Swedish Princess Cake
by Jeremiah Duarte Bills
This is my version of this famous cake. You can use store bought jam or marzipan if you choose. All the elements can be made in advance and assembled on another day. If you'd like to make a 9 inch cake simply double the recipe.
Makes one 6 inch cake.
Pastry Cream Ingredients:
300 grams whole milk
1 tsp vanilla paste
50 grams (1 large) whole egg
50 grams sugar
25 grams cornstarch
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
25 grams unsalted butter, cool
1 pint heavy cream
Pastry Cream Method:
1. Place the milk and vanilla paste in a saucepan with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Heat until steaming. While the milk heats whisk the egg, sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. Gently stir the warm milk into the egg mixture whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium-low to medium heat until thick stirring constantly. It will look as though it is curdled then it will smooth out. Allow to bubble for 1 minute to cook out the starch flavor.
3. Remove from the heat, strain through a mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the butter until combined.
4. Cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the surface and chill until cold.
5. Beat the heavy cream until medium peaks (not firm). Reserve in the refrigerator.
Genoise Cake Ingredients:
100 grams whole eggs (room temperature)
75 grams sugar
38 grams cornstarch
37 grams bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
25 grams unsalted butter, melted
Genoise Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the base of a 6 inch by 3-inch round cake pan or spring form pan with parchment. Do not grease the sides.
2. Place the eggs and sugar the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 6 minutes or until the batter falls back on itself in ribbons when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
3. Combine the cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
4. Sift a small amount of the dry ingredients over the batter and gently fold in with the whisk attachment, balloon whisk or rubber spatula. Continue until all of the flour has been folded in. Before the last traces of flour are folded in, combine approximately 1/2 cup of the batter with the melted butter until combined. Fold the butter mixture into the batter until no streaks of flour or butter mixture remain.
Place batter in prepared pan and level with an offset spatula.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched. Cool completely in the sheet pan on a wire rack.
6. Cut around the edge and unmold the cake. Remove the parchment and using a serrated knife cut the cake into 3 equal layers. Set aside.
Raspberry Jam Ingredients:
100 grams raspberries
1 tbsp water
88 grams sugar
2 tbsp classic fruit pectin
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp rose water
Raspberry Jam Method:
1. Place the whole raspberries and water in a saucepan.
2. Mix the sugar and pectin together and add to the raspberries. Heat on high heat until mixture boils. Boil until it reaches 216F to 220F.
3. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice followed by the rose water.
4. Place in a bowl and chill.
Cake syrup Ingredients:
40 grams water
60 grams sugar
15 grams raspberry liqueur or Kirsch
Cake syrup Method:
1. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur. Cover and set aside.
Marzipan Ingredients:
200 grams blanched ground almonds
168 grams powdered sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
40 grams orange flower water
20 grams corn syrup or egg white
1 to 2 drops red or pink food coloring
2 to 5 drops green food coloring
Marzipan Method:
1. Place the almonds, powdered sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the orange flower water and corn syrup (green food coloring as well if you are not making the rose) to the mixture and mix until it comes together in a ball. Kneed to make sure all ingredients are incorporated fully.
2. Remove a golf ball size 50-gram piece and color a pale pink using the food coloring. Gently kneed the green food coloring into the larger amount.
3. Marzipan can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before using.
Cake Assembly:
1. Adhere the first layer of cake to the cake board using a small amount of pastry cream. Using a pastry brush soak the cake with 1/3 of the syrup. Using an offset spatula spread a very thin layer of pastry cream over the surface of the cake.
2. Fill a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip with pastry cream.
3. Pipe a dam around the outer edge of the cake. If the dam breaks, pipe a patch either behind or in front of it to seal the break. Place the jam inside of the dam and smooth until level. You may use less jam if your dam is shallow or you may pipe a second dam on top of the first to use more jam.
4. Pipe enough pastry cream over the jam that can be smoothed into a thin layer. The jam should be encapsulated with pastry cream. If your jam is very soft you may skip this step.
5. Squeeze any remaining pastry cream out of the piping bag and fold 100 to 150 grams of whipped cream into the pastry cream. Reserve the remaining cream in the refrigerator.
6. Place the second layer of cake over the jam/pastry cream filing. Soak with the second 1/3 of syrup.
7. Top this layer with the pastry cream/whipped cream mixture and smooth until level.
8. Place the last layer of cake over the pastry cream/whipped cream mixture. Soak with the second 1/3 of syrup.
9. Use the pastry cream mixture to crumb coat the top and sides. This will help the marzipan adhere to the sides of the cake.
10. Whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks on slow speed. This will take longer but produce a more stable cream. Place enough cream on top and shape into a half dome. Chill.
11. While the cake is chilling, create small balls of the pink marzipan. If necessary, add more powdered sugar if the marzipan is too sticky. Place them on a sheet of parchment and cover with another sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin flatten the balls into rounds rolling if necessary. Use the rounds to create the rose by overlapping one over the other. Reserve to place the finished rose on top of the cake.
12. Dust your counter with powdered sugar. Roll the remaining marzipan in a circle large enough to cover the cake about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch thick. Be sure to rotate the marzipan often to prevent sticking. Roll the marzipan over the rolling pin and then unroll it over the cake. Smooth sides by opening the pleats and smoothing. Avoid pulling down on the marzipan to avoid cracking. Trim excess.
13. Use the remaining cream to pipe a decorative border around the edge of the cake.
14. Place rose on top adhering it with whipped cream. You may also use a fresh rose. Dust with powdered sugar if you wish. Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.
by Jeremiah Duarte Bills
This is my version of this famous cake. You can use store bought jam or marzipan if you choose. All the elements can be made in advance and assembled on another day. If you'd like to make a 9 inch cake simply double the recipe.
