Kransekake

This traditional Norwegian dessert, meaning “wreath cake,” is made of 18 delicious almond cookie rings. Carefully stacked and arranged with royal icing, it stands out as the centerpiece for any celebration.

Why I love Kransekake

I was introduced to Kransekake by my son, Clayton, who lived in Norway for two years while serving a mission for our church. While he was there, he loved getting to know the country, people and culture and truly came to love Norway. I loved hearing about his experiences and learning more about Norwegian culture. Norway is such a beautiful country and is steeped deep in tradition. One tradition Clayton loved enjoying while he lived there was this show-stopping almond cookie cake tower. Knowing how much he loved eating Kransekake, I knew it was something I needed to learn to make for him here at home.

What is Kransekake?

Kransekake translates to “wreath cake”. This tower of rings stands 18 layers tall. The rings are made of a soft and chewy but slightly crunchy, almond cookie. The almond cookie dough is rolled up into ropes and shaped into rings in a special ring mold. Once baked, the rings are stacked together and held in place with royal icing. In Norway, Kransekake is not only enjoyed during Christmas but for other celebrations too, like weddings and the biggest celebration of all…the 17th of May (Norway’s Constitution Day).

My Step by Step Video

Watch my video, showing all of the steps to creating your own Kransekake successfully.

This cake may seem intimidating, but it really is so simple to put together. It makes such a beautiful centerpiece to any celebration – it is sure to impress anyone that gets to enjoy it!

Be sure to use this tool

I’m sure not all Norwegians use ring molds to bake their Kransekake layers in, but it is an incredibly helpful piece of equipment to use when making this recipe! It makes the recipe go so much faster and gives me perfectly sized and round rings.

Go HERE for the Amazon link for the molds I use.

How to make kransekake rings

If you don’t have a ring mold pan, you can make the rings free-form on parchment. Simply use a pencil to make 18 circles in slightly different, but graduating sizes. Use the following measurements as a guide:

(Each measurement is the ring circumference in inches)

• 8, 7.5, 7.25, 7, 6.5, 6.25, 6, 5.5, 5.25, 5, 4.75, 4.5, 4.25, 3.75, 3.5, 3.25, 3 and 2.5.

Flip the parchment over, so that the pencil or marker is on the underneath but still visible. Arrange the dough in the specified sizes. You can save space by nesting smaller rings inside larger ones. Be sure that they are at least 2 inches from each other.

Ingredients

Simple ingredients make this cake truly so delicious. In my research for this recipe, I’ve talked with many Norwegians and gotten their input and advice. The recipe I’ve settled on is a bit more simplified than a traditional Norwegian recipe, to make it more approachable for any baker to master. And, bonus – this recipe is gluten free!

• Almond flour: Most traditional recipes will have you blanching almonds, peeling some of them and letting them dry for a long period of time (24 hours up to one week), then grinding them into flour. Since I’m not as patient, I’m skipping this step and using already ground and blanched almond flour. Although, if you’re feeling ambitious, I’ve been told by my Norwegian friends that making your own almond flour makes for an incredible flavor.
• Cardamom: There are several different variations of Kransekake, some using different spices or flavorings. I love using ground cardamom in this recipe as it gives it a slightly citrus and herby spice, which really compliments the flavor of the almond.
• Powdered Sugar: Adds sweetness and works together with the egg whites to bind the dough.
• Egg Whites: Hydrates and binds the dough together.
• Almond Extract: Enhances the almond flavor profile in this recipe.
• Meringue Powder: You’ll use this when making my Royal Icing Recipe – it creates an icing that stiffens and sets.

How to make Kransekake

Be sure to scroll back up and watch my video to see all of the steps. It’s such an easy dough to mix, but you’ll need to plan ahead. The dough should be chilled for at least 8 hours before rolling out. I like to mix the dough and store it in the refrigerator the night before I’m going to use it.

• The night before: Mix the dough, cover and chill in the refrigerator (at least 8 hours before using).
• Prepare your pans: Spray them with nonstick spray and sprinkle semolina or a dusting flour to coat the pan.
• Divide and Shape: Begin rolling them out into thin ropes – you’ll want to make sure they are slightly larger than the circumference of of a pencil (3/8-inch to 1/2-inch) . *Be sure to keep any dough you aren’t using covered. Shaping the ropes can take several minutes and the dough can easily begin to dry out if not kept covered.
• Fill the pans: Lay the ropes into the ring molds. Pinch the ends together and smooth the dough out to hide the seam. If you run out of dough before filling all of the pans, you have rolled out your dough too thick. You can remove some of the ropes, roll them out a bit thinner and you’ll get more dough to complete your 18 rings. As you fill the rings, gently rest the rolled up dough into each ring form. Break the dough as needed to fit the pan. You can also piece short pieces of dough together to fit into the rings of the pans – simply pinch the pieces together and slightly roll to smooth out the seams.
• Bake: Bake the cookies at 350°F for 8-10 minutes, just until the edges begin to barely brown. They should be more of a light pale brown color – if they are over baked, the cookies will be very crunchy and not chewy. Allow them to cool completely in the pans before removing. As they cool, they will begin to stiffen.
• Assembling the Kransekake: Group similar sized rings together to keep you organized as you assemble. Starting with the largest ring, pipe the royal icing around the top in a zig zag pattern. Top with the next largest ring, ice and repeat until all 18 layers have been stacked.
• Serving the Kransekake: Remove rings and break apart to serve. The almond cookies should stay soft and chewy for 2-3 days.

