World’s Biggest Coffee Morning: Drømme kage by The Danish Bakery

Drømme kage, or Dream Cake, is one of Denmark’s most famous cakes. It originates from the small Danish town of Hjallerup where, in 1960, a woman named Jyette Andersen won a baking contest held by a large food company, with her grandmother’s ‘dream cake’ recipe.

The cake is soft and spongy with vanilla tones, while the topping is a soft, thick caramel and coconut combination.

This recipe has been shared with Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales by , who runs Brød, The Danish Bakery, which borders the trendy Cardiff suburbs of Canton and Pontcanna.

The granddaughter of a baker, Betina moved to Wales from Denmark in 1998. Although she very quickly felt at home here, she missed the Danish bread and pastries, so much so that she set up the bakery last year.

At the heart of Brød (which means bread) is the concept of ‘hygge’ (pronounced hoo-ga), a word which has no direct English equivalent, but which is epitomised by the feeling of getting together in a warm and cosy atmosphere with family or friends, with traditional Danish baking and good coffee and tea.

This recipe would be a great and unusual addition to any World’s Biggest Coffee Morning. You can find out more about how to host your own, or events taking place in your area, by visiting the coffee morning website.

This recipe is one of six cake recipes being shared with us by some of Wales’s top chefs and bakers. You can see the other recipes here.

Ingredients

For the dough

250g plain flour

50g butter

200g caster sugar

100g grated marzipan*

4 eggs

150ml milk

2½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla sugar

For the topping

100g desiccated coconut

150g butter

50ml milk

260g brown sugar

You will also need a 26cm round baking tin, greased and lined

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
2. Mix the sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add one egg at a time while still mixing. Leave a bit of a gap between adding each egg and continue mixing until light and fluffy.
3. Melt the butter in a pan, along with the milk, and allow to cool before adding to the sugar/vanilla/egg mixture.
4. Add the baking powder to the flour and stir until combined. Turn carefully into the batter, and add the grated marzipan. Keep stirring until you have an even batter.
5. Pour into the baking tin and bake for 35-40 minutes.
6. In the meantime, make the coconut topping. Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil, and then simmer until it’s an even mass.
7. Add the topping to the cake and bake for another 5-10 minutes at 230C.
8. Leave in the tin until cooled.

* Brød imports Danish marzipan, which is made mostly with apricot kernels and apricots, but regular UK store-bought marzipan is fine.

Brød, The Danish Bakery Ltd, 126 Wyndham Crescent, Cardiff, CF11 9EG