thank you: Norwegian Kransekake
photo ©Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com
Hi Blog!
Well it's been awhile. We had some major things happen in our lives. Back in January we had two deaths in two days in our family. Most significantly was the death of my grandpa. He was an amazing man and the best grandpa. At his wake we tried to honor his (and our) Norwegian roots with a Norse themed meal. It involved Kransekake. Kransekake is this amazing ring cake made of dense almond paste cakes all staked up and drizzled with a little frosting. Hardly anything at this service (including the Kransekake) was vegan- so don't even get your hopes up!! But! back in my early days of having my own kitchen and when I dated someone as enthusiastic about baking as I am (turns out enthusiasm for baking isn't enough to make a relationship last!) we attempted a vegan version of this. From what I remember it was really good just after we made it, and then the following day required a saw to break it apart. In my searching I have not come across any other vegan attempts at this. It may be because of the many egg yolks most recipes call for- or maybe because it's not a common dish. Anyways- at the wake I spent a little bit of time gazing at it. It's an old school dish- I can only imagine the magnificence of it as a dish at a holiday party back before 'Ace of Cakes' or whatever that reality show is about extreme cake bakers. The Kransekake on the table tied in so many aspects of who I am and things I enjoy- family, heritage, baking, sugar... I think I'm going to try again- I'll let you know how it goes!
