Kvæfjordkake

Matprat’s Kvæfjordkake, also called Verdens beste, combines a cake base, crisp meringue and vanilla cream. The recipe connects the cake with Norway and 17 May celebrations, finishing the meringue with almond flakes.

Milk, eight egg yolks, sugar and maize starch are combined for the vanilla cream. A vanilla bean is scraped and both seeds and pod enter the pan with cut gelatin sheets; the mixture heats while stirring until thick, then cools and is beaten lightly before use.

For the cake, butter and a separate sugar portion are beaten until creamy, then four yolks are added one at a time. Sifted wheat flour, baking powder and vanilla sugar are incorporated alternately with the cake’s separate milk portion, and the batter is spread on baking paper in a tray.

Four egg whites are beaten with a little salt, then a third sugar portion is added gradually to make glossy meringue. It is spread over the cake batter, sprinkled with almond flakes, baked until golden and cooled on a rack.

Whipping cream is beaten stiff and folded into the cooled vanilla cream, with optional rum for flavour. The baked cake is cut into two halves, the filling is spread between them and the complete cake is kept cold until serving.