Despite its name, traditional Danish æblekage is not really a cake at all. It is a cold, layered apple dessert made with tart apple compote, buttery toasted breadcrumbs and softly whipped cream.
Gammeldags æblekage, or old-fashioned Danish apple trifle, is one of Denmark’s simplest and most enduring desserts. Denmark’s official website describes it as a classic dish that has more in common with a trifle or crumble than a baked cake. Denmark.dk serves it cold with a generous layer of whipped cream.
It is particularly good in autumn, when tart apples are at their best, and almost everything can be prepared ahead of time.
Old-Fashioned Danish Apple Trifle
Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes, plus cooling
For the apples
- 2 lb / 900 g tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn
- ¼ cup / 60 ml water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from ½ vanilla bean
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3–5 tbsp sugar, depending on the apples
For the toasted crumbs
- 4 tbsp / 55 g butter
- 1 cup / 100 g fine breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup / 50 g sugar
To finish
- 1 cup / 240 ml heavy cream
- Red currant jelly, optional
Method
- Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Place them in a saucepan with the water, vanilla and lemon juice.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples have softened into a coarse compote. Sweeten to taste. The apples should retain a little tartness to balance the cream and crumbs.
- Transfer the compote to a bowl and chill completely.
- For the crumbs, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the breadcrumbs and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate and cool.
- Lightly whip the cream until soft peaks form.
- Just before serving, layer the toasted crumbs and cold apple compote in individual glasses or one larger glass bowl. Finish with the whipped cream and, if you like, a small spoonful of red currant jelly.
The secret is in the timing
The apple compote can be made a day ahead, which often improves the flavor. The toasted crumbs can also be prepared in advance and kept airtight once cool.
Wait until shortly before serving to assemble the dessert. If it sits too long, the crisp breadcrumb layers begin to soften.
A very Danish autumn dessert
The dish is deliberately simple. Tart apples, toasted crumbs and cream do most of the work, which is exactly why the quality of the apples matters. Danish food historian resources also describe apple desserts as longstanding features of the country’s home cooking, particularly as the fruit comes into season in September and October.
Featured image credit: Nillerdk / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 3.0.
