This Cake is Truly a Dream
Drømmekage means “dream cake” in Danish, and there’s really no better way to describe this cake. Just imagine the fluffiest vanilla cake covered in a sticky, crispy caramel coconut topping…doesn’t that sound like a dream to you?
Originally invented by a family from a small town in Denmark, this cake became popular when the recipe was printed in the 1960s by Amo, a big company that sells flour and bread/cake mixtures. Now, the drømmekage is one of the most popular cakes in Denmark!
Tips & Tricks
It’s really easy to make, but despite its simplicity, it tastes amazing. The coconut topping gives the “dream cake” its characteristic taste, but honestly, the vanilla cake underneath is just as delicious. This is a great cake for sharing, so it’s perfect for a larger gathering, or to bring into work or school to share with friends.
As you follow our recipe, pay special attention to the mixing method. It looks complicated, but it’s really not! It’s just the best way to combine the ingredients into a smooth batter without deflating the eggs, which give the cake part of its rise. Also, make sure to take the cake out when it’s almost completely done, because it will bake a bit longer once you put the topping on, and the last thing you want is an overbaked, dry cake! If you make our recipe, be sure to leave a comment and a rating below! And tag us on Instagram if you post a picture, we love to see your recreations!
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Drømmekage (Coconut-Vanilla Dream Cake)
Ingredients
CAKE BATTER
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 300 grams sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 ml milk
- 57 grams unsalted butter
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
TOPPING
- 113 grams unsalted butter
- 200 grams brown sugar
- Splash of milk
- 200 grams coconut flakes, unsweetened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Butter a cake pan and add parchment paper if you would like to for easy removal – we used a rectangular pan (9×13 inches or about 23×33 cm), but a large round pan is fine too!
- Melt butter and milk together on the stove. Let the mixture cool a bit, until it's not burning hot but just a bit warm.
- Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
- Beat eggs and sugar together, either in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, with a hand mixer, or by hand with a whisk.
- The eggs and sugar should about double in volume and become light in color and a little bit thicker than liquid. When you life the whisk out of the mixture, the mixture that flows back into the bowl should sit on the surface for just a second before sinking back in – that's ribbon stage, and it should be ready for the next step!
- Add the vanilla extract to the eggs and sugar and mix together.
- Now you are going to add your cooled wet ingredients and dry ingredients into the fluffy egg mixture in batches. You can do this by hand or with a paddle/whisk attachment on your stand mixer. First, sift in half of the dry mixture and fold together gently or run the mixer for just 10-15 seconds on low.
- Then, add half of the wet mixture and fold together gently, or run the mixer for another 10-15 seconds on low. If you see dry ingredients stuck on the sides of the bowl, make sure to use a spatula to fold it in.
- Repeat the process of sifting in the rest of the dry ingredients, mix, then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix together, either by folding the ingredients together or running the mixer.
- Finally, fold everything together a few times at the end until you have a smooth cake batter, making sure nothing is stuck on the sides or the bottom of the stand mixer bowl.
- Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for an initial 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden and a cake tester comes out clean. The cake should be just baked, since it will go back in the oven for with the topping on it, and we don't want to overbake it! Continue with the steps for the topping below while the cake is baking!
- While the cake bakes, make your topping. Combine butter, brown sugar, and a splash of milk in a saucepan and place on the stove over medium heat.
- Once the mixture bubbles, give it 1-2 minutes, or until it looks like it has gotten a bit thicker, then remove from the heat.
- Add in the coconut flakes.
- Mix well, until the flakes are fully coated.
- Once the cake is ready, take it out of the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
- Pour/spoon the topping onto the cake – try to avoid pouring the topping into one spot on the cake as it could collapse the cake!
- Spread it evenly and bake the cake for just 5 more minutes. After baking, the topping should be lightly golden brown.
- Once it cools a bit, cut a slice and enjoy!
Should you use sweetened or unsweetened coconut flakes?
We used unsweetened!
I made this for my brother in law’s birthday. Everyone loved the cake. I used unsweetened coconut flakes. People were horrified to know 1 cup of brown sugar was used for the topping but everyone enjoyed the toasty coconut bits. We ate it with vanilla ice cream and I had a large slice with my coffee the next day.
Yay, so happy to hear that it went down well! This is such a classic cake, so I’m glad everyone liked it. Thanks for using our recipe and leaving such a lovely comment 😊
Loved it. And easy to make . Great instructions. Been missing this cake . We are danish , but lived in the US for 40 years . Met your brother last weekend in a coffee shop, and he told us about the blog . Will for sure be making other stuff from this .
Thank you for the lovely review! So happy to hear that you enjoyed it 🙂