Away with the joint-stools, remove the court-cupboard, look to the plate. Good thou, save me a piece of marchpane, and, as thou loves me…
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 5
Kransekage, or Kransekake (Norwegian) is a traditional dessert dish in Scandinavia. The Danes prepare it for special occasions such as weddings, New Year’s Eve, and birthdays.
The origin of Kransekage and/or marzipan for that matter, is challenging to hunt down. Most sources attribute the origin of marzipan (almond paste) to either the Persians or the Spaniards, but the Germans and the Italians also lay claim to its creation.
Even the etymology of the word marzipan is opaque. The pan portion likely refers to bread, but the marzi / march/ marza portion is a source of considerable debate. It’s attributed to such disparate origins as March (as in March bread), to Marcus (the patron saint of an Italian town), to Marcip (the last name of a German chef), to Marz (meaning border or boundary in Persia).
Whatever the case, we do know that the Danish people love kransekage, which translates to wreath cake or doughnut cake. Evidently, it was originally called overflødighedshorn (try saying that three times fast), which translates to horn of plenty or cornucopia. It was essentially like today’s kransekage wedding cakes, but it laid on its side, with chocolates and other yummy treats spilling out of it. Kransekage wedding cakes today are formed by stacking ring upon ring of this marzipan (or marchpane) based delicacy atop each other.
Kransekage is made from marzipan, which is created from ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites (so it’s gluten free). We form it into rings, which are then baked. The result is an outer crust that is hard to the touch, but soft to the bite. Inside is a delicious soft almondy paste. The final touch is decorating the baked marzipan with a royal icing drizzle. Because the rings are sturdy, they’re relatively easy to stack into a cake tower, which is often adorned with Danish (and sometimes American) flags.
People often ask us for kransekage pieces or cookies. We offer them by the half-dozen or dozen so that you can get your marzipan fix without the fanfare of a whole kransekage cake…or if you’re up for a game of edible Jenga! They’re also a great means for augmenting the traditional cake if your wedding party or New Year’s Party list has grown.
What about you; are you a marzipan fan?