Makes one 6 inch cake.
Pastry Cream Ingredients:
300 grams whole milk
1 tsp vanilla paste
50 grams (1 large) whole egg
50 grams sugar
25 grams cornstarch
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
25 grams unsalted butter, cool
1 pint heavy cream
Pastry Cream Method:
1. Place the milk and vanilla paste in a saucepan with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Heat until steaming. While the milk heats whisk the egg, sugar, cornstarch and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. Gently stir the warm milk into the egg mixture whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium-low to medium heat until thick stirring constantly. It will look as though it is curdled then it will smooth out. Allow to bubble for 1 minute to cook out the starch flavor.
3. Remove from the heat, strain through a mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the butter until combined.
4. Cover with plastic wrap so that it touches the surface and chill until cold.
5. Beat the heavy cream until medium peaks (not firm). Reserve in the refrigerator.
Genoise Cake Ingredients:
100 grams whole eggs (room temperature)
75 grams sugar
38 grams cornstarch
37 grams bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
25 grams unsalted butter, melted
Genoise Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the base of a 6 inch by 3-inch round cake pan or spring form pan with parchment. Do not grease the sides.
2. Place the eggs and sugar the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for 6 minutes or until the batter falls back on itself in ribbons when the whisk is lifted from the bowl.
3. Combine the cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
4. Sift a small amount of the dry ingredients over the batter and gently fold in with the whisk attachment, balloon whisk or rubber spatula. Continue until all of the flour has been folded in. Before the last traces of flour are folded in, combine approximately 1/2 cup of the batter with the melted butter until combined. Fold the butter mixture into the batter until no streaks of flour or butter mixture remain.
Place batter in prepared pan and level with an offset spatula.
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched. Cool completely in the sheet pan on a wire rack.
6. Cut around the edge and unmold the cake. Remove the parchment and using a serrated knife cut the cake into 3 equal layers. Set aside.
Raspberry Jam Ingredients:
100 grams raspberries
1 tbsp water
88 grams sugar
2 tbsp classic fruit pectin
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp rose water
Raspberry Jam Method:
1. Place the whole raspberries and water in a saucepan.
2. Mix the sugar and pectin together and add to the raspberries. Heat on high heat until mixture boils. Boil until it reaches 216F to 220F.
3. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice followed by the rose water.
4. Place in a bowl and chill.
Cake syrup Ingredients:
40 grams water
60 grams sugar
15 grams raspberry liqueur or Kirsch
Cake syrup Method:
1. Combine water and sugar in a saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the liqueur. Cover and set aside.
Marzipan Ingredients:
200 grams blanched ground almonds
168 grams powdered sugar
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
40 grams orange flower water
20 grams corn syrup or egg white
1 to 2 drops red or pink food coloring
2 to 5 drops green food coloring
Marzipan Method:
1. Place the almonds, powdered sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until combined. Add the orange flower water and corn syrup (green food coloring as well if you are not making the rose) to the mixture and mix until it comes together in a ball. Kneed to make sure all ingredients are incorporated fully.
2. Remove a golf ball size 50-gram piece and color a pale pink using the food coloring. Gently kneed the green food coloring into the larger amount.
3. Marzipan can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before using.
Cake Assembly:
1. Adhere the first layer of cake to the cake board using a small amount of pastry cream. Using a pastry brush soak the cake with 1/3 of the syrup. Using an offset spatula spread a very thin layer of pastry cream over the surface of the cake.
2. Fill a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip with pastry cream.
3. Pipe a dam around the outer edge of the cake. If the dam breaks, pipe a patch either behind or in front of it to seal the break. Place the jam inside of the dam and smooth until level. You may use less jam if your dam is shallow or you may pipe a second dam on top of the first to use more jam.
4. Pipe enough pastry cream over the jam that can be smoothed into a thin layer. The jam should be encapsulated with pastry cream. If your jam is very soft you may skip this step.
5. Squeeze any remaining pastry cream out of the piping bag and fold 100 to 150 grams of whipped cream into the pastry cream. Reserve the remaining cream in the refrigerator.
6. Place the second layer of cake over the jam/pastry cream filing. Soak with the second 1/3 of syrup.
7. Top this layer with the pastry cream/whipped cream mixture and smooth until level.
8. Place the last layer of cake over the pastry cream/whipped cream mixture. Soak with the second 1/3 of syrup.
9. Use the pastry cream mixture to crumb coat the top and sides. This will help the marzipan adhere to the sides of the cake.
10. Whip the remaining cream to stiff peaks on slow speed. This will take longer but produce a more stable cream. Place enough cream on top and shape into a half dome. Chill.
11. While the cake is chilling, create small balls of the pink marzipan. If necessary, add more powdered sugar if the marzipan is too sticky. Place them on a sheet of parchment and cover with another sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin flatten the balls into rounds rolling if necessary. Use the rounds to create the rose by overlapping one over the other. Reserve to place the finished rose on top of the cake.
12. Dust your counter with powdered sugar. Roll the remaining marzipan in a circle large enough to cover the cake about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch thick. Be sure to rotate the marzipan often to prevent sticking. Roll the marzipan over the rolling pin and then unroll it over the cake. Smooth sides by opening the pleats and smoothing. Avoid pulling down on the marzipan to avoid cracking. Trim excess.
13. Use the remaining cream to pipe a decorative border around the edge of the cake.
14. Place rose on top adhering it with whipped cream. You may also use a fresh rose. Dust with powdered sugar if you wish. Store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.