Princesstårta (Swedish Princess Cake)

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Serves 12-16 / Total time: approx. 3 hours

Princesstårta is probably the most classic Swedish dessert you are ever going to get. I was so surprised and pleased to see it on this years Great British Bake-Off. Despite eating it at a fair few birthdays I had never actually made it myself. The end result is definitely worth the effort, but I would not recommend making this in a hurry. Leave yourself plenty of time by tackling this cake the day before any party or big celebration.  
Ingredients 

Vanilla Custard

4 egg yolks
400 ml cream
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp potato or cornflour
4-6 tsp vanilla sugar or 2-3 tsp vanilla essence

Sponge

4 eggs
225g caster sugar
62g flour 
62g potato or cornflour
1 tsp baking powder

Marzipan (you can just buy some from the store just make sure to colour it!)

400g ground almonds
150g caster sugar
250g icing sugar, sifted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp almond extract (optional if you do not like a strong almond flavour)
green paste food colouring 

To decorate and for assembly

a pink fondant rose
150ml double cream
50g dark chocolate, melted
any flavour of jam (traditionally raspberry)

Preparation

 The Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 175C (350F). Butter a 23 cm (9" x 2" or 2L) round baking pan. Line the bottom of the baking pan with a piece of baking paper. 
  2. Place the eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix on high until light and fluffy; it should be very pale and thick. When you take the whisk(s) out they should leave a ribbon-like trial on the surface. This should take about 5 minutes. 
  3. Carefully sift in the flours and baking powder. Carefully fold in whilst keeping as much air in as possible. 
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Bake for about 40 minutes on the lower portion of the oven. The cake is finished when slightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Start checking the cake around the 25-30 minute mark. Let the cake cool slightly in the pan before turning out onto a rack to cool completely. It must cool completely or it will be very difficult to cut! 
The Custard
  1. Place the cream, egg yolks, potato flour and sugar in a small sauce pan. 
  2. Whisk the ingredients together. Cook over a low heat, constantly stirring until the custard thickens. Make sure to keep an eye on it. It can seem like nothing is happening and all of a sudden it will become very thick!
  3. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla. 
  4. Apply clingfilm to prevent a skin forming on the top of the custard. Allow to cool completely and then chill in the fridge. 
The Marzipan
  1. Mix the ground almonds and sugars in a large free-standing mixer using the dough hook. 
  2. Add the eggs and almond extract (if using). Once it has combined well, dust your work surface well with icing sugar and then place on the surface. 
  3. Knead the marzipan to soften it up. Then add the green food colouring sparingly until your reach the right green colour. 
  4. To easily roll out the marzipan, place it between two large pieces of parchment paper. Roll into a thin, even circle about 40cm in diametre. 

Assembly 
  1. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake into three layers. Keep the top layer slightly thinner than the bottom two layers. 
  2. Spread a thin layer of jam on the bottom slice. Add a generous layer of vanilla custard on top. Use a knife or piping bag. You should be generous with the custard, enough to cover the layer at least.
  3. Add the next sponge cake. If you really like jam you can add a thin layer here too like I did. Traditionally no jam at this stage though. Add another generous layer of custard. 
  4. Whip up the cream until stiff peaks. Fold the cream into the remaining custard. 
  5. Add the creamy custard onto the final piece of sponge. Gently form the custard cream into a dome shape. Make sure to keep a small amount of spread around the sponge layers as well. 
  6. Gently lay the marzipan over the cake. Carefully define the shape of the dome using your hands. 
  7. Trim the excess marzipan. Pipe some extra whipped cream around the edge of cake if you want a neater finish. 
  8. Dust the top with icing sugar, pipe on some melted chocolate and add the fondant rose. 
  9. Refrigerate before serving. About an hour minimum is what I would recommend; overnight is probably best.

Reference recipes:

http://semiswede.com/2011/09/21/princess-cake-demystified-prinsesstarta/
Great British Bake Off: Big Book of Baking - Mary's Princesstårta 






23-year-old Swedish, medical student that loves to cook in her tiny flat.

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