Back to Business!

Hi everyone! It has been a few weeks since our last blog post. Sofie was on her honeymoon and then we had to catch up on developing some recipes so we took a little hiatus, but we’re back now! It’s hard to believe it’s already nearly April – time seems to just be flying by. We’re so excited that the weather is warming up because that means inspiration for plenty of spring and summer recipes that will soon be coming your way!

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What is today’s recipe?

Today’s recipe is slightly similar to our recipe for bedstefars skæg (Grandfather’s beard), which is one of our all-time favorite cakes. With a layer of fluffy vanilla sponge, tart raspberry jam, and crisp meringue on top, it is utterly delicious – you can find that recipe here. Our mormor (grandmother) actually inspired us to develop this recipe, as she happened to mention this cake while we were making bedstefars skæg for our family recently. We had actually never tried this recipe before and had never even tasted this cake before, but it has quickly climbed up our list of favorites, just like bedstefars skæg.

Herregårdskage

This cake is herregårdskage, or manor cake. We are unsure as to why it is called this – a Google search does not yield any explanation – but it is quite an old Danish recipe. What makes this cake so delicious and different from bedstefars skæg is the addition of coconut to the meringue topping and no jam on the cake at all. The sponge is super fluffy and the crunchy top is so sweet with an amazing coconut flavor. This cake is sure to be a hit, whether you make it as a treat for yourself or for others! Try it out and let us know in the comments what you think.

A slice of cake topped with meringue and coconut.

Herregårdskage (Manor Cake)

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This cake is unlike any other! The vanilla sponge is super fluffy and the crunchy meringue top is so sweet with an amazing coconut flavor. You can also add jam as a middle layer, which adds the perfect balance of tartness!

Servings servings

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1 5

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IMPORTANT NOTE:

We always bake using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and milliliters). We can’t promise that our cup measurements will be as accurate! Additionally, we bake and develop our recipes in a convection (fan) oven.

Ingredients

CAKE BATTER

3 large eggs (room temperature)
300 grams (1 1/2 cups) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
240 ml (1 cup) milk
57 grams (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
250 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

COCONUT MERINGUE

4 large egg whites
288 grams (a little under 1 1/2 cups) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
A splash of lemon juice
150 grams (1 cup) unsweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a cake pan (you can also line it with parchment paper if you want) – we used a rectangular one, but round 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.
Beat eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy and tripled in volume, either in a stand mixer, with a hand mixer, or by hand with a whisk. Add the vanilla extract in right before the eggs and sugar have tripled in volume, just so it’s evenly combined.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
Now you are going to add your cooled butter/milk mixture and flour mixture into the fluffy egg/sugar mixture. Alternate between adding the two mixtures in two separate stages, making sure to sift the dry mixture in and fold gently with a rubber spatula, so as not to deflate the eggs. You can also use the paddle attachment on the stand mixer on low speed. So: sift in 1/2 of the dry mixture, fold together, add 1/2 of the butter/milk, fold, sift in 1/2 of the dry, fold, then add 1/2 of the butter/milk. Finally, fold everything together a few times at the end, until combined. You should have a smooth cake batter.
Pour into the pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a cake tester comes out almost completely clean. (note: make sure to continue the recipe as it is baking so you can add the meringue to the top immediately!)
You’re going to add your topping and bake for a bit longer, so you don’t want the cake to be completely done at this stage. Of course, you also don’t want it to be liquid, so just check it with a cake tester, skewer, or knife – a little bit of batter should still stick onto the tester, but not much.
While the cake bakes, make your meringue. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and splash of lemon juice. Start whipping until the egg whites look frothy.
Add in the vanilla extract. Slowly add the sugar one tablespoon at a time while the mixer is running. If you add it too quickly, the sugar will not dissolve and it will end up grainy!
Once all the sugar has been added, keep whisking until it has reached stiff peaks – this can take a little while!
Once the meringue is ready, add in the coconut and mix to combine.
When the cake has baked for around 20 minutes, carefully spoon the meringue over the cake and spread it out to cover the whole cake. Do not dump the meringue in one spot or you risk collapsing the cake!
Put it back into the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes (the meringue will darken a little bit on the top – the goal is to have a meringue that doesn’t deflate!)
Let your cake cool, slice, and enjoy!