In the realm of Scandinavian baking, almond paste reigns supreme as a cherished ingredient, adding a distinctive nutty flavor and moist, tender texture to a variety of pastries. Our culinary journey takes us through a collection of delectable recipes that showcase the versatility of almond paste. From the classic Swedish almond cake, a celebration of simplicity and elegance, to the intricate Danish kransekake, a towering masterpiece fit for special occasions, each recipe is a testament to the Nordic love for sweet treats. We will also explore the delightful almond crescent cookies, with their delicate, buttery layers, and the charming almond roca, a crispy, toffee-like confection that adds a touch of whimsy to any gathering. As we delve into these recipes, we will uncover the secrets of working with almond paste, ensuring that every bite is a symphony of flavors and textures. So, let us embark on this culinary adventure and discover the enchanting world of Scandinavian almond-based pastries, where tradition and innovation harmoniously blend.
Let's cook with our recipes!
SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND PUFF
Baking a traditional almond Scandinavian coffee cake is streamlined using cream puff pastry.
Provided by Land O'Lakes
Categories Coffee Cake Pastry Almond Nut Dessert Breakfast and Brunch
Yield 16 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Place 1 cup flour in bowl; cut in 1/2 cup butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2 tablespoons water with fork until flour mixture is just moistened. Shape dough into ball. Pat dough into 10-inch circle on ungreased baking sheet. Set aside.
- Combine 1 cup water and 1/2 cup butter in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat 6-8 minutes or until mixture comes to a full boil and butter is melted. Remove from heat; stir in 1 cup flour and 1 teaspoon almond extract. Reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball . Remove from heat.
- Add 1 egg at a time, beating with whisk or wooden spoon after each addition until smooth and glossy.
- Spread egg mixture over pastry circle. Bake 50-55 minutes or until surface is crisp and golden. Cool completely. (Topping rises during baking and shrinks during cooling, forming custard-like layer.)
- Combine powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon butter and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract in bowl until well mixed. Add enough milk for desired glazing consistency.
- Drizzle glaze over puff; sprinkle with almonds.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 220 calories, Fat 14 grams, SaturatedFat grams, Transfat grams, Cholesterol 75 milligrams, Sodium 140 milligrams, Carbohydrate 20 grams, Fiber
DANISH KRINGLE
Steps:
- Warm the milk in the microwave: Pour the milk into a microwave safe cup or bowl. Heat the milk in the microwave in 15 second intervals until it is warm to the touch but not scalding, about 100°F. If it scalds or burns, then it's too hot for the yeast. You can also use a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk to be sure it has reached 100°F.
- Enclose the filling: Use a pastry brush to brush the edges of the dough with water. Fold the long bottom edge up and over the filling, then fold the top edge down, overlapping the bottom edge to enclose the filling completely. Gently press the seam to close. You should end up with a long log.
- Arrange oven rack and preheat the oven: Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 597 kcal, Carbohydrate 64 g, Cholesterol 130 mg, Fiber 2 g, Protein 10 g, SaturatedFat 18 g, Sodium 246 mg, Sugar 31 g, Fat 35 g, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND BARS
These cookies are my family's favorite cookie. They are simple to make, unique and pretty. A wonderful recipe to make for a cookie exchange. Take your recipe along, everyone will want a copy!
Provided by Marji Stark
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Scandinavian
Time 30m
Yield 48
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and almond extract; mix until fluffy. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt; mix well.
- Divide dough into 4 pieces, and roll each one into a log about 12 inches long. Place 2 logs per cookie sheet 4 to 5 inches apart. Flatten each roll by hand until it is about 3 inches wide. Brush flattened roll with milk and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
- Bake in preheated oven 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. While the cookies are still warm, cut them crosswise at a diagonal, into slices about 1 inch wide. When cool, drizzle with almond icing.
- Almond icing: In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cookies.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 67.7 calories, Carbohydrate 10.4 g, Cholesterol 9.1 mg, Fat 2.6 g, Fiber 0.2 g, Protein 0.9 g, SaturatedFat 1.3 g, Sodium 48.1 mg, Sugar 6.7 g
EASY DANISH ALMOND PASTRIES
If you have made a traditional Danish pastry, then you know how labor-intensive the dough can be to make. This recipe offers a comparatively quick, flaky, buttery, almond paste-filled Danish. The taste is phenomenal.
