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This is a traditional and very popular Danish dessert or cake. In Danish, we call these cocoa balls Romkugler, which translated means Rum balls. However, they are also sometimes known as Truffle balls.
See also: Recipe for Danish Cinnamon Twist (Kanelstang)
The invention of Danish Rum Balls (Romkugler)
Rum balls were originally invented by the Danish bakers who had a returning problem at the end of each day when they were about to close the bakery for the day.
See also: Recipe for Nordic Blackberry cakes
Even though they did their best to make the right amount of bread, buns, Danish pastry and cakes so that all of it would be sold during the day; they always had leftovers which would not be fresh enough to be sold the day after.
The cunning bakers came up with a clever plan where they assembled all the Danish pastry and cakes, which were not sold during the day; they then mixed it all together with cocoa powder and some rum. The sticky dough was then rolled into balls, decorated with coconut flakes or chocolate sprinkle and then sold the next day for a low price. These are especially popular by the kids because of the price - a real win-win.
My favorite Danish Cake
I remember having had these rum balls many times during our childhood. However, I still enjoy going to a bakery to get some rum balls - it is actually one of my favorite cakes. Rum balls are easy to make where the homemade version is delicious and very close to the rum ball you can buy from the bakeries.
See also: How to make a Danish Hotdog
In this recipe for homemade rum balls, you would need some cake leftovers, raspberry jam, rum essence, cocoa powder and some coconut flakes for decoration. I always save my cake leftovers in the freezer and when I have enough, I thaw it and make rum balls.
I normally make large rum balls. However, you can also make many small balls, which maybe are more suitable as a snack.
Danish rum balls (Romkugler)
Ingredients
- 500 g cake leftovers (I used banana- and chocolate muffins)
- 3 tbsp raspberry jam
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 3 tsp rum essence/aroma (or 3 tbsp rum)
- coconut flakes (for decoration)
Instructions
- Pour all the cake leftovers in a food processor and run until they are all crumble.
- Add jam, rum essence and cocoa powder and run the food processor until the dough has a uniform consistency.
- Roll the dough into about eight rum balls.
- Roll the rum balls in coconut flakes or chocolate flakes.
- Leave the rum ball in the fridge until they are to be served.
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On this page, you can find the easy-to-make recipe for the traditional Danish Dagmar Tart (Dagmartaerte) or Danish Butter Cake (Smorkage) as it is also called. This old-fashioned and very traditional Danish cake is based on a delicious butter dough stuffed with smooth vanilla- and cinnamon cream. I have heard before that this cake looks like it is difficult to make. Luckily, that is not true. This cake is actually really easy to make.
So grab you apron and get started.
On this page, I will share the recipe and step-by-step picture guide. Continue reading and see how easy it is to make a homemade Danish Dagmar Tart.
Danish Dagmar Tart or Butter Cake
This traditional Danish cake actually has two different names depending on where in Denmark you are located. If you know Denmark or look at a map, you know that Denmark can be divided into three main parts - Jutland, Fyn and Zealand.
See also: Recipe for traditional Danish cinnamon twist
If you are located in Jutland and Fyn the name of this cake is typically called Dagmart Tart (Dagmar tærte) and if you are located on Zealand this cake is called Butter Cake (Smorkage).
Even though, Denmark only has a population the size of one of a bigger US city we still have several dialects and different names for the same things across the country. The name of this cake is a good example that even though Denmark is a small country, we are still a quite diverse country.
The three parts of a Dagmar Tart (Smorkage)
I normally divide the making of a traditional Danish Dagmar Tart in three main parts and a number of smaller sub-steps. The three main steps are making of tart crust, the cinnamon rolls on top and the stuffing in-between.
Once you learn how to make the three parts, the final assembly of the cake is easy.
In the following section, you can read much more about the steps on how to make this delicious cake. For your convenience, everything is also summarized in a printable recipe further down this page.
Read also: Traditional recipe for Danish birthday cake
Step 1: Butter Dough for Tart Crust and Cinnamon Rolls
You start by making the dough for the tart crust and the cinnamon buns. It is the same dough where 1/3 is used for the tart crust and 2/3 is used for the cinnamon buns. When the dough is assembled and set aside for rising, you continue preparing the vanilla cream and cinnamon cream.
In a large bowl, you add the lukewarm water and dissolve the fresh yeast. If you are using dry yeast then just add this together with the flour. In this recipe, you need 25 grams of fresh yeast, which is about the equal to 1/2 oz active dry yeast, and 1/4 oz instant yeast.
