Swedish Princess cake (Prinsesstårta)

Prinsesstårta, or Swedish Princess Cake, is one of Sweden’s most famous cakes. It’s made with layers of light sponge, raspberry jam and vanilla custard, topped with a generous dome of whipped cream and covered in a thin layer of green marzipan. A dusting of icing sugar and a little marzipan rose complete the classic look. It’s wonderfully soft, creamy and delicious, and easier to make than you might think for such an impressive cake.

In Sweden, Princess Cake is a popular choice for all kinds of celebrations, from birthdays and weddings to Easter and Christmas. The marzipan is traditionally green, but white or pink versions are often served at weddings, yellow ones at Easter and red ones at Christmas. The recipe became popular in the 1930s thanks to a cookbook by Jenny Åkerström, a home economics teacher whose pupils included Princesses Margaretha, Märtha and Astrid. They loved the cake so much that it eventually became known as Princess Cake. Today, you can even buy mini versions at IKEA. Sweden also has its own Princess Cake Week, usually celebrated in the third week of September. If you haven’t tried this Swedish classic yet, you’re in for a treat! 🙂

Ingredients for the sponge cake:

• 4 large eggs
• 140 g caster sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• 40 g potato starch

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks and whisk the whites until stiff, taking care not to overwhip them. Towards the end of whisking, gradually add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the egg yolks one at a time, continuing to whisk. Sift the plain flour and potato starch directly into the egg mixture. Gently fold them in using a spatula or a hand whisk until everything is combined. Folding by hand with a spatula is also the safest method; do not use an electric mixer.

Line the base of a 23 cm springform tin with baking paper, leaving the sides ungreased. Carefully transfer the batter to the tin and level the surface. Bake at 160–170°C for approximately 20–25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove the hot cake from the oven and drop the tin onto the floor from a height of approximately 30–40 cm. Leave the sponge to cool to room temperature, then slice it horizontally into three layers.

Note: Only loosen the sides of the sponge from the tin with a knife once it has cooled completely.

Ingredients for the vanilla custard:

• 6 egg yolks from large eggs
• 100 g caster sugar
• 40 g plain flour
• 450 ml milk
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 30 g butter

Pour the milk into a large saucepan and bring it to the boil with the vanilla seeds. As soon as the milk starts to boil, remove it from the heat.

Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the plain flour and mix until you have a smooth paste. Pour in 100 ml of the hot milk and mix until combined. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk, stirring constantly. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the custard comes to the boil and thickens. Once boiling, continue to cook for about 1 minute, stirring all the time. Remove the custard from the heat, add the soft butter and stir until completely melted. Cover with cling film, pressing it directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool completely. Do not stir the custard while it cools.

The custard can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Ingredients for the whipped cream*:

• 800 ml double cream, chilled
• 2–3 tbsp icing sugar
• seeds from 1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Just before assembling the cake, whip the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Additionally:

• 450 g marzipan
• green and pink food colouring
• icing sugar, for dusting
• 200–250 g raspberry jam
• a little syrup for brushing over the sponge, for example ⅓ cup of water mixed with lemon juice in equal proportions

Set aside a small piece of marzipan and colour it pink. Shape it into a little rose. Colour the remaining marzipan green and roll it out on a work surface, dusted lightly with icing sugar, until it is large enough to cover the cake and its sides.

Method:

Remove the middle layer of sponge and set it aside. This will be the softest layer and will be used to cover the top of the cake.

Place the first sponge layer on a cake stand and lightly brush it with the syrup. Transfer the vanilla custard to a piping bag with the tip snipped off. Pipe a ring of custard around the edge of the sponge, then fill the centre with a generous amount of raspberry jam. This will help prevent the jam from escaping from the sides of the cake. Cover with a layer of whipped cream. Place the second sponge layer on top and lightly brush it with the syrup. Pipe the remaining custard over the sponge and spread it evenly. Add the whipped cream, shaping it into a high dome and leaving approximately 1 cm clear around the edge of the cake. Place the reserved middle sponge layer on top of the dome. Gently press it into the whipped cream so it sits neatly in place. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the entire cake, including the sides.

Carefully put the rolled-out marzipan over the cake and smooth it to fit the shape. Trim away any excess marzipan around the base. Make a small incision in the centre of the top and place the marzipan rose in it. Dust with icing sugar and chill.

Note: It’s best to cover the cake with marzipan on the day you plan to serve it.

*The whipped cream can be stabilised with gelatine (use 3 tsp powdered gelatine for this amount of double cream, following the instructions) or with mascarpone (125 g mascarpone and 675 ml double cream) if you need the cake to keep for longer. I didn’t stabilise mine.

Enjoy!