PAUL’S KRANSEKAKE
PG tested
I followed baker Paul Hollywood’s recipe for the ingredients but did not bake the cookies in kransekake molds. Instead, I rolled the dough into ropes ranging in lengths from 6 to 14 inches and baked the cookies free-form.
The dough will be sticky and that is OK. But do chill it for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. The original recipe didn’t include salt but I added a little bit to round out the flavor.
For the cookies
3½ cups ground almonds 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
½ teaspoon kosher salt 3 free-range egg whites, lightly whisked
1 teaspoon almond extract
Semolina, for dusting
For the icing
3 free-range egg whites 4½ cups (1 pound plus 1 cup) powdered sugar, sifted
Few drops red and green food coloring
Mini white sugar pearls
In a large bowl, combine ground almonds, powdered sugar and salt by hand or in a large electric mixer.
Add the lightly beaten egg whites and almond extract and mix until well combined.
Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 3 hours or preferably overnight.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Divide the chilled dough into half. Place one half into a bowl, cover, and keep in the refrigerator.
Dust the work surface lightly with semolina. Roll the dough with slightly greased hands into ropes that are a finger wide.
Cut the ropes into 6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, 12-, 13- and 14-inch lengths. As the ropes are cut, connect their ends, pressing them together, to form a ring.
Place the rings on the lined baking sheets and chill the dough for 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator. (Mix the small and larger rings so that they all fit on the 2 sheets.)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake the kransekakes, one baking sheet at a time, in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly brown. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and let the cookies cool. After 15 to 20 minutes transfer the cookies to a plate.
Then place the second baking sheet into the oven and repeat the steps for baking and cooling the cookies.
Take the other half of the chilled dough. Shape into ropes and bake the rings following the above steps.
For the icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk in the powdered sugar a spoonful at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form when the whisk is removed.
Spoon half of the icing into 2 separate bowls. Add red coloring to one and green coloring to the other.
Then whisk them separately again. Spoon the red icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain writing nozzle, the green icing into a separate piping bag fitted with a small plain writing nozzle and the white icing into a third piping bag fitted with a small plain writing nozzle.
To assemble the kransekake, sort the cooked rings into size order, starting with the largest ones at the bottom.
Pipe a few dots of white icing onto the base of a 14-inch ring and stick it to a large serving plate.
Pipe zigzag patterns onto the largest ring using first the white, then the red icing, overlapping the two. Place mini white sugar pearls on top.
Then place the second 14inch ring on top and repeat the icing and decorating steps.
Continue to build the tower with the 13-inch rings, followed by the rest in decreasing size.
Allow the icing to set (this will stick the rings to each other), then serve.
Makes 18 rings.
— Adapted from Paul Hollywood’s recipe on bbc.co.uk/food
Baking with molds
If you are using kransekake molds, follow these steps.
Lightly brush the molds with vegetable oil. Sprinkle a little semolina into each mold and tip the molds to distribute the semolina evenly, shaking out any excess.
Dust a work surface lightly with flour and roll the pieces out into finger-width lengths that are long enough to wrap round the kransekake molds.
Shape the longest piece of dough inside the largest kransekake ring, pressing the ends together to seal. Do the same with the medium-sized and smallest pieces of dough.
Repeat this process with the remaining dough.
Then bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly brown.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool in their molds until hardened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.