Here's a classic recipe for Lagkage, the traditional Danish layer cake that's especially popular for birthdays and festive occasions. This recipe combines fluffy sponge cake with vanilla cream, raspberry jam, and fresh raspberries.
🇩🇰 Recipe for Danish Lagkage (Layer Cake)
🧁 Ingredients:
For the sponge cake base:
- 3 eggs (size M)
- 150 g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 70 g flour (type 550)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 70 g cornstarch
- Zest of 1 lemon
For the vanilla cream:
- 200 ml milk
- 200 ml cream
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod
- 1 egg + 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
For the raspberry filling:
- 250 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 sheets gelatin
- Juice of ½ lemon (optional)
For the decoration:
- ½ l cream
- Fresh raspberries or other berries of your choice
- Optional: sliced almonds or marzipan ribbon
👩🍳 Preparation:
1. Sponge cake base:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C with top and bottom heat.
- Whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract with a hand mixer for about 8 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, and lemon zest, sift over the egg mixture, and fold in gently.
- Pour the batter into a greased springform pan (Ø 24 cm) and smooth the surface.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Let cool completely and then carefully cut horizontally into three equal layers.
2. Vanilla cream:
- Heat the milk and cream in a pot until they almost boil.
- In a bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla extract.
- Slowly pour the hot milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture while stirring.
- Transfer everything back to the pot and heat over medium heat while stirring constantly until the cream thickens.
- Pour the cream into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap (directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming), and let cool completely.
3. Raspberry filling:
- Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Heat the raspberries, sugar, and water in a pot until the berries fall apart.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds.
- Dissolve the squeezed-out gelatin in the warm raspberry mixture.
- Optional: add lemon juice.
- Let the mixture cool until it just begins to set.
4. Assembling the cake:
- Place the first sponge cake layer on a cake plate.
- Spread a layer of vanilla cream on top.
- Place the second layer on top and spread the raspberry filling over it.
- Top with the third layer and press down gently.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours so the fillings set properly.
5. Decoration:
- Whip the cream until stiff and frost the cake all around.
- Decorate with fresh raspberries, sliced almonds, or a marzipan ribbon.
🍽️ Serving suggestion:
Lagkage tastes best when it has had a few hours to set. It's perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, or other festive occasions. Feel free to vary the fillings to your taste—try strawberries, blueberries, or a chocolate cream instead.
For more inspiration and variations on the Lagkage recipe, you can also take a look at Wienerbrød, where different versions of this classic Danish cake are featured.
Enjoy your baking!