In the bowl, add all the ingredients for the dough and knead everything into a nice and smooth dough. Set it aside and let it rise for 45-60 minutes.
Step 2: Vanilla Cream for Dagmar Tart
I normally make a vanilla cream based on a powder mixture found in most grocery stores. However, you can also make a homemade version based on fresh vanilla beans, milk and sugar. You can find the recipe for the homemade vanilla cream here on my blog. Use the search field on the front page.
Step 3: Cinnamon Cream for Dagmar Tart
The cinnamon filling is super easy to make. You simply just pour the soft butter, cinnamon powder and brown sugar into a small bowl and mix it together. Easy, and done in two minutes.
Step 4: The Dagmar Tart Crust
After the dough has risen, take 1/3 of it and use it to make the tart crust. Use a rolling pin to flatten is out into a circle about 30 centimeter in diameter (11.5 inch).
Transfer the dough into a buttered spring form pan or similar tart pan with tall sides. The diameter of the spring form/tart dish should be about 26 centimeter (10 inch). Make sure that the dough covers the entire bottom of the pan and 1-2 centimeter (2/5 - 4/5 inch) up the sides.
Distribute about 1/4 of the cinnamon cream and vanilla cream on the tart crust. Set the rest of the cream aside for the cinnamon buns.
Step 5: The Cinnamon Rolls
Take the rest 2/3 of the dough and roll it into a flat 30x40 centimeter (12x16 inches) square. First, use a knife to distribute the cinnamon cream on the dough and then use the same knife to add the vanilla cream on the top. Now gently roll the dough on the long side into a long cinnamon roll. Use a sharp knife to cut 3-4 centimeter (1-1.5 inch) thick cinnamon buns.
How to assemble the Danish Dagmar Tart
In this final step, we need to assemble the Danish Dagmar Tart. The tart crust with the vanilla cream and cinnamon cream, and the cinnamon rolls must be put together. This is simply done by distributing the cinnamon rolls on the tart crust and giving them a gentle press on top to flatten them a little.
It is okay that there are some space in-between the rolls. When baked, they will rise up and close the gap.
Now let the cake rise for another 20 minutes before baking it at 200 C (400 F) for about 25 minutes. When baked, let it cool of before decorating it with frosting.
Danish Butter Cake (Dagmar Tart)
Ingredients
Dough
- 25 g fresh yeast
- 1 dl lukewarm milk
- 50 g soft butter
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
Cinnamon cream
- 100 g soft butter
- 100 g brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon powder
Vanilla Cream
- 5 dl vanilla cream
Decoration
- White frosting (icing sugar and water)
- Brown frosting (icing sugar, water and cocoa powder)
Instructions
Dough
- If you are using fresh yeast, start by dissolving it in the lukewarm milk. If you are using active or instant yeast, add this to together with the flour in the next step.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and knead everything into a nice and smooth dough. Set the dough aside and let it rise for one hour. Continue making the cinnamon cream and vanilla cream.
Cinnamon cream
- In a small bowl, add the three ingredients and mix it well together.
Vanilla cream
- Make the vanilla cream as instructed on the package. If you want to make a homemade vanilla cream, you can find the recipe on www.NordicFoodLiving.com
Assemble the Dagmar tart
- Start by taking 1/3 of the raised dough and roll it into a flat circle large enough to cover the bottom + 2 centimeters up the sides of a buttered spring form pan. You can also use a tart pan with tall sides.
- Distribute about 1/4 of the cinnamon cream and vanilla cream on the tart crust. Set the rest of the cream aside for now.
- Take the rest 2/3 of the dough and flatten it into a 30 x 40 centimeter (12x16 inches) square piece. Distribute first the rest of the cinnamon cream and then the vanilla cream on top.
- Gently roll the dough, with the two types of cream, on the long side into a long and circular sausage.
- Use a sharp knife to cut 3-4 centimeter (1-1.5 inch) thick cinnamon buns. You should be get about 10-12 buns.
- Place the cinnamon buns on the tart crust and give them a gently press so that they stick nicely into the cream. Place them with a little distance. They will rise up and close the gab later.
- Let the Dagmar tart rise for another 20 minutes before brushing it with a beaten egg. Bake it at 200 C (400 F) for about 25-30 minutes.
- When baked and cooled off. Decorate it with white and cocoa frosting.
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This recipe for traditional Danish Brunsviger Cake is easy to make and perfect if you are looking for an old-fashioned and classic Danish cake.