Provided by Lance F
Categories Bread Yeast Bread Recipes
Time 1h
Yield 20
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 9x13-inch cake pan with parchment paper.
- Unroll 1 tube of crescent roll dough and spread in the bottom of the prepared pan. Seal the seams of the dough to prevent from separation.
- Roll almond paste into a thin sheet, large enough to cover your cake pan. Cut edges with a knife or rolling pizza cutter.
- Combine mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup white sugar, and egg yolk in the bowl of an electric mixer; mix until thoroughly combined and smooth with no lumps remaining. Spread evenly on top of dough. Place rolled out almond paste on top of cheese mixture.
- Open the remaining tube of crescent dough, unroll it, and put on top of the almond paste. Seal all of the seams and ensure dough covers the entire top of the pan. Whisk egg white and use a pastry brush to spread on the top of the rolled out dough. Spread sliced almonds on top to coat. Lightly sprinkle remaining white sugar evenly on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, mix powdered sugar and water for glaze together in a bowl. Drizzle over the top of the cooled Danish and cut.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 243.9 calories, Carbohydrate 23.5 g, Cholesterol 23.3 mg, Fat 15 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 4.4 g, SaturatedFat 4.5 g, Sodium 186.6 mg, Sugar 10.4 g
CARAMEL ALMOND CAKE (TOSCATåRTA)
This traditional Swedish cake is moist, dense, and finished with a rich almond-caramel topping. Aquavit chef Emma Bengtsson draws from her Swedish childhood for this indulgent confection. (A dollop of whipped cream makes it even more decadent!)
Provided by Emma Bengtsson
Categories dessert
Time 1h
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Cake: Preheat the oven to 325 F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix almond paste and butter on low speed, 1 minute. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a small bowl. Turn mixer up to medium and add the eggs one at a time to the almond paste mixture. Allow each egg to completely incorporate into the batter, about 30 seconds, before adding the next one; this will ensure a smooth batter. Slowly add flour and continue mixing just to incorporate, 10-15 seconds.
- Prepare a springform pan with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper (this will prevent the cake from sticking). Pour batter into the pan, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Parbake until lightly golden, 10 minutes.
- Caramel topping: While cake is in the oven, add ½ cup cream, sugar, glucose, and butter to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook undisturbed until caramel is light brown and registers 244 F on a kitchen thermometer, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in almonds to combine. As you stir, avoid scraping up any browned caramel that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove cake from the oven; it will be gooey and not fully cooked. Carefully pour the warm caramel onto the cake; spread evenly. Return to the oven; bake until the caramel is golden brown and bubbly, 10 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven and let cool, 10-15 minutes. The top will firm up as it cools. Remove cake from pan by running a knife around the edge, then remove the sides from the base. (Keep the cake on the base for serving.) While the cake is cooling, whip cream for serving: Place remaining 1 cup heavy cream in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form, 30 seconds. Slice cooled cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.
ALMOND CAKE
This exquisite recipe came to The Times in a 2001 article by Amanda Hesser about the first meal her now mother-in-law, Elizabeth Friend, prepared for her. The meal ended with this simple almond cake. Ms. Hesser wrote: "It had a crust, fragile like a dry leaf, that led to a moist, downy layer of ground almonds and sugar. It was a perfect dessert. And it punctuated one of the great meals of my life." It's not the prettiest cake in the world - Ms. Friend called it "the Shar-Pei of cakes" because it crumbles on the edges and falls in the middle - but it is flawless otherwise. If you care about looks, dust it with confectioners' sugar and top it with fresh berries as we've done in the picture. It also improves with age and can be made 1 to 2 weeks ahead. Store it covered in or out of the fridge. Finally, this recipe makes two 8-inch cakes, so give one away or freeze one for a rainy day.
Provided by Amanda Hesser
Categories cakes, dessert
Time 1h45m
Yield 2 8-inch cakes, 8 servings each
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter sides and bottoms of 2 8-inch cake or springform pans; line sides and bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper. Place pans in freezer.
- Sift flour and salt into a small bowl. Set aside. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, beat butter and granulated sugar at high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add almond paste, a little at a time at medium speed, and beat 8 minutes. Beat in egg yolks, one at a time, and almond extract. Mix sour cream and baking soda and add to butter mixture. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add flour mixture, just until blended.
