wrap the remaining petals around the bud to
make a rose. Bend and curl the edges of the petals, to make them look
more realistic. Leave to dry for at least an hour.
13. To assemble the cake, using a serrated knife, cut the cake horizontally
into three even layers. Place one of the sponges onto a serving plate.
Spread a very thin layer of custard over the base of the first sponge.
14. Spoon a quarter of the custard into a piping bag fitted with a small plain
nozzle and pipe a border around the edge of the sponge – this is to
contain the jam.
15. Spoon the jam over the sponge, and spread evenly within the border.
16. In a bowl, whip 600ml/20fl oz of the double cream to firm peaks. Fold
half of the whipped cream into the remaining custard.
17. Spread one-third of the custard cream over the jam.
18. Place the second sponge on top and spread over the remaining custard
cream.
19. Place the third sponge on top. Spoon over the remaining whipped cream
covering the sides and smoothing into a small dome shape on the top.
Set aside in the fridge for an hour.
20. For the marzipan, mix the ground almonds and sugars in a mixer fitted
with a dough hook, before adding the eggs and almond extract.
21. Knead in the bowl until it forms a stiff dough. Turn out onto a surface
dusted with icing sugar. Using a cocktail stick add a tiny amount of green
food colouring and knead to an even pastel green colour.22. Roll out the marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, to a
40cm/16in diameter circle, large enough to cover the cake. Lift the
marzipan up over the cake and using your hands, shape the marzipan
around the sides of the cake to get a smooth finish. Trim any excess.
23. Whip the remaining 150ml/5½fl oz of cream to medium peaks and spoon
into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Pipe around the base of
the cake.
24. Spoon the melted chocolate into a small paper piping bag. Snip off the
end and pipe a swirl over the top of the cake. Top with the fondant rose.
Here are some pictures from the bake:
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