The Danish word Brunsviger cannot be translated into English but the meaning is well known by a Dane. The Brunsviger Cake is a delicious yeast dough cake topped with plenty of delicious butter and brown sugar mixture.
See also: Traditional recipe for Danish Dagmar tart
On this page I will show you how easy it is to make a Danish Brunsviger Cake and share a couple of tricks to avoid the common mistakes. Continue reading and learn how easy it is.
The history of Brunsviger Cake
The Brunsviger can be purchased from every pastry shop in Denmark but it is originally from Fyn which is the central part of Denmark. It is unknown when this cake was made and served the first time but it has for sure been around for generations. Today, it is well-known by almost all Danish people and is a very popular cake.
Traditional Brunsviger or Birthday Brunsviger
The traditional Danish Brunsviger is baked in a square pan and then later cut and served in smaller pieces. This is the classic way of making this cake. At some point in history somebody have developed this recipe and made this traditional cake into a birthday cake which is in Danish known as a Kagemand (Cake man). A Brunsviger birthday cake is easy made. You simply just make a traditional Brunsviger cake and then decorate it with all kinds of your favorite candy like wine-gum, M&M and so on.
See also: Recipe for traditional Danish Birthday Cake
The recipe is exactly the same as the traditional recipe shown further down on this page. However, the birthday version of this cake is not squared anymore instead it is shaped like a man or a woman depending on the gender of the person whose birthday it is.
Brunsviger made in square oven plate
The traditional Brunsviger is made in a square oven plate like I have done. However, it can also be made in a circular springform cake tin or whatever cake tins you have. The result will still be a delicious cake. The traditional cake is square but a circular cake is also fine - it is up to you.
Tips when making the Brunsviger cake
As already said, it is actually really easy to make a Brusviger cake. I just have a couple of tips that I would like to share with you. The first tip; in step seven in the recipe, we are going to make indentations in the dough. In these indentations we are going to add the butter-sugar mixture. It is important that these indentations deep but does not break through the bottom of the dough. We want deep indentation so that they can be filled with plenty of sugar mixture.
See also: Recipe for Danish Cinnamon Twist (Kanalstang)
The second tip is closely related to the first. It is a good idea to make a moat along the edge of the dough. The moat will help keep the butter-sugar mixture on the top of the cake. Otherwise, it will run away and sugar coat the inside of your oven. This can be a little tricky. I have personally sugar coated my oven several times.
Danish Brunsviger Cake
Ingredients
Brunsviger Dough
- 3 dl milk (lukewarm)
- 50 g fresh yeast (or equivalent dry yeast)
- 50 g sugar
- 100 g butter (melted and cooled)
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
Sugar topping
- 150 g butter
- 250 g brown sugar
- 4 tbsp heavy cream (alternativ milk)
- 3 tbsp vanilla cake creme powder (optional)
Instructions
- Dissolve the fresh yeast and sugar in the lukewarm milk.
- Melt the butter and let it cool off before adding it to the milk.
- Add all-purpose flour and salt. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it assemblies into a nice and smooth dough. You can with advantage use a kitchen machine.
- Cover the bowl with a clean dish towel and let the dough rise into double size someplace warm. This takes about 30 minutes.
- Flatten the dough into a square with a size of about 40 x 40 cm (16 x 16 inch). Transfer the dough onto a parchment paper covered oven plate. Let the dough rise for another 20 minutes. While the dough is rising prepare the sugar topping.
- In a small sauce pan; melt the butter and brown sugar. When the butter-sugar mixture is hot add the heavy cream and mix it together. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool off.
- Use your fingers to make indents into the dough. The indents should be deep and almost reach the bottom but without breaking through the dough. Also, make a small moat along the edge of the dough to keep the sugar topping on the top.
- Distribute the prepared sugar topping across the dough and bake the cake for 12 minutes in a 225 C (440 F) well-preheated oven.
- Let the cake cook off a little bit before serving it.
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This time I would like to share probably one of the most traditional and popular Danish pastry. This recipe is in Danish called Brombærsnitter or sometimes better known as Hindbærsnitter depending on what kind of stuffing which are used. Directly translated this Danish pastry could be called Danish Blackberry Slices or Danish Raspberry Slices.
Hindbærsnitter or Brombærsnitter
These delicious cakes consist of two crisp biscuit assembled with a layer of blackberry or raspberry jam - this is where the name comes from. Finally, the top of the cake is decorated with a sugar frosting and sprinkled with colorful sugar flakes or balls. A Hindbærsnitte has a light and great taste from the crisp biscuit, and together with the sweet and fresh jam this it differently one of my top favorite Danish cakes.
