Othello Layered Cake (Othellolagkage)Denmark-#120
Five layered cakes, sides wrapped in almond marzipan, are very popular in Denmark, so I've been told. The Othellolagkage is the "creme de la creme" of layered cakes, a Danish classic. It's served on special occasions but it can be quite expensive if bought. I totally understand why. I chose to make my own version of this cake. I made several modifications, either I didn't have the ingredients or I just didn't want to do that much work. (I'm getting a bit lazy making these cakes; after all it is #120.) I'll include pics of what it should look like and my version, so if you go to Denmark you'll recognize it.
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A beautiful version of the Othello Cake. Not mine. |
Sponge Cake (make day 1)
1-1/4 c. all purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Macarons (still day 1)
1-3/4 ground almond flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg white
Vanilla mousse (day 1, hang in there)
1 vanilla pod (it calls for Madagascar pod but who can afford that)
2 eggs
2 T. corn starch
1-1/4 cup whole milk
4 T. sugar
2 c. full cream
1-1/2 T. gelatin powder
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My version. |
Icing (day 2, good morning)
3 oz. dark chocolate
5-1/2 oz. confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp. water, or more if needed
Assembly (day 2, almost done)
1/2 c. port wine (I didn't use in recipe. I drank it because at this point i needed it.)
2 c. heavy cream (Should have knocked this back too.)
Here we go:
1. Sponge Cake: Line the bottom of 3-8" cake pans with parchment paper. (I only did 2-8" round pans and decreased the whole recipe for 2 cakes. The recipe calls for 3 cakes, however, it says it the 3rd or throw it away. WWHHAAATTT???!!!). Preheat oven 450F.
2. Whisk together eggs and sugar until it turns into a fluffy mixture with a light yellow color.
3. Then sift in the flour and baking powder and stir only until the ingredients are mixed together. You want the sponge cake to be light and fluffy, so don’t stir too much, because that takes the air out of the
mixture.
4. Divide the cake mixture into the three baking pans. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes 450F. Cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not do any longer because the cake will stick to the pan. Store in airtight container.
5. Macarons: Preheat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I used an 8” cake pan.
6. Chop almonds in a food processor until it is a fine almond flour.
7. Add the sugar and the egg white and keep blending until the dough is smooth.
(I didn’t do any of the next part. Instead, I lined the bottom of an 8 inch pan with parchment paper and spread the dough on the bottom of the pan. However, I will give you the directions that were in the recipe.)
8. Fill the dough into a piping bag and make 30 little tops of dough on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Make sure that they are not too close together so they can grow 3 to 4 times there size when they bake.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden on top in the middle of the oven. Once called the macaroons can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
10. Vanilla Mousse: Mix the seeds from a vanilla pod with the sugar and the cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Add 1/4 of the milk and whisk the mixture together.
11. Pour the rest of the milk into the mixture together with the eggs and the empty vanilla pod. Whisk hard and heat gently until boiling point. Keep whisking thoroughly till it thickens and becomes a custard.
12. Remove the vanilla pod and pour the vanilla custard into a bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film directly on top of the custard so that no condensation can form, and leave the bowl in the fridge for at least three hours. Once the custard is called whisk it smooth.
13. ( I didn’t do this ). Soak the gelatin in water for five minutes to bloom. If you use sheets of gelatin the amount of water is not important but if you use gelatin powder you should use no more than 4 1/2 tablespoons of water.
14. (I didn’t do this either) The gelatin needs to be gently heated in a bain marie. (AKA a warm water bath) If you use gelatin powder just heat the mixture as it is. But if you use gelatin sheets, only heat the gelatin and discard the rest of the soaking water. Once the gelatin turns into a smooth liquid, mix it with a 1/2 a cup of the custard. Now the gelatin\custard goes into the rest of the custard. Make sure that you whisk it well with an electric mixer when it goes in, so that no gelatin lumps form.
15. In another bowl whip the cream till its stiff. Carefully fold the whip cream into the custard. You want as much air in the mousse as possible. (Damn, I totally forgot to do this.)
16. Assembly: Place a cake ring (8 inch diameter) and whatever serving tray you wish to serve the cake on. Line the inside of the cake ring with a cake collar. Place one of the sponge cake layers in the bottom of the cake ring with the top side down.
17. (I didn't do this or the port wine.) Mash up the macaroons into smaller pieces with your hands, and soak the pieces in the port. Then distribute the macaroons on the spongy bottom layer, and make sure to pour on any leftover pork that hasn’t been soaked up as well.
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5 undiscernible layers |
mixture.
4. Divide the cake mixture into the three baking pans. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes 450F. Cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not do any longer because the cake will stick to the pan. Store in airtight container.
