Fyrstekake ~ Norwegian Almond Coffee Cake (Royalty Cake)

This has to be my ultimate coffee cake...one that I grew-up having all the time at my grandparents' house. Looking at it you wouldn't normally categorize it as a "coffee cake", however let me assure you that this is perfectly paired with a hot cup of coffee.

It's packed full of almond goodness...and sweet sugar. But with two contrasting layers of delight, to me it is the ultimate coffee cake. You have this wonderful buttery bottom cookie-type layer topped with a sweet & chewy almond layer on top. Heaven!

This is really so simple that you'll be wondering why you haven't come across this recipe before. So let's get baking!

I like to make the bottom layer of the Fyrstekaker first. In a large mixing bowl I pour in my flour, baking powder and sugar. Turn the mixer on to low speed, just to incorporate all of the dry ingredients first.

Then it's time to add in the butter and egg yolks. Mix them in again on the low speed setting. Be sure to reserve the egg whites! We need them for the topping.

Your dough should look just like this once everything has been mixed together.

Prepare a large spring form pan, I like using a 16" round pan, by greasing/buttering the entire pan. There is no flouring necessary! Then plop our dough right into the center of the pan an begin pressing it to a 1/4" or so thickness.

Continue to press the dough up the sides of the pan, like forming a pie shell. Now that that's done, just set it aside. Give the mixing bowl a quick cleaning and get ready to make the topping.

Take 1 pound of raw almonds and pour those into a food processor. I like buying the 3 pound bag at Costco and just separating it into thirds...it's perfect when I'm making Fyrstekake and Kransekake (Crown Cake or Norwegian Wedding Cake).

You're going to want to grind them up until they are basically crawling up the sides of the processor and you can see that the oils have released.

Here's what your processed almonds should look like.

Then into the mixing bowl they go.

The next step would be to add the confectioners sugar and give it a mix on low speed. Please, don't try to rush it or you'll have powdered sugar everywhere...take it from me, it's not fun to clean up.

Add in the reserved egg whites and continue to mix on low speed.

Next add the cold water. Again, continue mixing on low speed. Take several breaks to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl to make sure that everything gets well combined.

Here is your finished topping.

Pour the topping into the pressed dough shell.

Continue adding the topping making sure that it does not come up over the edges of the dough shell's walls.

Place in the oven and be very patient for 45-50 minutes. It's going to be hard, I know, but trust me...when you take this out and let it cool down, it's going to be worth every minute.

Once the Fyrstekake is finished baking, remove it and allow it to sit for 20-25 minutes before releasing the spring form pan. You may have to use a table knife around the edges of the pan to fully release it. Continue to allow it to cool for another 45-60 minutes. This will allow the almond filling to fully set-up.

Traditionally, Fyrstekake is plated on a large decorative serving dish for everyone to serve themselves and enjoy. I tend to leave it on the base of the spring form pan and just set it on a decorative dish...allowing me to place the spring form around it later to easily cover and store in the refrigerator.

Then once you slice into it, here is the beautiful greeting you are given. Your mouth is just about ready to sing you praises for your limited effort.

I hope that your family will enjoy one of my family's favorite traditional Norwegian desserts as much as we have.

 

Fyrstekake ~ Norwegian Almond Coffee Cake

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes (16" pan), 45-50 minutes (12" pan)
Level: EASY
Preheat oven 350° F

Cookie Layer:
Ingredients:
2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
3/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1 1/2 sticks Butter (or 1 stick Margarine & 1/2 stick Butter)
2 Egg Yolks (reserve whites for almond topping)
1 Tbsp. Cold Water

Directions:
Grease a large spring form pan. (12"-16" round) In a large mixing bowl blend together flour, baking powder and sugar. Add butter and egg yolks. Mix until incorporated. Add cold water and mix until incorporated. Place dough into the center of the prepared spring form pan. Press dough to cover the bottom of the pan and up the side walls. About 1/4" thick. Set aside.

Almond Topping:
Ingredients:
1 pound Raw Almonds
1 pound Confectioners Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
2 Egg Whites
1/2 cup Cold Water

Directions:
Pour almonds into a food processor. Grind until it becomes fine granules and climbs up the sides of the processor's container. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add confectioners sugar and mix until incorporated. Add egg whites and cold water. Mix until fully incorporated. Pour on top of dough in the spring form pan. Make sure that the almond topping level does not go above the edge of the pressed dough walls. Place in the center of preheated oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. (depending on the oven and size of the spring form pan used) Cake is done when the top is golden and the center no longer jiggles when pan is moved.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes before releasing the sides of the spring form pan. Use a table knife or small decorating spatula around the edges if necessary. Allow to cool an additional 45-60 minutes before serving, allowing the almond filling to set-up. Cake then can be carefully removed from the bottom of the spring form pan and plated on a large decorative serving plate.

 ENJOY!