In Denmark, this is such a popular pastry that you can literally buy them in all bakery shops. This cake or biscuit, if you can call it that, is normally served as an afternoon treat/snack together with a cup of coffee or tea.
Recipe for Danish Blackberry cakes
These Hindbærsnitter are actually not that difficult to make. The first thing you would have to do is to make the biscuit dough, roll it out and bake two equally sized flat cakes. The next steps are then quite easy - you spread an even layer of your preferred jam on one of the baked cakes. The most traditional way is using raspberry jam. However, this recipe and the pictures I have shown below is made with Blackberry jam, which is also super delicious. I have some easy recipes for different type of jam on my blog - you can find the recipe in the section with jam.
Then the two cakes are assembled and the top is decorated with frosting. You finish of by cutting the cake into decorative slices or biscuits and serve them with a cup of coffee. You can keep them in an air tight container if you want to keep the crispness of the biscuit.
Danish Blackberry Cakes (Brombærsnitter)
Ingredients
Cake
- 300 g all-purpose flour (11 oz)
- 200 g butter, cold (7 oz)
- 100 g icing sugar (3.5 oz)
- 2 egg yolks
Jam filling
- 10 tbsp blackberry jam (or raspberry jam)
Frosting
- 400 g icing sugar (14 oz)
- a little water
Instructions
- In a large bowl; mix the all-purpose flour and icing sugar. Cut the cold butter into smaller pieces and add to the flour and sugar mixture
- Using your hands to mix the butter with the flour. It done when you have a nice crumble dough.
- Add the egg yolks and mix everything well together. This step takes quite some time. You are done when the dough is nice and uniform. You can with advantage use a kitchen machine for this step.
- Divide the dough into two equal sized pieces and flatten them a little.
- Now let the dough cool down in the fridge for about 1 hour. This step is important for the success of the next steps.
- Place a sheet of baking parchment on your kitchen table; use a rolling pin and flatten out the first piece of dough. The thickness should be around 3-5 mm (1/8 - 1/5 inch). Cut the edges of the dough so that it measures 30x30 cm (12x12 inch).
- Bake this first sheet of dough at 175 C (350 F) for about 12 minutes. The cake should be nice and golden when done. When baking this; continue with the second piece of dough.
- Roll of the second piece of dough and bake it as it was done with the first one.
- Let doth sheets of cake cool off on a baking/oven grid. When both sheets are cold off you can continue with the next step.
- Divide the blackberry jam on one sheet. Then place then second sheet on top.
- Make the frosting by mixing the icing sugar with very little water. Distribute the frosting on top of the assembled cake. Finally sprinkle with some freeze dried berries and then cut the cake into 12 equal sized pieces. Then they are ready to be served.
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This recipe for Nordic carrot cake with cream cheese topping and a twist of cinnamon is another old-fashioned, very traditional and super delicious Danish recipe.
This Nordic carrot cake is easy to make and it only takes about 20 minutes of work. The cake has been made for many years so if you are looking for a real Danish dessert, this carrot cake is a great choice.
See also: Traditional recipe for Danish Dream Cake
Before you get scared away because of the combination of carrots and cream cheese, I will start to promise you that it is actually super delicious, creamy and perfectly moist.
Grated carrots in a cake
You might be thinking that carrot in a cake sounds weird and not something that you want.
Why is it a great idea to add grated carrots in a cake? Besides adding a special and great taste, grated carrots also make sure that the cake keep moist and soft.
See also: Recipe for Danish Butter Cake (Dagmar Tart)
Combined with the cream cheese topping and a little cinnamon the carrots are just perfect.
Just to clarify, we are not trying to make a healthy cake. We are simply trying to make a traditional and fantastic cake.
Cream cheese topping for carrot cake
As you might have guessed based on the title, this cake it topped with a homemade and sweet cream cheese topping.
You might be thinking what cream cheese is doing on this cake and that this ingredient is only for bagels and sandwiches. However, I will promise you that cream cheese is a fantastic ingredient to use in desserts like this Nordic carrot cake.
In this recipe, the cream cheese topping is made by simply whisking together natural cream cheese, butter, icing sugar and some vanilla extract. This simple recipe gives you a fantastic and delicious creamy cheese topping which goes perfectly together with the carrot cake.
Recipe for Nordic carrot cake with cream cheese
As already said, this Nordic carrot cake is actually very easy to make. The cake can be divided into a two parts, the bottom cake and the cream cheese topping.
