Princess cake
Princess cake (Swedish: prinsesstårta) is a traditional Swedish layer cake or torte consisting of alternating layers of airy sponge cake, pastry cream, and a thick-domed layer of whipped cream. The cake is covered by a layer of marzipan, giving it a smooth rounded top. The marzipan overlay is usually green, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and often decorated with a pink marzipan rose.[1]
Traditional Swedish Prinsesstårta | |
Alternative names | Prinsesstårta, Grön tårta |
---|---|
Type | Cake |
Place of origin | Sweden |
Created by | Jenny Åkerström |
Main ingredients | Sponge cake, whipped cream, raspberries, pastry cream, marzipan, powdered sugar |
The original recipe first appeared in the 1948 Prinsessornas kokbok cookbook, which was published by Jenny Åkerström (1867-1957), teacher of the three daughters of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergötland.[2] While the original recipe did not contain any fruit, modern versions may include layers of jam or fresh fruit, usually raspberries. Variants with other colours of marzipan are occasionally called prinstårta (prince cake) for yellow marzipan and operatårta (opera cake) for red or pink marzipan.
The cake was originally called grön tårta (green cake), but was given the name prinsesstårta or "princess cake" because the princesses were said to have been especially fond of the cake. The princesses were Princess Margaretha (1899–1977; later Princess of Denmark), Princess Märtha (1901–1954; later Crown Princess of Norway), and Princess Astrid (1905–1935; later Queen of the Belgians).[3] [4][5]
See also
- Frog cake, a broadly similar Australian dessert
- List of cakes
References
- "Prinsesstårta: Swedish Princess Cake". thespruceeats.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
- "Princess cake demystified (prinsesstårta)". 2011-09-21. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
- "Traditionsenlig tårtfrossa - Prinsessyra bäddar för prinsesstårtans vecka" (in Swedish). Cisionwire. 2009-09-17. Archived from the original on 2010-10-17. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- "Royal Dilemma: Why is the Princess Cake Green?". 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2012-08-20.
- Vera (2009-02-24). "Swedish Princess Cake". Retrieved 2014-01-26.