You have to admit that was funny.

:)

The World’s Best Cake.

I’ve been through this before. A recipe title claims it to be The Best.

Well, is it?

Somehow I always want to believe that it will be, so I usually try the recipe.

The World’s Best Cake is actually a recipe for a Norwegian cake whose official name is….yep…The World’s Best Cake. It’s also known as Kvæfjordkake, but that is not as easy to pronounce.

So, how was this particular best cake?

Pretty darn fine.

The dessert layers buttery cake, crisp meringue, silky vanilla custard and crunchy almonds. Every bite is a contrast of textures at once rich and delicately light.

The photos I have seen of Norwegian Kvæfjordkake show a pretty and evenly layered cake. As you can see from these photos, my cake suffered a bit in the assembly. My daughter’s friend fondly dubbed it Norwegian Plop…and had multiple servings since he enjoyed it so much. I really loved it, too.

The World’s Best Cake (Norwegian Kvæfjordkake)

Ingredients:

Vanilla Custard Filling (recipe follows)
300g unsalted butter, softened
600g (3 cups) sugar
10 large eggs, separated
300g (2 1/2 cups) flour
1 Tbs baking powder
120ml whole milk
100g sliced almonds
100ml heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/325°F. Line a 38cm x 29cm (I used 13 x 9-inch as that was the closest in size I had) cake tin with parchment paper with an overhang on both ends.

2. Put the butter and 300g (1 1/2 cups) of the sugar in a large mixing bowl, then beat using an electric mixer until pale and creamy.

3. Mix in the 10 egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then beat until combined. Add the milk and beat until incorporated.

5. Spread the batter into the prepared cake tin in an even layer using a spatula. Set aside.

6. To make the meringue topping whisk the 10 egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large, very clean mixing bowl, until soft peaks form. Gradually whisk in the remaining 300g (1 1/2 cups) sugar to make a stiff, shiny meringue.

7. Spread the meringue on top of the cake batter using a spatula. Create some swirls in the meringue then scatter the almonds over the top.

8. Bake the cake in middle of the oven for 35-40 minutes until the meringue is puffed and golden. Leave to cool completely in the tin.

9. Whip the cream in a mixing bowl to form stiff peaks, then gently whisk it into the chilled custard until combined.

10. Carefully remove the cake using the parchment paper and transfer to a board. Cut in half with a serrated knife.

11. Put bottom half of the cake on a large serving plate. Spread the filling over in a thick, even layer. Put the other half, meringue side up, on top. Slice and serve.

Serves 14 to 16

Vanilla Custard Filling

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks
30g (4 Tbs) cornflour or cornstarch
60g (1/4 cup) sugar
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped
300ml whole milk
200ml heavy cream

Directions:

1. Put the egg yolks, cornflour and caster sugar in a heatproof bowl and beat using an electric mixer until pale and thickened.

2. Put the seeds from the vanilla pod into a large saucepan with the 300ml milk and 200ml of the cream. Set over medium heat until it starts to steam. Pour about half the hot milk into the bowl with the egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined, then pour it all back into the pan.

3. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring continuously, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5 to 10 minutes).

4. Strain the custard into a bowl, then cover with plastic wrap touching the surface. Chill until cold.

Recipes from Delicious Magazine

I definitely want to share some of this cake with Norwegian band Sløtface. They have probably already tried some version or another.

“Night Guilt” is from Sløtface’s album ‘Try Not To Freak Out’, which is an awesome title. The song strikes the perfect grungy-pop balance and makes shaking off some sugar super easy.

“Remind me
what I was feeling guilty about”

Check out Sløtface (pronounced slutface) on the band’s Website where you can learn of upcoming world tour dates and buy their music.

Cheers!