- Divide batter between prepared pans and spread evenly. Bake about 40 minutes to an hour, until tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed and cakes shrink from sides of the pans. Cool in pans on wire rack. Remove sides of pans and remove paper. When ready to serve, sift confectioners' sugar on top and slice like pie.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 661, UnsaturatedFat 16 grams, Carbohydrate 76 grams, Fat 38 grams, Fiber 2 grams, Protein 7 grams, SaturatedFat 19 grams, Sodium 326 milligrams, Sugar 49 grams, TransFat 1 gram
SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND BREAD
Make and share this Scandinavian Almond Bread recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Kiki Erickson
Categories Breads
Time 55m
Yield 18 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Beat sugar, egg, extract, and milk, add flour and baking powder, finally add margarine.
- Pour into bundt cake pan sprayed with cooking spray (or specialized Scandinavian cake pan).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
- Edges must be golden brown.
- Cool in pan before removing.
- Bread will break if removed too soon.
- Sprinkle with confectionary sugar.
- Cool cake in pan before removing as it can break apart.
- Variation: before pouring batter into pan, sprinkle sliced almonds on the bottom.
SWEDISH ALMOND CAKE
Fika is the Swedish custom of stopping twice daily for coffee, conversation and a little something sweet; the word was created by flipping the two syllables in kaffe. Minutes after I had a fika in the Stockholm studio of the pastry chef Mia Ohrn, I started thinking about what I'd serve at my own first fika. This cake, so much easier to make than you'd guess by looking at it, has become my favorite. The recipe turns out a moist, buttery, tender cake, which would be lovely as is. But when the cake is half-baked, I cook a mixture of butter, sugar, flour and sliced almonds, spread it over the top (a homage to Sweden's famous tosca cake), put the pan back in the oven and wait for the mixture to bubble, caramelize and create a shell that is a little chewy, a little crackly and very beautiful. It's a perfect cake for fika, and great for brunch.
Provided by Dorie Greenspan
Categories breakfast, brunch, snack, cakes, dessert
Time 1h15m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven, and heat it to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan (using solid, unmelted butter), and dust the interior with flour; tap out the excess. Place the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Working with a mixer (use a paddle attachment, if you have one), beat the sugar and eggs together on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium, and gradually add the melted butter, followed by the milk and vanilla. (I like to pour the ingredients down the side of the bowl as the mixer is working.) Mix until the batter is smooth; it will have a lovely sheen. Decrease the speed to low, and gradually add the dry ingredients. When the flour mixture is almost fully incorporated, finish blending by stirring with a spatula. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan.
- Slide the cake into the oven, and set your timer for 30 minutes.
- As soon as the timer dings, start the topping (leaving the cake in the oven): In a medium saucepan, mix together all the topping ingredients. Place over medium-high heat and, stirring constantly, cook until you see a couple of bubbles around the edges. Lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring nonstop, for 3 minutes. The mixture will thicken a little, and your spatula will leave tracks as you stir. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Immediately take the cake out of the oven (leaving the oven on), and carefully pour the topping over the cake, nudging it gently with a spatula to cover the cake completely.
- Return the cake to the oven, and bake for an additional 15 minutes (total baking time is about 50 minutes) or until the topping, which will bubble and seethe, is a beautiful golden brown and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack, and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully work a table knife between the side of the pan and the cake, gently pushing the cake away from the side (it's a delicate job because the sticky topping isn't yet set). Remove the sides of the pan, and let the cake come to room temperature on the base. When you're ready to serve, lift the cake off the springform base and onto a platter.
Tips:
- Use blanched almonds for a smoother paste.
- Toast the almonds before grinding them to enhance their flavor.
- Add a little bit of oil to the food processor to help the paste come together.
- Use a fine-mesh sieve to strain the paste for a smoother texture.
- Store the paste in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Conclusion:
Scandinavian-style almond paste is a delicious and versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of recipes. It is easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients. With its rich, nutty flavor and smooth texture, almond paste is a great addition to both sweet and savory dishes. Whether you are using it as a filling for pastries, a glaze for meats, or a dip for vegetables, almond paste is sure to add a touch of elegance and flavor to your next meal.
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