kransekage/marzipan
Kransekage (kransekake) is little more than baked marzipan but it is one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to make. If the “dough” is too loose you wind up with almond macaroons, which is not what you want. You want a solid dough that can be formed, traditionally in kransekage moulds or if you don’t have moulds long triangular logs. The kransekage can be topped with a simple icing or melted chocolate.
Marzipan
475g almonds
10 bitter almonds (optional)
125g icing sugar
2 tbsp. (30ml) water
1-2 egg whites
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1. Skin the almonds and dry them. Grind with sugar and water.
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2. Warm the ground almonds on a stove at a very low temperature while stirring constantly until it is soft and forms a ball.
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3. One to two egg whites can be added a little at a time as needed to make the dough a little easier to work. You never want it so soft it turns into a paste, it should always be quite solid.
This is the "raw" marzipan. To make marzipan figures etc. it should be kneaded with strained icing sugar. How much or how little depends on how "good" the marzipan should be. More sugar... less good.
Kransekage
500g skinned almonds
500-750g sugar
3-4 egg whites
(makes 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 kg almond paste)
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1. Procedure as above. Can add more egg whites if necessary. You want a texture that is soft but not runny. If the paste gets too hot it will crumble and the paste becomes dry.
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2. Knead under low heat, mixing in the sugar and adding egg white.
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3. Cool it off.
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4. If the paste starts to crumble while you form it, add a little more egg white. If it is too soft add a little icing sugar.
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5. Form into triangular log shapes about about 8cm long or use kransekage moulds.
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6. Bake approximately 7 min at 250.
Notes
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★ Bought marzipan can be stretched by adding 125g icing sugar to 500g marzipan.
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★ The recipe seems easy but it takes practice to get right.
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★ Some recipes for kransekage call for flour. This stretches the dough and makes it easier to work with. However I consider this cheating.