See also: Super delicious brownie with homemade caramel topping
You start by making the cake itself. This is simply done by mixing the sugar and oil well toegther followed by adding the dry ingredients and the finely grated carrots. Bake the cake in a 20x30 cm (8x12 inch) pan at 185 C (365 F) for about 40 minutes.
You can also use a different size pan. In that case, the cooking time with chance as well. The cake is done when a fork inserted into the cake comes out clean and without 'wet' batter sticking to it.
How to make cream cheese topping
The cream cheese topping is the easiest part of this recipe. In a small bowl, you simply add all the ingredients and mix them well together.
After some time mixing you will have the most delicious and creamy topping for your carrot cake. That is how easy it is to make homemade cream cheese topping.
Nordic carrot cake with cream cheese topping
Ingredients
Carrot cake
- 300 g brown sugar
- 2 dl vegetable oil
- 4 eggs
- 375 g carrots
- 275 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2.5 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Cream cheese topping
- 300 g cream cheese
- 180 g butter
- 270 g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla powder (or essence)
Instructions
- Whip the brown sugar and oil well together while adding the eggs one by one.
- Peel the carrots and grate them finely. Add them to the brown sugar mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix it all together.
- Pour the cake batter into a greased dish with a size of about 20x30 cm (8x12 incand bake it at 185 C (365 F) for about 40 minutes. The baking time depends on the size of the dish. The cake is finished when there is no batter on a fork that is inserted in the cake.
- The cheese cream is easily made by whipping all the ingredients together.
- The cheese cream is spread evenly over the cake when it is baked and cooled.
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On this page, I will share one of my personal favorite recipes - a super delicious and healthy Brownie made without any use of refined sugar and flour. If you continue to read on this page, I will show you how it is possible to make a super delicious Brownie cake, which is a healthy alternative to regular Brownie.
The secret how to make Brownie without sugar and flour
As mentioned just above, this brownie cake is made completely without any use of refined sugar and flour.
See also: Recipe for Healthy chocolate cake without sugar and flour
But how is it possible to make this brownie, which is perfectly comparable to a normal brownie packed with sugar and flour?
In just two words the secret is: dates and chickpeas. Trust me it is perfect.
Before you get scared away I will promise you that will not be able to taste either the dates or the chickpeas. You will only be able to taste the delicious chocolate brownie.
In this healthy brownie, the sweetness from the sugar is replaced by the sweet dates and the consistency from the flour is replaced by the chickpeas. It is that simple.
Brownie with dates as replacement for sugar
Before we continue, I will of course clarify that this cake is not sugar free. However, it is completely free from traditional refined table sugar. A cake need sweetness, which we in this case gets from the natural occurring sugar in the dates.
So no refined white sugar only natural occurring sugar from the dates.
See also: Recipe for Nordic healthy spinach buns
Dates are known for its sweetness and is therefore a perfect substitute for traditional refined sugar. I love dates and I have several recipes here on my Nordic Food blog where the refined sugar is substituted with dates.
If you are interested in other recipes with dates you can browse my section with healthy recipes and get inspired.
Healthy brownie with chickpeas and dates
Ingredients
- 100 g almonds
- 50 g butter melted
- 20 dates (without stones)
- 3 eggs
- 1 can chickpeas (or kidney beans)
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 dl strong coffee
- 100 g dark chocolate
Topping
- 75 g dark chocolate
- 50 g walnuts
Instructions
- Use a blender or food processor to chop the almonds into a coarse flour. There may be some half-rough pieces left.
- Add eggs, melted butter, dates without stones, drained chickpeas, cocoa powder, salt and coffee. Blend to an even consistency.
- Chop the chocolate and add it to the batter.
- Pour the batter into an approximately 10x20 cm (4x8 incbaking tin lined with baking paper.
- Bake the cake in a 200 C (400 F) preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.
- After baking, remove the hot brownie from the oven. Spread finely chopped chocolate on top so it can melt. Decorate with walnuts.
- Allow the cake to cool in the refrigerator and serve.
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]]>The post Danish Chocolate Biscuit Cake (Kiksekage) appeared first on Nordic Food & Living.
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This is a recipe for a very famous and traditional Danish chocolate cake with vanilla biscuits. This version is actually an improved recipe compared to the old recipe where the cake was based on cocoa powder and coconut oil (palmin). This version is based on dark chocolate and butter which we think makes the cake even better.
In Danish this cake is called Kiksekage which directly translated means Biscuit Cake. In Denmark this cake was very popular in the 70's and 80's. Today, the cake is not the most popular cake anymore. However, almost every Dane knows it and if they grew up in the 70's to 90's they properly have had it many times in their childhood. This is at least the case for us.
