The eighteenth-century Danish pastry, Kransekake is a tower of cookies, typically with 18 graduating rings made from almond flour, each joined together with royal icing.
Literally translated as a wreath cake lends reason to why this tasty structure is prevalent at weddings or Christmas.
Traditionally, when served at a wedding, the bride and groom would lift the top layer to reveal the layers sticking to it, predicting the number of children the couple will have.
I always associate gingerbread with Christmas, so I thought, why not merge the flavours of one favourite holiday cookie into the structure of another for fun?
The first known recipe for gingerbread came from Greece in 2,400 BC. By the late Middle Ages, Europeans had their version of gingerbread. The cookies became a staple at Medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany.
Queen Elizabeth I inspired the gilding with gold leaf of cookies shaped like animals, kings and queens. Elaborately decorated gingerbread became synonymous with all things fancy and elegant in England.
Gingerbread houses originated in Germany during the sixteenth century. The elaborately decorated cookie-walled houses became associated with Christmas. Their popularity rose when the Brothers Grimm wrote the story of Hansel and Gretel, in which the main characters stumble upon a house made entirely of sweets.
Please enjoy this fresh take on two classics. I hope baking this dessert with your family becomes a new holiday tradition.
Gingerbread Kransekake Recipe
PREPARATION TIME 1 hr YIELDS 18 servings
Equipment
Kransekake moulds, spatula, standup or hand mixer, measuring cup, piping bag and #5 tip, pastry cutter, wax paper, small baking dish
Ingredients
Kransekake
3 cups flour
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp ginger
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, cut into 12 pieces
¾ cup molasses
2 Tbsp milk
Royal Icing
2 egg whites
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
½ tsp vanilla
Coloured candied balls for decorating
Instructions
Step 1
Mix flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a mixer.
Step 2
Incorporate butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until a crumbled texture is achieved.
Step 3
With a mixer on low speed, gradually add the molasses and milk and mix just until combined.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spread a piece of wax paper on a clean surface. Lightly flour the wax paper. Take generous amounts of dough at a time from the bowl and roll 18 ropes half an inch in width, to ensure that circular segments do not connect when they expand while baking. Secure the ends of the ropes to achieve a circular shape in each segment. Try not to handle the dough too long to avoid melting the butter.
There will be extra dough. I used some to cut out a star to top my tower with. Place in a small baking dish to bake alongside the kransekake moulds in the oven—Bake all the parts for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool.
Step 5
In a mixer, beat egg whites on medium-low speed until frothy, for approximately 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
Once fully incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and beat until stiff, shiny peaks form.
Step 6
Carefully remove the gingerbread rings from the moulds and place them on wax paper. Assemble in size order. Spoon the icing into the prepared piping bag. Remove a ring from the sorted tower to start piping one ring at a time, beginning at the bottom with the largest ring and working your way up.
After icing, take time to place each ring on top of the next. The decorative icing will get messy if you attempt to make adjustments. Dabs of icing will help your star to sit securely on top. Decorate your Gingerbread Kransekake with edible candied balls in any way that makes you happy.