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So this is it. The end of our Secret Recipe Club parties. Yes, sadly, this is the final month for Secret Recipe Club. And I baked a cake as a farewell gift to one of my favorite monthly rituals, season after season.
Friends have asked me why I participate in blogging groups. After all, I do this quite a bit.
Here’s my answer. Food blogging is mostly a solitary gig. We bloggers create recipes, test them in our kitchens, photograph them and re-photograph them ad nauseam, write posts, and get it all formatted and inputted into our blog page. Then comes all the obligatory social media to help people to find our posts. Much of this is done from our homes, and with very few exceptions, completely on our own. We’re a one-(wo)man-show. Hear us roar.
Group blogging events pull us together, if only virtually, to share challenges. It’s a lot of fun to see what others do with the same challenge (like how to make a meal in less than 30 minutes with only 3 ingredients, or to create a unique and memorable three-course meal featuring stone fruit). We have our own group Facebook pages where we share frustrations and joy with equal abandon. When someone asks for help (My code doesn’t work this month for inlinkz, can someone help me?), two or three people, and often more, come to the rescue. Many of us are in several groups together and become familiar faces in the crowd. When it comes to food blogging, there is a HUGE crowd. Several of us have met up for lunch when we visit each other’s towns, and real, non-virtual friendships have sprouted.
But this post is about much more than that. It's also about the fantastic blog I was assigned to this month - Sid of Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking. Sid is one of the bloggers I hope very much to meet some day. She's a Dane who loves spicy food, always has cardamom on hand, enjoys having friends over to dinner (especially for Taco Night!), and gets together with the Boat Club every month for cards, board games, and visiting. Her personality bursts from the pages, and she shares a lot of Danish food from her childhood - along with a fair share of Mexican food. I wanted to honor her Danish heritage and make something dessert-y for this final Secret Recipe Club post. I almost made her Fransk Vafler (French Waffles) - and I still plan to, and I love Boston Cream Pie, so I really want to make this recipe from her blog too - yes, I know this isn't Danish, but all's fair in love and dessert. But I settled on Lagkage (Danish Layer Cake). I'm so glad I did. Please go check out Sid's wonderful blog. You'll be so glad you did too 🙂
In Denmark it's common to celebrate with a specific type of cake for your birthday, called simply ‘lagkage’ – layer cake. The cake layers are made of sponge cake (think genoise) with fillings in between, usually some combination of whipped cream, apricots, berries, or pastry cream/custard. Kind of like a Danish version of a Princess Cake.
There's no butter nor milk in this (and many versions) making this an unusually light cake. It bears mentioning some include some butter and/or milk, but many do not. Like a traditional genoise, this cake benefits from being wrapped in plastic and left on the counter overnight before assembling, otherwise you might find it a little dry. If you can't do that, at least bake it in the morning, wrap in plastic, and leave on the counter for several hours before assembling for a dinner party. You'll thank me. It's also wonderful with a basting of flavored simple syrup (a syrup that's 50% sugar, 50% water). And you'll thank me for sharing this fantastic cake with you. And now I'm hungry for another piece.
For another cake that's perfect in spring and summer, try this high altitude angel food cake.
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Lagkage (Danish Layer Cake)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 cup sugar extra fine granulated
- 3 eggs
- Grated zest from ½ lemon
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup potato starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 1 pint your favorite custard or pastry cream
- ¼ cup apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons raspberry jam
Topping
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Grated zest of ½ lemon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F, and prepare three 6" cake pans by buttering their bottoms and lining with parchment paper.
- Combine the sugar, eggs, and lemon zest together in the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, until the sugar is dissolved into the eggs. Continue to mix on medium-high for a few minutes until it lightens in color, and thickens.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, potato starch, baking powder, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the eggs and sugar one-third at a time, making sure it's well mixed before adding the next third.
- You should have about 3 cups of batter. Divide the batter between the three prepared cake pans, and bake until lightly browned, about 12-13 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the inside of each cake pan, and flip the cake layers out onto a wire rack to cool. Leave the parchment paper on the layers. Cool, wrap in plastic, and leave on the counter overnight, or at least for several hours.