Also see: Traditional recipe for Danish Butter Cookies
It is fairly easy to make a Kiksekage, you only need 5 different ingredients; butter, chocolate, icing sugar, egg yolks and biscuits. The cake is of the type 'non-bake' which means that it is not going to be baked in the oven. It is simply just assembled in a bread pan and left in the fridge until it is solid. The cake has a nice consistency where the soft chocolate goes great together with the crisp biscuits.
The reason why this cake has not been that popular in the last decade is because of the fear of getting salmonella bacteria from the eggs. Today, the production of eggs is so sanitary and the problem is now assumed to be eradicated. This makes the popularity of the cake to start coming back - which is something we like!
If you like this cake, you can also try the same cake just where it is made in smaller muffin paper cups - you can find the recipe here on our blog.
Danish Chocolate Biscuit Cake (Kiksekage)
Ingredients
- 225 g butter
- 450 g dark chocolate (50-60 %)
- 1 1/2 dl icing sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 pack squared vanilla biscuits (about 25-30 biscuits)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small sauce pan.
- Remove the sauce pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir in the mixture until all the chocolate is melted.
- Add the icing sugar and egg yolks and stir until the mixture is nice and smooth.
- Line a rectangular bread/loaf pan with plastic wrap film.
- Pour a thin layer of the chocolate mixture in the bottom of the pan.
- Cover the chocolate with a layer of biscuits, and then add another layer of the chocolate.
- Continue until you don't have any more chocolate. Remember to finish off with a layer of chocolate.
- Cover the bread pan with some aluminum foil and place it in the fridge for minimum 6 hours. The chocolate should become solid.
- Take the chocolate cake out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before serving it - then it is easier to cut.
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In this commercial post I have had the opportunity to work with the Can For Life project on developing a recipe with the well-known metal can in focus. When thinking about food form cans, of course my first thoughts fell upon homemade Dulce De Leche which is cooked directly in a can in hot water. Read more and learn how easy it is to make the most delicious brownie topped with homemade Dulce De Leche.
As a start, in this recipe we have to make the very best brownie - read more and see why, without blinking, I think this is the best Brownie I have ever had.
This salted Dulce De Leche Brownie recipe is super easy to make and does not require any fancy or professional cooking skills. The result, however, is nothing but wonderful, delicious and super tasteful. I hope that I have got your attention - you will not regret read on - I promise.
The Best Brownie Recipe
I believe this is the best brownie you can make. I know, this is a strong statement!
So why is this brownie so delicious and what makes it so special?
The short answer to this question is the caramel topping. The special ingredient in this brownie is the most delicious and homemade caramel. In the following section you can read much more about how to make homemade caramel for a brownie.
Read also: The best recipe for healthy chocolate cake without sugar and flour
The brownie cake itself has a very intense and delicious cocoa flavor, which match perfectly with the sweet and sticky caramel on top. And finally, the brownie is sprinkled with crisp sea salt. This makes the final touch and makes this brownie very special and incredibly delicious.
It is without doubt my favorite brownie - I hope, of course, that you will like this brownie recipe as much as I do.
As always, you are more than welcome to give a comment on my recipes at the bottom of the page. You may have a good advice that you want to share with me and the rest of the readers of my blog.
Homemade caramel for brownie
As you can read in the section above, this brownie is topped with a delicious homemade caramel.
Perhaps you are sitting and think that is sounds difficult and time consuming to make a homemade caramel.
But do not worry - it is actually very easy!
Hurry up and continue reading and see how incredibly easy it is to make homemade caramel or Dulce De Leche, as it is also known as.
The only ingredient you need to make homemade Dulce De Leche is an unopened can of condensed milk - and that's it! Dulce De Leche is a actually a Spanish word that translated means candy from milk and that is exactly what it is!
How to make dulce de leche
As said, Dulce De Leche is incredibly easy to make. You should only consider that it takes a little while. This is just about not getting impatient.
All you have to do is to simmer an unopened can of condensed milk in water for three hours and that is it!
Yes! You read it right; it is actually so easy to make this wonderful and homemade caramel sauce.
By simmering an unopened can of condensed milk, the sweet content will slowly get a firmer consistency and a delicious caramel flavor and color. I like to think of it as a kind of magic.
Read also: The best recipe for Dulce De Leche
Simmering is the level just below boiling temperature. The water should not boil but just simmer. Also, make sure the can is completely covered with water and that there is little extra in the pot as some of it will evaporate. For the same reason, it is important to have a lid on the pot during cooking.
