How to Make Swedish Princess Cake (Prinsesstårta)

This Swedish layer cake is vibrant and indulgent — bright green marzipan encases layers of sponge filled with vanilla custard, raspberry jam, and a cloud of whipped cream, finished with a fondant rose and chocolate swirl. It’s a showstopper for special occasions and can be mostly prepared in advance.

Equipment and preparation: for this recipe you will need a piping bag with a 1cm/½in plain nozzle and a medium star nozzle, a 23cm/9in springform tin and a sugar thermometer.

Mary Berry recipes
From The Great British Bake Off

Ingredients

For the vanilla custard

• 600ml/20fl oz milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
• 6 free-range egg yolks
• 100g/3½oz caster sugar
• 50g/1¾oz cornflour
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter

For the jam

• 200g/7oz raspberries
• 175g/6oz sugar (for jam)

For the sponge

• 4 large free-range eggs
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar
• 75g/2½oz cornflour
• 75g/2½oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g/1¾oz butter, melted

For the fondant rose

• 25g/1oz pink ready-to-roll icing
• Icing sugar, for dusting

To decorate

• 750ml/1⅓ pints double cream
• 50g/1¾oz dark chocolate (around 36% cocoa solids), melted

For the marzipan

• 400g/14oz ground almonds
• 150g/5½oz caster sugar
• 250g/9oz icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 2 medium free-range eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Green food colouring paste (avoid liquid colouring)

Method

1. Make the vanilla custard: pour the milk into a pan with the vanilla seeds and pod and warm gently until it just begins to simmer. Remove from the heat.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornflour until pale and creamy.

3. Discard the vanilla pod (reserve it for vanilla sugar if you wish). Stir the warm milk slowly into the egg mixture, then return everything to the pan and cook over low heat for 4–5 minutes, whisking constantly, until very thick.

4. Remove from the heat, beat in the butter until incorporated, then transfer to a bowl. Cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming and chill in the fridge to cool completely.

5. Make the jam: place the raspberries, sugar and two tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Cook gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil and simmer vigorously for about four minutes or until the mixture reaches 104°C/219°F on a sugar thermometer. Set aside to cool completely in a heatproof bowl.

6. For the sponge, preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 23cm/9in springform tin with baking parchment.

7. Beat the eggs and caster sugar together with an electric mixer until very pale and thick and the whisk leaves a trail on the surface — about five minutes.

8. Sift the cornflour, plain flour and baking powder over the whipped egg mixture and fold in gently with a large metal spoon. Fold in the melted butter carefully, without over-mixing.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and beginning to shrink from the sides. Cool in the tin briefly, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

10. Make the fondant rose: roll 10 small pieces of fondant into balls the size of a cherry stone. Dust two pieces of greaseproof paper with icing sugar and flatten each ball between the sheets to about 2cm/1in circles to form petals.

11. Roll the first petal into a small bud and wrap the remaining petals around it to form a rose. Shape and curl the petal edges for a natural look, then leave to dry for at least an hour.

12. Assemble the cake: using a serrated knife, slice the cooled sponge horizontally into three even layers. Place the first layer on a serving plate and spread a very thin layer of chilled custard over the base.

13. Pipe a custard border using a small plain nozzle to contain the jam. Spoon a quarter of the cooled jam into the border and spread evenly.

14. Whip 600ml of the double cream to firm peaks. Fold half of the whipped cream into the remaining custard to make a custard cream, then spread one-third of it over the jam layer.

15. Place the second sponge on top and spread it with the remaining custard cream. Top with the third sponge and cover the whole cake with the remaining whipped cream, smoothing into a small dome. Chill in the fridge for an hour to set.

16. Make the marzipan: combine ground almonds, caster sugar and icing sugar in a mixer fitted with a dough hook, then add the beaten eggs and almond extract. Knead until a stiff dough forms. Turn onto a surface dusted with icing sugar, add a tiny amount of green colouring with a cocktail stick and knead to an even pastel green.

17. Roll the marzipan to a 40cm/16in circle, large enough to cover the chilled cake. Lift the marzipan over the cake and smooth it down the sides with your hands for a neat finish, trimming any excess.

18. Whip the remaining 150ml cream to medium peaks, spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle and pipe a border around the base of the cake.

19. Pour the melted chocolate into a small paper piping bag, snip off the tip and pipe a decorative swirl on top of the cake. Finish with the fondant rose.

Recipe Tips

The custard, jam, fondant roses and marzipan can all be made a day ahead, which makes assembly easier on the day you serve. Using good-quality shop-bought jam or ready-made marzipan is an acceptable shortcut if you prefer.