Princess Cake

“I think this particular cake, which makes every Swede sigh with blissful memories, is a reminder of childhood birthday parties, of our childhood in Sweden in general. And of course, it’s so very good!" — Executive Pastry Chef Morgan Larsson, Essex House, NYC. 

  • Morgan at work in the pastry kitchen of the Russian Tea room. Photographed by Nikolaj Alsterdal.

  • Executive Pastry Chef Morgan Larsson's Princess Cake:

  • 'Piéce de résistance' by Pastry Chef Morgan Larsson. Photographed by Nikolaj Alsterdal.

  • Almond Genoise
    10 eggs
    1 cup (250 grams) sugar
    1-3/4 cups (200 grams) flour
    1 cup (80 grams) almond flour

  • Whisk eggs and sugar to volume in a warm water bath. Fold in sifted flour and almond flour.
    Bake in (2) 10” cake rings at 375 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cool on racks, slice in 3 round layers

  • Strawberry, Raspberry Jam
    8 oz (250 grams) fresh strawberries
    8 oz (250 grams) fresh raspberries
    1 cup (250 grams) sugar
    1 oz (25 grams) pectin

  • Quarter the strawberries and cut raspberries in half. Warm in stainless steel pot.
    Mix sugar and pectin together, add to berries when warm. Cook to a boil.
    Chill, puree and strain trough a chinois

  • Pastry Cream
    2 cups (500 grams) half & half (milk and cream)
    6 egg yolks
    1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
    1 vanilla bean
    1 cup (10 grams) corn starch
    1 gelatin sheet
    Cook cream and milk with the vanilla bean. Mix the sugar with cornstarch, add to egg yolks. In the meantime soak the gelatin leaf in cold water. When soft, squeeze excess water and add to hot liquid. Temper the boiling liquid into the egg mixture. In three steps put back on stove and just bring to a boil stirring vigorously.
    Cool and strain.

  • Marzipan
    1-1/2 pounds (700 grams) Anthon Berg’s 67% marzipan
    5 cups (600 grams) powdered sugar
    1 cup (100 grams) liquid glyucosekos
    Green food coloring
    Mix everything together, then add color.
    P.S. Must incorporate to smooth, otherwise too oily.

  • Build the cake:
    Slice the cooled genoise horizontally into 3 equal sections. Place one genoise layer onto a cake plate, and spread the jam onto the top surface of the genoise.
    Cover the jam layer with another slice of genoise. Next, spread the pastry cream, followed by a layer of whipped cream.
    Cover the cream layer with the remaining slice of genoise.
    Very thinly spread whipped cream over the entire cake, and finally drape the rolled-out marzipan over the whipped cream. Cut off the excess marzipan around the bottom, add decorative ribbons or flowers, and top with powdered sugar.