Dulce De Leche for desserts
If you have never tasted homemade Dulce De Leche before be prepared for a new dessert world which will open up for you.
Once you've learned how to make this delicious caramel, from just a can of condensed milk, it is basically just your imagination that will be the limit of its use.
Dulce De Leche is very good as topping for ice cream, filling in cupcakes, sauce for pancakes or perhaps as a sweet and specially ingredient in a cup of hot coffee - Come up with more examples yourself.
If you have one good example of what Dulce De Leche can be used for, I would love to hear from you in the comment section below.
Salted Dulce De Leche Brownie
Ingredients
Dulce De Leche
- 1 can condensed milk
Brownie
- 140 g soft butter (5 oz)
- 2 eggs
- 150 g brown sugar (5.5 oz)
- 100 g sugar (3.5 oz)
- 80 g unsweetened cocoa powder (2 3/4 oz)
- 1 tsp vanilla powder or extract
- 1 tsp instant coffee (dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 60 g all-purpose flour (2 oz)
- 2 tsp flakes of sea salt (for topping)
Instructions
Dulce De Leche
- Remove the labeling from the metal can.
- Place the unopen can of condensed milk in a sauce pan and cover it with water. Make sure the entire can is submerged in water.
- Cover the sauce pan with a lid and turn on the heat. Let the water simmer (just below boiling) for three hours.
- Remove the hot can from the water and let it cool off for minimum three hours. The hot caramel is liquid and should settle a little.
Brownie
- In a large bowl, add soft butter, eggs, the two types of sugar, vanilla powder, cocoa powder, coffee, flour and salt. Combine well and whisk until the batter is nice and smooth.
- Pour the brownie batter into a 20x20 cm (8x8 inch) oven pan which is lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the brownie in a 175 C (350 F) preheated oven for about 25-28 minutes. When done, a toothpick inserted into the brownie must come out almost clean.
- Remove the brownie from the oven and allow it to cool off before spreading the Dulce De Leche on top. Make nice swirl patterns in the caramel.
- Sprinkle the cake with coarse sea salt flakes and cut it in square pieces.
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Whether it is new year’s eve or just a Saturday evening relaxing on the couch this recipe for homemade Brownie cake is the perfect choice for a great dessert.
The fantastic thing about a Brownie cake is that it is great as it is. However, with a few and very simple tricks you can easily decorate this cake and make it look like a professional dessert.
The Brownie is originally from the USA but is later spread across the globe to satisfy cake lovers from all countries.
If you are looking for a fantastic recipe for a homemade Brownie cake I can only recommend you to continue reading on this page. You can also just skip the text and scroll directly to the Brownie recipe.
The Best Homemade Brownie
As mentioned above a Brownie cake can be served for many occasions which is also why it is such a well-known and very popular cake. The internet and dessert cook book are flooded with recipes for homemade Brownie cakes.
As I have mentioned many times here on my blog, I never just stick to one recipe.
When I am looking for a new recipe I always browse on my favorite internet food blogs and then I use my notebook on my phone to write down my own instructions how I think this recipe should be like, then I test it and adjust it if necessary.
This recipe for the perfect and best homemade Brownie is my suggestion how this cake should be like.
Different Brownie varieties
Homemade Brownie, or chocolate Brownie as it is sometimes called, is basically just a simple chocolate cake which is typically cut in square pieces. Another typically factor is that a Brownie is a very dense cake compared to other typical chocolate/cocoa cakes. Personally, it is the fact that this cake is quite dense and rich in the taste that makes this cake super delicious.
The important factors, that distinguish a good Brownie from a less good Brownie is walnuts. I think that a perfect Brownie should have nuts inside, and especially walnuts are fantastic if you ask me.
Whether you should add walnuts, or other types of nuts, to your homemade Brownie is up to yourself. However, I would strongly recommend adding walnuts like I have suggested in my recipe furthered down on this page.
Homemade Brownie in Muffin forms
A Brownie is typically baked in a square pan. This recipe for homemade Brownie I have below uses a 20x30 cm oven pan. However, you can also try pouring the cake in Muffin forms. About 4 tablespoons of Brownie batter in each Muffin form is sufficient.
Vanilla ice cream for Brownie
I think that the best way to serve this cake is with a scoop of a great vanilla ice cream and a couple of fresh raspberry or strawberry - super simple and very delicious.
