Name: Danish Dream Cake
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Yield: Serves 10–12
Ingredients: 3 eggs; 1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar; 1⁄2 tsp. vanilla sugar (see note at top); 1¾ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour or cake flour; 2 tsp. baking powder; 2⁄3 cup (150 ml) whole milk; 3⁄4 stick (75 g) butter, melted; 1 stick (100 g) butter; 1½ cups (150 g) dried shredded coconut; 1¼ cups (250 g) dark brown sugar; 1⁄3 cup (75 ml) whole milk; Pinch salt

Yellow cake with shredded coconut topping Danish Dream Cake on a cake stand.

Photo by Peter Cassidy

This Danish Dream Cake (or ‘Drømmekage fra Brovst’) originates from Brovst, a village in Jutland. In 1965 a young girl baked her grandmother’s secret family recipe in a competition and won, and the cake has been a favorite of Danes ever since. No wonder: This cake is remarkably light and fluffy, with a delicious coconut topping.

You can buy vanilla sugar in Scandinavian food shops, but it’s also easy to make at home. Add 1 cup powdered sugar to a small food processor with a dried-out vanilla bean. Pulse until completely pulverized, then sift out any large pieces of the vanilla bean.

Recipe information

Total Time
1 hour and 5 minutes
Yield
Serves 10–12

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup (225 g) granulated sugar

1⁄2 tsp. vanilla sugar (see note at top)

1¾ cups (225 g) all-purpose flour or cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2⁄3 cup (150 ml) whole milk

3⁄4 stick (75 g) butter, melted

For the topping

1 stick (100 g) butter

1½ cups (150 g) dried shredded coconut

1¼ cups (250 g) dark brown sugar

1⁄3 cup (75 ml) whole milk

Pinch salt

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Prepare a 9-inch springform or round cake pan, greased and lined with baking parchment.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla sugar on a high speed for a few minutes, until white and light. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together.
Step 3
Carefully fold the flour into the egg mixture. Mix the milk with the melted butter in a jug/pitcher and carefully pour into the batter, folding it in until incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Step 4
Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until almost done (try not to open the oven door for the first 20 minutes of the total baking time).
Step 5
To make the topping, put all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently melt together.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the topping all over the cake. Return to the oven. Turn up the heat to 400°F and bake for a further 5 minutes.
Step 7
Leave cake to cool before eating, if you can (we are well aware it’s hard to do that).

From ScandiKitchen by Brontë Aurell. Photography by Peter Cassidy © Ryland Peters & Small 2015. Buy the full book from Ryland Peters & Small or Amazon.

TagsCake Dessert Danish Scandinavian European Cake Flour Flour Coconut Fruit Brunch Nut Free Vegetarian Easy Baking Stand Mixer Cookbooks

Recipe notes

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