5. Macarons: Preheat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I used an 8” cake pan.
6. Chop almonds in a food processor until it is a fine almond flour.
7. Add the sugar and the egg white and keep blending until the dough is smooth.
(I didn’t do any of the next part. Instead, I lined the bottom of an 8 inch pan with parchment paper and spread the dough on the bottom of the pan. However, I will give you the directions that were in the recipe.)
8. Fill the dough into a piping bag and make 30 little tops of dough on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Make sure that they are not too close together so they can grow 3 to 4 times there size when they bake.
9. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden on top in the middle of the oven. Once called the macaroons can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
10. Vanilla Mousse: Mix the seeds from a vanilla pod with the sugar and the cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Add 1/4 of the milk and whisk the mixture together.
11. Pour the rest of the milk into the mixture together with the eggs and the empty vanilla pod. Whisk hard and heat gently until boiling point. Keep whisking thoroughly till it thickens and becomes a custard.
12. Remove the vanilla pod and pour the vanilla custard into a bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film directly on top of the custard so that no condensation can form, and leave the bowl in the fridge for at least three hours. Once the custard is called whisk it smooth.
13. ( I didn’t do this ). Soak the gelatin in water for five minutes to bloom. If you use sheets of gelatin the amount of water is not important but if you use gelatin powder you should use no more than 4 1/2 tablespoons of water.
14. (I didn’t do this either) The gelatin needs to be gently heated in a bain marie. (AKA a warm water bath) If you use gelatin powder just heat the mixture as it is. But if you use gelatin sheets, only heat the gelatin and discard the rest of the soaking water. Once the gelatin turns into a smooth liquid, mix it with a 1/2 a cup of the custard. Now the gelatin\custard goes into the rest of the custard. Make sure that you whisk it well with an electric mixer when it goes in, so that no gelatin lumps form.
15. In another bowl whip the cream till its stiff. Carefully fold the whip cream into the custard. You want as much air in the mousse as possible. (Damn, I totally forgot to do this.)
16. Assembly: Place a cake ring (8 inch diameter) and whatever serving tray you wish to serve the cake on. Line the inside of the cake ring with a cake collar. Place one of the sponge cake layers in the bottom of the cake ring with the top side down.
17. (I didn't do this or the port wine.) Mash up the macaroons into smaller pieces with your hands, and soak the pieces in the port. Then distribute the macaroons on the spongy bottom layer, and make sure to pour on any leftover pork that hasn’t been soaked up as well.
18. (I actually put a layer of raspberry preserves on top of the macaroon and then spread the mousse on top of that. I did not pipe the mousse.) Put the vanilla mousse in a piping bag and pipe it out in the thick even layer on top of the macaroon layer. Then the final sponge layer goes on, with the golden side up and the spongy one down. Put a bit of pressure on the sponge layer, when you put it on to make sure the sponge connects to the mousse and evens it out completely. You are on a smooth surface to put the icing on.
19. Refrigerate for at least five hours or preferably overnight. It gets better when left longer in the refrigerator.
20. Icing: Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Stir together icing sugar and water into a thick white icing. With the white icing a little in a small sauce pan and then add the melted chocolate. You can add more water if needed. The icing should not be runny, but still soft enough so you can spread it on top of the cake.
21. Once the cake has set, remove the cake ring and color. Spread the icing on in an even layer on top of the cake. Make sure to get the icing all the way out to the side of the sponge layer.
22. Whip the heavy cream for decorating till it’s quite stiff and put it in a piping bag. If you like, you can put a star piping tip in the bag before you put the whip cream in it, but it is not a must. Pipe out the whipped cream in vertical stripes all the way around the side of the cake. The stripes should be a little higher than the actual cake, so that any part of the side on top of the cake that is not covered with icing is covered with whip cream.
23. Take a nap then—-Enjoy!
19. Refrigerate for at least five hours or preferably overnight. It gets better when left longer in the refrigerator.
20. Icing: Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Stir together icing sugar and water into a thick white icing. With the white icing a little in a small sauce pan and then add the melted chocolate. You can add more water if needed. The icing should not be runny, but still soft enough so you can spread it on top of the cake.
21. Once the cake has set, remove the cake ring and color. Spread the icing on in an even layer on top of the cake. Make sure to get the icing all the way out to the side of the sponge layer.
22. Whip the heavy cream for decorating till it’s quite stiff and put it in a piping bag. If you like, you can put a star piping tip in the bag before you put the whip cream in it, but it is not a must. Pipe out the whipped cream in vertical stripes all the way around the side of the cake. The stripes should be a little higher than the actual cake, so that any part of the side on top of the cake that is not covered with icing is covered with whip cream.
23. Take a nap then—-Enjoy!
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