Holiday Ring Cake Recipe 55

PAUL HOLLYWOOD'S CHRISTMAS KRANSEKAKE

Steps:

• To make the dough, tip the ground almonds and icing sugar into a bowl, add the beaten egg whites and the almond extract and mix to a dough with your hands. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and chill for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight, or freeze for 30 minutes.
• For the star, roll out the florist paste on a surface lightly dusted with cornflour to the thickness of a 2 pence piece. Make a template, then cut out 2 six-pointed stars each measuring 5cm across. Cut a 2mm channel from one of the points of each star into the middle of each star and leave to set.
• Heat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/375°F/Gas 5. Line 3 baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 2cm thick. Place the ground pistachios on a large baking sheet and gently roll the ropes in the pistachios to coat.
• Gently press the tops of the ropes with the heel of your hand to flatten them slightly--this will make it easier to form them into rings. Run an offset spatula under the ropes to loosen.
• Cut the dough into strips (these will become rings): The smallest strip should measure 8cm, the next 11cm, the next 14cm and so on. Continue in 3cm increments until you reach the largest strip, which should measure 41cm long.
• Shape the strips into rings and push the edges together to seal. Make sure the curved surface is on the outside of the rings. (The smaller rings are the hardest to make, so take your time shaping them.)
• Place the rings on the prepared baking sheets. Place a piece of parchment on top of the rings. Place an empty baking sheet on top of the parchment paper and press gently to flatten the tops of the rings. Remove the baking sheet and parchment paper and bake the rings for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden. Leave to cool completely.
• For the icing, whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy. Gradually whisk in the icing sugar a spoonful at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• Once the rings have cooled, begin to build the tower. Spoon the icing into a piping bag fitted with a number 4 writing nozzle. Pipe a few dots of white icing onto the base of the largest ring and stick it to a large serving plate. Pipe the icing in a zig zag pattern around the ring. Repeat with the remaining rings, stacking them one on top of the other, from largest to smallest, piping a zig zag pattern on every ring.
• Once the stars are hard, interlink the 2 stars by sliding one channel into the other creating a 3 dimensional star.
• Top the kransekake with the star and dust with icing sugar before serving.

KRANSEKAKE (NORWEGIAN ALMOND RING CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line 2 sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine confectioners' sugar, ground almonds, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add unbeaten egg whites one at a time, mixing until a firm dough forms. Knead dough for 2 minutes until it holds together and doesn't fall apart easily.
• Roll dough into 18 ropes the thickness of your index finger, each rope a little longer than the next. Shape each rope into a ring. Arrange rings on the baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Watch smaller circles carefully, as they may finish baking before the larger ones. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Mix confectioners' sugar and vanilla extract together to make icing. Pour icing into a piping bag fitted with a small tip.
• Place a doily on a serving plate. Pipe a ring of icing as large as the largest cake ring. Place the largest cake ring on the icing. Pipe icing in a zig-zag pattern over the ring. Stack remaining cake rings on top, from largest to smallest, piping icing between each ring.

RING CAKE (KRANSEKAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
• Grind the almonds into fine powder. I used an old fashioned nut grinder. You can use the regular grinder.
• Add in the sugar and baking powder to the almonds and mix.
• Now keep on adding the egg whites one by one and kneading the Almond mixture with the whites with gentle hands until a dough is formed.
• Once the dough is formed time to shape the rings. roll out the dough into sausage shape. Thickness should be about 1/4 inch.
• Fill in the kransekake pans to form the rings. There will be a total of 18 rings.
• Bake for 10 minutes in the oven and pull out and completely cool before take out of the molds.
• While the rings are cooling off you can prepare the icing.
• Instructions for the icing: Lightly beat 1 large egg white in a bowl. Now keep on adding icing sugar to the egg white little by little (1 tablespoon at a time) until you attain the desired consistency (It should be at a pouring consistency but not runny).
• Once the rings are completely cooled and the icing is ready its time to form the tower.
• starting from the larger ring to the smallest build up a tower.
• Place the largest ring on the plate and with the icing create a zigzag pattern on the ring and when the icing is still wet place the next size ring over it. The icing acts like a glue holding the rings together.
• Continue until you reach to the smallest ring.
• Decorate as desired with ribbons, toothpick flags with personal messages and flowers.

VANILLA RING CAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition.
• Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch fluted tub pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Combine the confectioners sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add the milk, up to the 2 tablespoons, to make a drizzle. Drizzle over the cake.

VANILLA RING CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 10-in. fluted tube pan. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition., Pour into prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55-65 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. , Combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency; drizzle over cake.

KRANSEKAKE

Steps:

• Dough: Place almonds in a food processor and process to form fine crumbs, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and salt and process until well combined and powder-like, about 1 minute. Add egg whites and process until a dough forms (it will have the texture of cookie dough). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 300°F with oven rack in the middle. Brush a set of 6 kransekake molds with butter. Divide dough in half. Working with one half of dough at a time, cut into small portions and roll into ropes that are slightly thicker than the diameter of a pencil (about 3/8-inch-to-1/2-inch thick). Fit ropes into rings of 3 molds, trimming to fit. Place molds on an unrimmed baking sheet and bake until puffed and lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer molds to a wire rack and let cool completely on baking sheet. Repeat shaping and baking process with remaining half of dough and remaining 3 molds. Carefully remove rings from molds.
• Royal Icing: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine confectioners' sugar and egg whites. Mix on medium-high speed until combined and thickened, about 8 minutes. If decorating with more than one color, divide icing into batches. Using the end of a toothpick, add food coloring until the desired shade is achieved.
• To Assemble: Sort rings in order of size. Fill a piping bag with icing and pipe a few dots onto the base of the largest ring and adhere to a cake plate. Pipe icing onto the base of next largest ring, and stack on top of the first ring. Repeat process, continuing to stack rings in decreasing size to form a tower of 18 rings. Decorate as desired. Allow icing to set before serving.

HOLIDAY RING CAKE RECIPE - (5/5)

Steps:

• Cream butter and cream cheese, add sugar and beat well. Add vanilla and lemon rind. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating after each. Sift flour and baking powder together and blend in. Toss nuts and fruit with ¼ cup flour. Add to mixture. Stir well. Pour into well greased tube pan. Bake for 70-80 minutes at 300F. Cool. Dust with icing or drizzle with icing and milk