- Make the custard / pastry cream, and warm the jams for easy spreading.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, and continue to whip to medium-firm.
- Remove the parchment paper from the cake layers, and spread custard / pastry cream on the tops of two of the layers. Lightly spread the apricot jam on one of the two custard topped layers, and on the layer without custard. Lightly spread the raspberry jam on the other custard topped layer. Gently stack the cake layers, ending with the cake layer without any custard.
- Gently scrape any excess custard and jam dripping between the layers. Top the cake with whipped cream, and using a rubber spatula apply a very thin coating of whipped cream to the sides.
Rosemary Mark
This looks like a cake I'd love! Beautifully photographed Susan.
So,are you leaving the recipe club or is it closing down?
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I've re-written it to make it more clear. My husband had the same comment to me just now. For a variety of reasons, the Club is closing down. The cake is really lovely.
Karen
You captured it all Susan! What a wonderful post. I read every word and smiled all of the way through. Thank you so much for hosting Group A. So happy to have "met" you and hope to meet you IRL some day too. AND, your cake from Sid's recipe is totally gorgeous. xoxo.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much Karen. I hope very much that our paths cross IRL too. Seems like it should happen since we're both in CA! I've totally enjoyed hosting this group - I'm so happy you were part of it 🙂 And yes, Sid's cake is so, so good!! I'm already making plans in my head for the next time I make it 🙂
Emily @ Life on Food
What a beautiful cake! It sounds amazing. Sad to see SRC end but it was such a good run. I had you for my last posting. I have been eyeing your delicious veggies dishes for quite some time. Happy Reveal Day!
Karen
A FAB cake for the last SRC ever - it's been great but I am so sad it is over.....let's keep in touch! Karen
Sid
Thanks for the kind comments. I love this cake and make it for special occasions, like my birthday. Your cake looks fabulous, btw. I'm so sorry about SRC going away, but am so grateful for all the wonderful people I've met here.
SallyBR
You've been a fantastic hostess, and I think your post captured the essence of blogging and group events. Hear us roar... indeed!
I will miss SRC terribly, but connections were made and will not be "un-made'
you picked a fantastic recipe, you know I am always in awe of cake bakers, as to me it is the toughest thing to do in the kitchen.
Anna
Oh, that cake! My mouth is watering. Those fillings look heavenly.
Thanks for all you've done for SRC and our group. We're all gonna miss it!
Traci
Oh my goodness you are going out with an (ambitious) bang! This cake looks like it takes so much work but looks soooo good!! Great pick this (last) month!
Bakingfanatic
A great cake and a wonderful pick for the final SRC. Stunning photography as always x
cheri
Hi Susan, oh I bet you are a little sad about the ending of this wonderful group, lovely recipe to end with.
Stephanie
This cake looks so beautiful, simple and low maintenance. It seems like the perfect way to end your time with SRC.
Elizabeth
YUM! this looks heavenly
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
That looks like a semi-nakie cake to me! I'm all for it. And can the topping get any higher? May I say it was been a pleasure being in SRC with you, and I will miss our monthly meet-ups. I know I will see you around on the interwebs, though,. Take good care!
Jakob Boman
I'm from Denmark and I tried it yesterday.
It was very good; thus approved 🙂
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Yay!!!! Thanks so much Jakob for letting me know! So happy you enjoyed it!
Dina
This cake sounds lovely. Where would I find potatoe starch. Is it like corn starch? Thank you for the help. Love your blog.
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much for your question! I find it in my baking section. Both potato and corn starch are thickeners. Corn starch is often used in sauces and gravies, and thicken at a higher temperature. Potato starch, which thickens at a lower temperature, is more common in custards, pie fillings, etc. Potato starch is thought to be more neutral in flavor, and produces more consistent results. If you choose to substitute, you should be able to do a one-for-one substitution, but I recommend finding the potato starch if you can. Hope this helps!