Personally, I think that it is very important to pick a vanilla ice cream with a certain quality. A good vanilla ice cream is made from few and simple ingredients where the basis ingredients are heavy cream, milk, egg yolks, sugar and the seeds from a vanilla bean.
Of course, this exact ingredient list will vary from recipe to recipe but the basis ingredients most be present in a good quality vanilla ice cream. I have made homemade vanilla ice several times with great results.
See also: The best recipe for vanilla ice cream
You can find the recipe here on my blog by searching for it on the front page.
Decoration tips for Brownies
Because this Brownie cake is so delicious as it is, it does not require any professional decoration skills to make it great - it is great already.
However, with a few and simple tips you can easily make this homemade Brownie cake a beautiful dessert for special occasions like new year’s eve. As already mentioned, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a couple of strawberries are perfect companions for this cake.
You can also consider serving this Brownie with a little raspberry jam. As with the vanilla ice cream, make sure the jam is of a good quality, preferably a homemade jam. You can find some great recipes here on my blog.
The Best Brownie
Ingredients
- 250 g butter (9 oz)
- 150 g dark chocolate minimum 55% cocoa (5 oz)
- 4 eggs
- 250 g sugar (9 oz)
- 150 g all-purpose flour (5 oz)
- 3 tbsp cocoa
- 200 g walnuts (7 oz)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, slowly melt the butter and dark chocolate. Set it aside to cool down.
- In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar into an airy mixture.
- In a second bowl, mix the flour, walnuts and cocoa.
- Gently mix the eggs and sugar mixture with the flour, cocoa and walnut mixture.
- Gently, add the melted butter and chocolate mixture.
- Pour the Brownie batter in a parchment paper covered oven pan with a size of about 20x30 cm (8 x 12 inch)
- Bake the cake in the middle of the oven at a preheated temperature of 175 C (350 F) for about 25-30 minutes. The cake should be a little soft when it comes out of the oven. When it cool down it will settle and become a great Brownie.
Notes
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This is a recipe for a homemade marzipan where there has not been added any refined sugar. A traditional marzipan is made from two very simple ingredients; skinned almonds and sugar - super simple but also a bit unhealthy due to the amount of refined sugar. However, this is not an issue because marzipan is normally only used to make candy and cakes where sugar typically is not considered an issue.
Even though cakes and other treats normally contains lots of sugar - which is typically the idea with it - it can sometimes be interesting in making cakes which contains less or no sugar, flour, butter or similar. Unhealthy and alternative cake recipes can sometimes be nice to have.
If you have a recipe where you should use raw marzipan, and you are looking for a healthy alternative to the traditional marzipan, you can try using the recipe I have shown below.
Sugar Free Marzipan
The recipe for sugar free marzipan is super easy to make and it only requires two ingredients; skinned almonds and dates. The almonds are the foundation in all marzipan and the dates has a high content of natural sugar which gives the sweetness to the marzipan.
I personally always use this recipe when I am making the sugar and flourless Danish Tree Logs, which are traditional Danish cakes with marzipan wrapped around. You should differently check out this recipe if you do not know it - you can find it here on my blog in the cake section.
Recipe for marzipan without refined sugar
Making your own sugar free marzipan is super simple. You start by skinning the almonds using very hot water. I have a separate guide here on my blog how to skin almonds the easy way. The short instruction, how to skin the almonds is to let the almonds soak in very hot water for about 8-10 minutes and then remove the skin in-between two fingers. When you have prepared the almonds, pour them in a blender and blend them together with seedless dates for a couple of minutes. Form the sticky marzipan into a ball and let it rest in the fridge for about 15-30 minutes and it is ready.
Homemade Marzipan without refined Sugar
3-4 people
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Danish title: Hjemmelavet Marzipan uden sukker
Cuisine: Danish
Category: dessert
Ingredients:
100 g (3.5 oz) almonds
3 dates, stoneless (about 45 g or 1 2/3 oz)
Instructions:
1. In a small bowl; cover the almonds with boiling water. Set aside for about 7-10 minutes.
2. Using the tip of your finger to easily skin the almonds. This step should be easy. If it is difficult to remove the skin then cover the almonds with some new hot water and let then them soak for another 5 minutes.
3. Pour the skinned almonds into a food processor or blender. Run on high speed to turn the almonds into almonds flour.
4. Add the stone less dates and run until the almonds and dates are turned into a nice and slightly sticky marzipan. Depending on the freshness of the dates, you might also need to add a little water (about 1 tbsp) to better get the almonds and dates to mix into a nice Marzipan.
5. Cover the marzipan with plastic wrapping and keep it in the fridge until you need it.
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