Active Time

　　30 minutes

　　Total Time

　　1 hour and 50 minutes

　　Sandkage is easy to make, and is always part of a ‘cake table’, as it is the one cake everyone can agree on. It’s also the cake I baked most as a child, as it can’t really go wrong. The almonds keep it wonderfully moist, so it is great for a day or so after baking as well, especially to dunk in coffee. This basic sandkage recipe can be adapted to make many different flavors, by adding finely grated unwaxed or organic citrus zest, dried fruits, or cocoa powder.

　　This recipe was excerpted from ‘Scandinavian Baking’ by Trine Hahnemann. Buy the full book on Amazon.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 8

　　

For the cake

1 1⁄8 cups (250g) butter, plus more for the tin

　　2 cups (200g) skin-on almonds

　　1¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar

　　4 eggs

　　1¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour 1¼

　　2 tsp. baking powder

　　7 Tbsp. (100ml) whole milk

　　

For the icing

6 Tbsp. rose jelly

　　1⅔ cups (200g) powdered sugar

　　Pink food coloring (optional)

　　Unsprayed rose petals

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 6 1⁄2 cup loaf tin and line the base with baking parchment. Blitz the whole almonds, with their skins, in a food processor until they are ground. You will get far superior results with freshly ground almonds, so do take the trouble and don’t skip this step!

　　

Step 2

Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and baking powder and mix them into the ground almonds. Fold into the butter mixture with a spatula, adding enough of the milk to reach a dropping consistency. Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake for one hour in the hot oven. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a wire rack. Leave until cold.

　　

Step 3

Place the rose jelly in a bowl, gradually add the icing sugar and mix until you have a smooth icing; the color will be a pale rose-pink. If you want a bright pink, add a tiny bit of food coloring. Now add the minutest splash of water, continuing to whisk, until the consistency is smooth and not too runny. Place the pound cake upside down on a serving dish—so the flat base is on top—and spread the icing over the cake. Decorate with the rose petals.

　　Recipes excerpted with permission from Scandinavian Baking by Trine Hahnemann published by Quadrille Publishing, April 2022. Buy the full book from Quadrille or Amazon.