Daughters of Norway

PRINCESS CAKE

Mary Ashley , Sigrid Undset Lodge #32, Palo Alto, CA

• 3 9" sponge cake layers** (recipe below or use your own)
• Vanilla Custard Filling
• Raspberry jam (seedless) 2/3 cups – topping layer 1 & 3
• Vanilla Custard Filling (recipe below) – topping layer 2
• Whipped Cream Topping – topping layer 3 after raspberry jam added
• Marzipan Covering Layer
• Decoration/Garnish (candies, chocolate, additional marzipan shapes, strawberries, berries, etc.

HOT WATER SPONGE CAKE RECIPE (for 3 pans):

• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup hot water or hot milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 2 1/2 cup cake flour***
• 1 Tbsp.. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt.

VANILLA CUSTARD FILLING:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1.25 cups milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Marzipan Covering Layer:

• 8-12 oz. almond paste*
• 1 egg white (divided uses)
• ca. 1/2 cup unsifted powdered sugar
• Green food coloring

Whipped Cream Layer:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Delicious Princess Cake
Decorated for Lodge Birthday!

1. HOT WATER SPONGE CAKE: Grease and flour 3 round 9"^** round cake pans. Preheat oven to 350° F. Beat eggs in mixer bowl on high speed for 5 minutes; pour into large mixer bowl. Gradually beat in sugar. Then beat in water, vanilla and lemon extracts on low speed. Slowly add in dry ingredients (mix flour, baking powder and salt together ahead of time) as mixer is on low speed. When batter is smooth, pour into three pans squall amounts. Bake until top springs back when touched lightly in the center, 25-30 minutes. Cool on racks and remove cake from pans onto wax paper. Cover and store until preparing cake.
2. VANILLA CUSTARD FILLING: In the top of a double boiler, mix together the sugar, gelatin (part of a package will give you the 1 tsp.) and cornstarch. Stir in milk slowly until blended. Cook over boiling water, stirring until thickened. Beat the egg yolks and stir in some of the hot milk mixture. Return to the top of the double boiler and place over simmering water; cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Cool. Beat until stiff the whipping cream; fold into cool, but not set custard. Chill covered; use when firm enough to spread thickly. [Note: make on day putting cake together with enough time for this to be ready for spreading.]
3. Cake Covering: Crumble almond paste into a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. of egg white and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and mix. Add 3 drops of food coloring or enough to tint mixture to light green color. Knead with your hands. If necessary add additional egg white in small amounts to make it softer or additional powdered sugar to make it thicker so that the frosting is fairly dry and not sticky. [Note, some eggs have larger whites than others, so you may not use entire amount shown in ingredients.] Form the mixture into a flat, round cake, and place between two sheets of 15" wide parchment paper that have been sprinkled lightly with powdered sugar. Use a rolling pin to roll out to form a circle about 15" in diameter (large enough to cover top and sides of filled cake which varies depending on diameter of pans used). Chill [keep flat] the topping until ready to use [so it stays firm enough to handle].
4. PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Place the first cake layer on a cake plate. Spread with 1/3 cup raspberry jam. Place second cake layer on top and spread with vanilla custard filling. Set the third cake layer on top; spread with the remaining 1/3 cup raspberry jam. Now it's time to whip the cream with some vanilla until stiff, and carefully spread over the jam-covered top layer. Remove marzipan from the refrigerator and peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Making sure the marzipan is centered on the cake, flop it over onto the cake; peel off the other sheet of parchment paper. (Here it helps to have two people and four hands in doing this successfully.) Press marzipan gently against the sides of the cake, pleating extra into folds; trim the bottom edge to make things even. Use these scrapes and roll out again and then make leaves or flower shapes to decorate cake. Other decorations include melting chocolate to drizzle over cake or using other candies or cake decorations. If you use strawberries or other fruits, wait until near serving time to add (they melt the marzipan otherwise and bleed color into it). Chill, covered, overnight.
5. When ready to serve, take out of refrigerator and let sit about 15-30 minutes before serving (and add fresh fruit just before setting it out).

1. ^* Although you could use 8oz. of almond paste, 12 works better because you don't need to roll it as much and it is easier with more leeway to get the layer bigger and a little thicker and sturdier so that it's easier to lay on cake as well as roll out properly.
2. ^**The picture shows an 8" cake pan used which makes the cake higher and higher. It is easier to use the 9" cake pan if you have them because the layers will not be as high and are less likely to tilt. Mary stated the 8" layers got kind of top heavy. However, an 8" pan is ok to use if you don't have the 9" ones. No need to purchase them if you don't need them.
3. ^*** Mary sometimes uses 2 cups cake flour and 2 T all-purpose flour instead.
4. NOTE: This is another amazing cake that people will rave about! Worth the time and effort! If you wish to learn about how the cake came about, why it has it's name and the variations on it, this blog on the princess-cake (click here) should enlighten you!