Danish Interview Plus a Recipe!

I have a neighbor that is a foreign exchange student. She came here over the past summer and is staying with our good friends. I've gotten to know her over the months and thought it would be neat to do an interview with her to find out more. Oh and her name is Clara.... and she's from Denmark.

This is Clara

Interview:


ME: What desserts do you eat in Denmark?

CLARA: We have a variety of different desserts in Denmark, many that you eat in America. This includes the well known Danish pastry, and black licorice. A dessert that is not as well known in America is layer cakes, or Lagkage. The layer cakes are made for birthdays, and usually chocolate. Then, in between the layers we put whipped cream and strawberries. Then, we top it off with icing, made of powdered sugar and water.

ME: What are foods that are new to you, and what did you think of them?

CLARA: I have tried many different new foods, such as fried chicken! I didn't like it and don't know how Americans eat it! I have also tried peanut butter which I also didn't like, and Root Beer, and didn't like that either. Something I have tried in Denmark, but tastes very different here is pizza. In America pizza is very doughy, and fatty. In Denmark, the pizza is crispy and has a thin crust.

ME: Which pizza do you like better?

CLARA: Danish for sure!

ME: What do you usually eat for dinner in Denmark?

CLARA: For dinner we usually eat sushi, fish, Indian take-out, or chicken. We also buy all of our ingredients at the local market that day.

ME: What do you usually eat for a snack:

CLARA: In Denmark, we snack waaay less than Americans. I usually have a snack in between lunch and dinner. My normal snacks are an English muffin with jam topped with a thin chocolate called paalaegschokolade. In Denmark our bread is also very different than America's. Danish bread is not as spongy as American and Danish bread is also alot darker.

 

ME:What do you eat at school for lunch?

 

CLARA: For lunch I eat a sandwich on rye bread with grilled chicken. Sometimes I go to the market during my lunch break and buy something from the market. I also stop at the bakery sometimes to get a dessert.

 

This is the bakery Clara goes to sometimes...

I learned alot about Clara and Denmark from our interview, and I hope you did too! Also, thank you Clara, for your time!

 

 

 

Now for the recipe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I made a chocolate cake, with raspberry filling, and Danish style icing! Usually Danish cakes have more layers, but this time I stuck with two.

 

Mmmmm...

 

 

 

Ingredients:

 

Cake-

2C gf all purpose flour

 3/4 C dutch process cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp.  baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 C packed light brown sugar

3/4 tsp. guar gum

1/2 C butter or shortening

2 T milk (reg, flax, rice, soy, almond, etc)

1 tsp. vinegar

2 extra large eggs, beaten

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 warm water

 

Raspberry Sauce-

 

1/2 bag frozen raspberries

1/8 - 1/4 C sugar

1 tbs. cornstarch

 

Danish Style Icing-

 

2 C powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tsp. milk (reg, flax, rice, soy, almond, etc.)

 

Instructions:

 

1. Preheat your oven to 325. Grease two round cake pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and brown sugar, and whisk well to get rid of any lumps. Add the butter/ shortening, milk, vinegar, eggs,  and vanilla. Mix to combine. Slowly add the water until batter is thickly pourable.
3. Fill the pans about half way with batter. Shake from side to side to evenly distribute the batter, plus this makes the cake smoother.
4. Place in the preheated oven and bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 22-28 min. The cake should be spongy, and springy--not dense. Make sure not to over bake.
5. Mean while, make the raspberry sauce. Place raspberries, sugar, and cornstarch on the stove on medium heat. Mix constantly until mixture starts to come together- about 5 minutes. Once the mixture has began to thicken, remove from heat and pan. Store in fridge.
6. Now it's time to make the icing! Mix all the icing ingredients together adding more milk if necessary. This is optional, but I added 1 tbs. of the raspberry preserves to the icing. This adds a slight raspberry taste, and a beautiful pink color!
7. Once the cake comes out, allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then, flip onto a wire rack and allow to cool for an additional 5 minutes. Then, spread the raspberry sauce on one of the cakes. This next step is a two person job: flip the second cake on a plate or parchment paper, and with the assistance of someone else, each take a side of the cake and place on top of cake with raspberry sauce. Ta- da! Now, it's time to ice!
8. With an angled spatula, frost the top layer of the cake. Because the frosting/ icing is very thin, it may run down the sides, so be prepared and place a paper towel under the rack!
9. Now, pat yourself on the back, you just made a Danish cake!! Congrats, and enjoy:)

Notes: Xanthan gum can be substitute for guar gum. Oh and this is the best cake recipe that I have ever had...just saying:)

Source: adapted from Gluten Free on a Shoestring, and Annie's Eats who adapted it from Smitten Kitchen



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