Almond ring cake recipe

Ingredients

• 3½ oz (100 g) egg whites
• 1 cup (100 g) ground almonds
• ¾ cup (100 g) icing/confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for kneading
• ½ cup (100 g) caster/superfine sugar
• 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) marzipan (containing at least 60% almonds if you can only find 50%, add more ground almonds)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

• ½-1 small egg white
• ¾ cup (100 g) icing/confectioners’ sugar, plus extra as needed
• kransekage cake pans
• piping/pastry bag with a size 2 nozzle/tip

1. To make the rings, in a bowl lightly whisk the egg whites until they’re foaming. Add the ground almonds and both sugars, then whisk again until you have a smooth liquid paste. Grate the marzipan coarsely or break it into small pieces, and mix with the liquid. Your final dough will be sticky, but you will be able to handle it without getting too messy.
2. Put the dough in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before using.
3. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Gas 6.
4. Cut a piece of the dough and work it with as much icing/confectioners’ sugar as needed to make it rollable. Roll out your first piece (add more icing/confectioners’ sugar if the dough is too sticky, or your ring looks like it might crack during baking). The most important thing is that all your rolls have to be smooth and exactly the same width and height – use a ruler if you want to be sure. If you rush this part of the process, the result will be a wonky tower. Take your time and repeat anything if unsure. Keep a glass of water to hand, as wet fingers can smooth out any inconsistencies and bumps. Starting with the smallest pan in the set and working your way outwards, make 10 perfectly-sized rings. The diameters of your rolls should be around 1–1.25 cm/½–⅝ in. There should be a little bit of dough left over, so use it to make a freehand top for your tower and place on a piece of baking parchment.
5. Place the pans on a baking sheet (never directly onto the oven shelf) and bake one layer at a time in the middle of the oven. They will need around 10–12 minutes until slightly golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and dry before carefully removing from the pans.
7. To assemble the cake, first make the icing. Mix the egg white with the icing/confectioners’ sugar, adding more sugar as needed. The icing needs to hold its shape, but still be light enough to comfortably pipe through a small, size-2 piping nozzle/tip. If the icing moves after piping, the cake will look messy. If you don’t have a nozzle/tip, use a strong, good-quality piping/pastry bag and cut a small hole off the end.
8. It is most important that the outsides of the rings look good, as the insides will be hidden until eating. Starting with the bottom ring, carefully start the flow of the icing from inside and out, just enough so that the side of the ring is covered and then you immediately pull the icing back onto the other side in one continuous movement, back and forth. This is not a zig-zag pattern, it’s more of a tight ‘radio wave’. If you need to stop at any point to adjust the nozzle, do so when piping is at the top inner edge of the ring. Try to make sure the lines of icing are reasonably close together.
9. The icing can take a long time, but it is absolutely worth taking the time to do it right. After icing all the layers separately, you’re ready to build the tower. Pipe a small trace of icing on the bottom ring, where it’ll be covered by the one on top. Place that next one on top, and repeat until complete.
10. Traditional decorations for the kranskage are toothpick flags, or even streamers and mini Christmas crackers.