May Daring Kitchen Challenge: Swedish Prinsesstårta

Talk about taking a challenge down to the wire! I just, just, just finished this month's challenge. It wasn't for lack of interest, just a lack of time. This time of year seems to be when things get busier and time flies by faster than expected. I'm stunned that June is just around the corner!!

This month, we were challenged to create a Swedish Prinsesstårta (aka Swedish Princess Cake). The cake is a single sponge cake that is cut horizontally into thirds. In between the first and second layers are raspberry jam and a pastry cream. Between the second and third layers are more pastry cream and a dome of whipping cream. The cake is topped with marzipan, which is traditionally colored green, and is garnished with a marzipan rose.

I asked Annika what color our cake's outside should be (she didn't know the cakes are traditionally green) and she responded, "My favorite color, of course! Green!"

After many failed attempts at the marzipan rose, I changed gears and made a polka dotted marzipan bow instead. Eric asked if it was a bow tie and I decided it was as a nod to Matt Smith's portrayal of Dr. Who.

Once I got the polka dots in place, I proclaimed that the cake was finished. Annika, quite perplexed, asked, "but what about the princess??" I'm fairly certain she was expecting a princess cake like the one I made for her 3rd birthday.

Through this process, we discovered that Annika is a HUGE marzipan fan. As I trimmed here and there, she happily disposed of the scraps and asked for more.

The final result was ok, but nothing to write home about. As Eric put it, it's a jam sandwich with whipping cream on hard bread. I took a bite and agreed with his review. I was concerned that the cake as a whole would be dry, which is wasn't thanks to the whipping cream, but the sponge cake edges were kind of crisp. In addition, the pastry cream didn't turn out as silky as other pastry creams I've made in the past; I don't know if I did something wrong or if it just isn't an overly smooth pastry cream. I ran it through a sieve, but still wound up with little lumps.

Even though the results weren't mind blowing, I'm still grateful to have had the opportunity to make a new dessert from a different culture. Much to Eric's grandfather's chagrin (tee hee hee), I do have some Swedish blood in me, so it was neat to have a Swedish-based challenge.

My "Dr. Who" Prinsesstårta

Pretty layers!

Korena of Korena in the Kitchen was our May Daring Bakers’ host and she delighted us with this beautiful Swedish Prinsesstårta!