Master baker of the Princess cake

How you do things may show who you are and if that's the case here's definitely a certified Swede. 

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  Best ever! Princesstårta a la Morgan Larsson photographed at the Russian Tearoom, NYC, by N. Alsterdal.

• If it’s how you do things that shows who you are, how can a true master of such delicacies as Swedish Princesstårta (Princess cake), cinnamon buns and Maria cookies not be a certified Swede?
  Spreading the sweetness of his native Sweden in such yummies as semlor, cardamom braids, princess cakes and super moist muffins, Morgan Larsson is most definitely certifiably Swedish. Born and bred in the small town of Sölvesborg, he learned his trade from his father, a master pastry chef who got his title from none other than the King of Sweden. Now one of the hottest executive pastry chefs in New York City (where his career begun at Aquavit and Windows of the World, and continued at the Essex House, the Russian Tearoom, St. Regis and the Pierre Hotel), he never lost one scintilla of that unmistakable Blekinge grounding of his.
  Mention Mariabullar, Maria Buns, and his eyes light up. A short dissertation of their Scanian background will follow, and you’ll feel that you’re right back in Hässleholm, where, before winging it to the United States, Larsson ran a small bakery.
  “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!"

• Almond Genoise
  10 eggs
  1-1/8 cups/250 grams sugar
  1-3/4 cups/200 grams flour
  7/8 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˚F for 10 minutes. Cool on racks, slice in three.

• Strawberry, Raspberry Jam
  8 ounces/250 grams fresh raspberries
  1-1/8 cups/250 grams sugar
  1 ounce/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 through a chinois.

• Pastry Cream
  2 cups/500 grams half and half (milk and cream)
  6 egg yolks
  1/2 cup/100 grams sugar
  1 vanilla bean
  1/8 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 marzipan (preferably Anthon Berg or Odense, the latter now available in the U.S. through www.odense-marcipan.us)
  5 1/4 cups/600 grams powdered sugar
  7/8 cup/100 grams liquid sugar
  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.

• — Pastry Chef Morgan Larsson