for the princess in me

After 2 days of pouring rain – the summer was back yesterday and it was high time for me to do some grocery shopping. Been living on nearly nothing fresh. 

As I left the supermarket I saw “prinsess bakelser” at their bakery and I gave in. So in afternoon I treated myself with the most wonderful cake there is on earth. Anyone that ever had one with their coffee or tea at IKEA know what I’m talking about. IKEA’s are very good and you can buy it frozen in their food store – “Frödinge” (only in Swedish) is the name of the Swedish company that supplies IKEA all over the world. They must be laughing on their way to the bank with a contract like that.

The original recipe comes for a cook book from 1930 – called “Prinsessornas Kokbok” (the princesses cookery book) that a home economics teacher, Jenny Åkerström, published. She were teaching nice rich girls in Stockholm how to cook. Amongst those nice girls were princesses Märta, Margareta and Astrid – in the cookery book the cake had the name “Gröna Tårtan” (The Green Cake) – but was renamed to the “Princess Cake” because the princesses liked that cake so much. 

Today you can buy as a full cake or as I did individual pieces. It is a cake made in heaven .. filled with all that cream. It’s probably the most popular cake in Sweden. Also today they can be in what ever color on the marzipan and shape – some of the bakers make them like small pieces of art. The one I bought is the traditional individual portion model. Have never made it myself. If I ever would do it – I will use this recipe below. Because they are so adorable – the recipe comes from “COOP” website (only in Swedish).

Sponge/Muffins;
200g/7oz room temp. butter
300ml/10.15fl oz granulated sugar
3 eggs
450ml/1lb flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
0.5 tsp vanilla powder

Lemon Cream:
1 egg
100ml/3.35 fl oz granulated sugar
1 lemon, squeezed juice and half the zest
50g/1.76oz butter

Filling and topping:
300ml/10.14 fl oz heavy cream
500ml/1 lbs of fresh strawberries
1 tbsp icing sugar
500g/1 lbs white marzipan
50g/1.76oz white chocolate
1 cup freshly picked red rose petals

Sponge – Muffins;
1. Beat butter and sugar fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add flour mixed with baking powder and vanilla powder.
2. Set large muffin cups in a muffin pan and spread the batter into the molds. Bake in middle of oven 20-25 minutes at 225C/375F.
3. Remove muffins from the plate and let them cool.

Lemon Cream:
1. Mix together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Allow the mixture to warm, stirring constantly. The mixture should thicken but should not boil.
2. Remove from heat and add the butter, the in clicks. Stir until butter is melted. Let the cream cool.

Filling and decoration:
1. Whip the cream.
2. Mash the strawberries in a bowl with a fork. Mix in powdered sugar and ½ dl whipped cream.
3. Cut off the tops of the muffins and place them upside down. Cut each muffin into three parts for three mini bottoms. Add a layer of lemon cream, press a bottom, add a layer of strawberry cream and press the last bottom.
4. Spread a thin layer of cream around the cake. Add a dollop of cream on top and shape it so it becomes like a high top (as mini prinsesstårta). The easiest way is to work with a spatula or butter knife.
5. Roll out a piece of marzipan thin. Add bit of a pastry to cover. Cut off the excess marzipan and do the same with the rest.
6. Melt chocolate gently in a water bath or microwave. The chocolate should be fairly viscous. Drizzle melted chocolate over cakes.
7. Garnish with red rose petals.

“Love is like a good cake; you never know when it’s coming,
but you’d better eat it when it does!”
C. JoyBell C.

Photos provided by and thanks to; foodinmouth.com/lindebilder.se/coop.se

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