Norwegian Sponge Cake
8 large room temperature eggs
1 1/2 cups+1/8 cup (325g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons (30ml) water
Scant 2 cups (240g) gluten free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF Baking Flour which already includes xanthan gum)
2/3 cup (80g) corn starch or potato starch
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line three 8” cake pans.

2. In a medium bow, sift together flour and cornstarch. Set aside.

3. In stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar on low/medium speed for 1 minute.

4. Increase speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes.

5. Add water and beat an additional 3-5 minutes on medium/high speed.

6. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute.

7. Pour batter into a large wide bowl.

8. Sift in half of the flour mixture. Use spatula to stir and fold the dry ingredients in until there are no visible streaks of flour.

9. Add remaining flour and repeat. Mix it gently to not deflate the batter.

10. Divide evenly between 3 pans (about 370g) each.

11. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

12. Allow cakes to cool for 10 minutes in the pans then cool completely on wire rack.

Raspberry Jam
2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 T (11g) corn starch
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1 T (15ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (30ml) of water (omit if using frozen berries)

1. Thaw raspberries if using frozen fruit.

2. Combine all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan and stir to combine.

3. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently, breaking up the fruit as you stir.

4. If you prefer seedless jam, strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve.

5. Transfer mixture to airtight container and allow mixture to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes, then refrigerate until fully cool.

Pastry Cream
1 1/3 cups plus 1 T (335ml) whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 ml) vanilla extract
1/4 cup+2 teaspoons (58g) sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons (19g) cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 tablespoons (28g) butter

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and vanilla while stirring occasionally, until the milk is hot.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine the sugar, cornstarch, and salt.

3. Whisk in yolks all at once until light and fluffy and batter reaches the ribbon stage.

4. As you continue whisking, slowly add one-third of the hot milk to the yolk mixture to temper the egg yolks.

5. Whisk in remaining milk into yolks then return entire mixture to saucepan.

6. Place over medium/low heat and whisk frequently until the mixture begins to thicken.

7. Bring mixture to a boil then cook stirring vigorously for another 2 minutes.

8. Whisk in the butter and stir until smooth.

9. Remove from heat, strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

10. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap directly over the pastry cream then immediately refrigerate until completely cool or overnight.

11. When you are ready to assemble, loosen the pastry cream with a spatula or whisk.

Marzipan
3 1/2 cups (350g) almond flour
6 cups (690g) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons almond emulsion or extract
1/4 teaspoon rose water (optional)
2 pasteurized egg whites

1. Add almond flour and powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse until fine. You may need to make this in 2 batches depending on the size of your food processor.

2. Add the almond extract and pulse until combined.

3. Add egg whites and process until thick dough has formed.

4. Pour out onto a clean surface. Add gel food color if using. The marzipan for a traditional Prinsesstarta is light green. I added one small drop of each leaf green and yellow. Knead it thoroughly until the color of the gel is evenly distributed. (This takes some work and patience!). If the marzipan feels dry or crumbly at all, knead in a little egg white at a time until desired consistency is reached. Set aside while you make your whipped cream and assemble the rest of the layers. *I found through trial and error that marzipan is easier to work with/roll out when you make it the same day you plan to assemble the cake.

Whipped cream
1 2/3 cups (400ml) heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) vanilla extract.

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer.

2. Whisk on medium/high until medium/soft peaks form.

Assembly

1. Add first sponge layer to a 10” cake board.

2. Apply a thin, even layer of raspberry jam onto the cake.

3. Top with second sponge layer.

4. Add the pastry cream and smooth it into an even, flat layer on top of the second sponge. Do not bring the pastry cream all the way to the edged, leave a ring of cake around the edge.

5. Add about 2/3 of the whipped cream over the top of the pastry cream and smooth/shape it into a dome shape. The whipped cream layer can go all the way to the edges.

6. Add third cake layer and bend it over the whipped cream the best you can to create a curve.

7. Cover the entire cake with thin layer of the reserved whipped cream. Refrigerate the cake while you roll out the marzipan.

8. Roll out the marzipan on a clean surface sprinkled with powdered sugar. Roll it into a large, even circle about 2 inches bigger than you will need on all sides. This will make it easier to cover your cake. Keep turning the marzipan and dusting the surface with powdered sugar as you roll so it doesn’t stick. I rolled mine between 1/16-1/8” thickness.

9. Carefully pick up the marzipan sheet and place gently over the top of the cake. Smooth it out with your hands working top to bottom to get a smooth finish over the cake.

10. Pipe a border with any extra whipped cream if desired and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

11. Enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.