My pro tip

Whenever you can, weigh your ingredients for the best results. Use a kitchen scale, it will make your baking much more accurate and enjoyable! Especially for the Kransekake, weighing your ingredients will ensure that you have a perfectly mixed dough AND enough for all 18 rings.

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I love seeing how you are enjoying my recipes! If you make a Kransekake, please leave a review here in the comments below. Follow me on Instagram and post a picture of your baking masterpiece, tagging me @thatbreadlady. I’d love to see how you make it your own!

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Other recipes you’ll love

Soft & Puffy Sugar Cookies

Nutella Star Bread

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Kransekake

Print Recipe

This traditional Norwegian dessert, meaning “wreath cake,” is made of 18 delicious almond cookie rings. Carefully stacked and arranged with royal icing, it stands out as the centerpiece for any celebration.

• Author: Heather Thomas, That Bread Lady
• Prep Time: 30 minutes, plus 8 hours chill time
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 51 minute
• Yield: 1 Kransekake 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Dough:

• 1 pound, plus 5 Tablespoons almond flour (480g)
• 1 pound powdered sugar (453g)
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 4 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon almond extract

One batch of my Royal Icing recipe

Instructions

1. Mix the dough: To the bowl of a stand mixer, add almond flour, cardamom and powdered sugar. Mix until they’re fully combined. Next add egg whites and almond extract and mix until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. The dough should feel very soft and slightly sticky.

2. Chill the dough: Remove the dough from your mixer and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate it for at least 8 hours.

3. Shape: Once the dough has chilled, divide into six pieces and begin to roll each piece out on your work surface – lightly rolling it back and forth with the palm of your hand. Roll it slightly larger than the circumference of a pencil (about 3/8-inch to 1/2-inch). Fill the pans as you roll out each piece. *While you are working, keep the dough and filled pans covered to avoid it drying out.

4. Fill the pans: Lay the ropes into the ring molds. Pinch the ends together and smooth the dough out to hide the seam. *If you run out of dough before filling all of the pans, you have rolled out your dough too thick. You can remove some of the ropes, roll them out a bit thinner and you’ll get more dough to complete your 18 rings.  As you fill the rings, gently rest the rolled up dough into each ring form. Break the dough as needed to fit the pan. You can also piece short pieces of dough together to fit into the rings of the pans – simply pinch the ends of the pieces together and slightly roll to smooth out the seams. 
5. Bake: Bake the cookies at 375°F for 10-14 minutes, just until the edges begin to barely brown. They should be more of a light pale brown color – if they are over baked, the cookies will be very crispy and not chewy. Allow them to cool completely in the pans before removing. As they cool, they will begin to stiffen.
6. Assembling the Kransekake: Group similar sized rings together to keep you organized as you assemble. Starting with the largest ring, pipe the royal icing around the top in a zig zag pattern. Top with the next largest ring, ice and repeat until all 18 layers have been stacked.
7. Serving the Kransekake: Remove rings and break apart to serve. The almond cookies should stay soft and chewy for 2-3 days.

Notes

• Find my Royal Icing recipe here: https://thatbreadlady.com/royal-icing/

• Most traditional recipes will have you blanching almonds, peeling some of them and letting them dry for 24-48 hours, then grinding them into flour. If you’re feeling ambitious, I’ve been told by my Norwegian friends that making your own almond flour makes for an incredible flavor.

• If you don’t have a ring mold pan, you can make the rings free-form on parchment. Simply use a pencil to make 18 circles in slightly different, but graduating sizes. Use the following measurements as a guide:(Each measurement is the ring circumference in inches) 8, 7.5, 7.25, 7, 6.5, 6.25, 6, 5.5, 5.25, 5, 4.75, 4.5, 4.25, 3.75, 3.5, 3.25, 3 and 2.5. Flip the parchment over, so that the pencil or marker is on the underneath but still visible. Arrange the dough in the specified sizes. You can save space by nesting smaller rings inside larger ones. Be sure that they are at least 2 inches from each other.