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Æblekage

By Groceree

Also known as Danish Apple Cake · Danish Apple Trifle

Gammeldags æblekage, Denmark's old-fashioned apple cake, is not baked at all: chunky vanilla apple compote is layered cold in a glass bowl with breadcrumbs toasted crisp in butter and sugar, and with softly whipped cream. Dots of redcurrant jelly on top add a sharp finish to the sweet, crunchy and creamy layers.

Last updated

A glass bowl of Danish apple cake showing layers of golden toasted crumbs, pale apple compote and whipped cream, topped with more cream and dots of red jelly.
Servings
6 servings
Prep
20 min
Cook
25 min
Total
2 h 15 min

Ingredients

Compote

  • apples1 kg
  • caster sugar80 g
  • vanilla pod1
  • water100 ml

Crumbs

  • butter60 g
  • dried breadcrumbs150 g
  • caster sugar50 g

Assembly

  • double cream300 ml
  • redcurrant jelly3 tbsp

Instructions

Compote

  1. 01

    Peel, quarter and core the and cut them into rough 2 cm pieces. Tart such as Boskoop or Bramley give the right sharpness.

  2. 02

    Split the lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Put the , the , the 100 ml of , the seeds and the in a wide saucepan, cover and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.

  3. 03

    Cook gently, still covered, for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the are soft and some have collapsed. Uncover and cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, stirring, until thick, with some pieces still whole.

  4. 04

    Lift out the . Spread the in a shallow dish, leave it to cool for 30 minutes, then chill for at least 1 hour, until completely cold.

Crumbs

  1. 05

    Melt the in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the and toast them for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring all the time, until they start to colour.

  2. 06

    Sprinkle in the and keep stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the are deep golden and crisp and the has melted.

  3. 07

    Tip the straight onto a large plate and spread them out, since the hot pan would keep browning them. They crisp up further as they cool.

Assembly

  1. 08

    Whip the to soft peaks. Stop as soon as it holds its shape, because turns grainy quickly.

  2. 09

    Spread a third of the over the bottom of a 2 litre glass bowl, or divide them between 6 glasses. Spoon over half the , then spread about a third of the on top in a thin layer.

  3. 10

    Add another third of the , then the rest of the , and finish with the last of the .

  4. 11

    Spread or pipe the rest of the over the top and dot it with the .

  5. 12

    Serve straight away, while the still crunch. Chilled for a few hours, they soften into a cake-like layer, which many Danes prefer.

Notes

  • Cook the compote until thick and let it get completely cold. Warm or runny compote melts the cream and turns the crumbs to mush.
  • Stir the crumbs constantly and tip them out of the pan as soon as they are golden. The sugar catches quickly, and burnt crumbs taste bitter.
  • Crushed almond macaroons can replace a third of the breadcrumbs for a nuttier crunch, and raspberry jam can stand in for the redcurrant jelly. Both are common in Danish homes.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
580 kcal
Protein
5 g
Carbs
66 g
Fat
34 g

Estimated from the ingredients.

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