In Norway, there's a cake called Kvaefjordkake or verdens beste kake (world's best cake). Now, if you know Norwegians, or Norwegian-Americans at least, you'll know that we are not a people to use superlatives very often, because we are not a bragging type of folk, not given to creating a bunch of excitement. So, when I saw the name of this cake, I knew I had to make it! It's a sponge cake that you bake with meringue right on top, sprinkled with almonds, then sliced and filled with vanilla cream or whipped cream. My first attempt didn't go well. I used a recipe from Sverre Seatre's book, "Norwegian Cakes and Cookies," but it didn't work out. The meringue was fine, although I was starting to run low on the second layer, but one of the cakes underneath didn't bake and it was hard to get out of the cake pans. I don't do as well with recipes that I have to divide stuff equally into pans, to be honest. Part of the problem is that I'm too lazy to use my scale to get it just right...
Anyway, still intent on trying this recipe, I looked online and found a couple of options. I ended up using the ratios from one, but some of the directions of the other, so I kind of mashed up the recipe. The first recipe I used is from Sweet Paul, and I used it mainly because it had the number of eggs that I had happened to have pulled out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature. The second one is from Daytona Strong, one of my go-to people for Norwegian baking. Her site will also give you the history of this cake.
So, on to the cake. It was a little fussy, but not much (would have been easier if I had 2 bowls for my Kitchen-Aid mixer, but I don't, so I made due). You don't have to toast the almonds beforehand, because they get plenty toasted while baking. I took a suggestion from the Sweet Paul post and sliced strawberries to put in between the layers. I think it added a little brightness that cut through the richness of the cake. I also added a little almond extract to the cake, to enhance the almonds on the meringue, but I couldn't taste it much. Next time I make it, I might add more.
I shared it with my Bible study group, and it was a big hit! I will definitely make this again. I think you could have fun changing the cream filling (maybe do a mocha, which would taste good with the almonds, or lingonberry sauce for something fun for the holidays), since the basic cake, while very tasty, is a bit of a blank slate between the plain sponge and the unflavored meringue and vanilla cream.
My main tip for this cake, is to make sure you have all of your ingredients ready to go for both the cake layer and the meringue layer. It makes the process go a lot smoother.
Is it the world's best cake? Most of my friends really liked it, a few definitely said yes, but my heart is with chocolate, so I don't know. Maybe I'll have to work on a chocolate version to see how that might compare! Hope you enjoy this! If you experiment with different flavor combinations, let me know how it went!
Norway's "World's Best Cake"
Ingredients for the Cake layer
10.5 Tbsp butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
5 large egg yolks (you'll need the whites for the meringue, recipe follows)
1/3 cup milk (I used 2%, although the original recipe used whole milk)
1/8 tsp pure almond extract (I use Penzey's) -- feel free to omit or add more (not more than 1/4 tsp though), according to your preference
Ingredients for the Meringue
5 large egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup slice almonds
For the Whipped Cream layer
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean (again, I used Penzey's)
1 pint strawberries, cleaned and sliced
To make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven. Line a small sheet pan (mine was 15.5 inches by 10 inches) with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. It should look like this:
Add the flour and baking powder, mix in to the butter/sugar mixture, then add the egg yolks, milk and almond extract.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and spread into an even layer. Set aside while you make the meringue.
To make the meringue, using a clean bowl and dry beaters (I used the whisk attachment on my Kitchen Aid mixer), whip the egg whites until they start to look white and foamy, then gradually start adding the sugar. I add it in a slow stream while the mixer is running, but you can also sprinkle in a tablespoon at a time. Continue whipping egg whites until they form stiff peaks. If your whites were at room temperature, this should only take about 4-5 minutes using a stand mixer. DO NOT add all the sugar at once. it will make the meringue more marshmallow-y soft and it won't crisp up when you bake it. Believe me, I've tried it as a short cut. Don't do it.
Here's what they should look like:
Evenly and carefully (use a light touch!) spread the meringue onto the (unbaked) cake layer, then sprinkle with the sliced almonds. (hint: you don't have to spread the meringue all the way to the edges, because it spreads and puffs up a bit while baking)
This is what it looked like before baking:
Bake at 350 for about 30-35 minutes. I was nervous because my first attempt ended up with gooey cake batter, so I left it in a little longer than I needed to, but it turned out fine. Cool completely in the pan.
For the whipped cream layer, pour whipping cream into a chilled bowl (using a chilled bowl and beaters makes the whipping go faster), then split the vanilla bean and scrape the inside of the bean (those are the seeds) into the whipping cream. Discard the outer part of the vanilla bean (or add it to your vanilla extract bottle). Whip cream and vanilla seeds together until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
To assemble the cake:
Cut cake layer in half width-wise, so you have two pieces, each about 10 inches by 7 3/4 inches. Put one layer on your serving plate:
Place second layer on top of the first layer, then place remaining strawberry slices in a line down the middle. Refrigerate for one hour before serving. Enjoy!
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