Krumkake

Ingredients

Batter

• 3eggs
• 150 gsugar
• 100 gbutter, melted and cooled
• 150 gplain flour
• 200 mlmilk or double cream
• 1 tspground cardamom
• 1 tspvanilla

To serve

• 300 mldouble cream, whipped
• cloudberries or lingonberries

Equipment

• a krumkake iron
• a wooden cone form

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and thick, then beat in the melted butter.
2. Fold in the flour, cardamom and vanilla alternately with the milk into a smooth, fairly thin batter.
3. Cardamom is the Norwegian signature and it goes in generously; the biscuit tastes flat without it.
4. Rest the batter 20 minutes so the flour hydrates and the bubbles settle.
5. Heat the krumkake iron over a medium hob, or plug in an electric one, and grease it lightly the first time only.
6. Get the iron properly hot before the first one. The first krumkake is always a sacrifice and every Norwegian expects to throw it away.
7. Drop a heaped teaspoon of batter into the centre of the lower plate and close the iron.
8. Use less batter than seems right. Too much squeezes out of the sides, burns onto the hinge and has to be scraped off between every biscuit.
9. Cook for 30 to 45 seconds a side, turning the iron over on the hob.
10. It is ready when the pattern is deep golden and the edges are lacy and dry.
11. Now work fast. Lift the hot disc off with a palette knife and roll it around the wooden cone immediately.
12. You have about five seconds. Krumkake sets rigid as it cools and a disc that has hardened flat cannot be rolled and cannot be softened again.
13. Hold the cone until it holds its shape, about ten seconds, then slide it off and stand it up to cool.
14. Your fingertips will suffer, which is why experienced makers use a cloth or a wooden roller.
15. Cool them completely and store them in a tin, where they keep for weeks.
16. Fill them with whipped cream only at the moment of serving.
17. Cream added early turns the whole cone soggy within twenty minutes, so they are always filled at the table.
18. They are Christmas baking, one of the traditional seven sorts a Norwegian household bakes, and the iron is often a family heirloom.

Technique

• The patterned iron is what makes it a krumkake and there is no substitute for it.
• The Italian pizzelle is made on nearly the same iron and left flat.
• They are also served open as a bowl for cream and berries.

Substitutions

• A pizzelle iron, which gives a different pattern but works.
• A rolled cone of baking paper if you have no wooden form.

Variations

• Left flat as a biscuit rather than rolled.
• Rolled into a bowl shape for berries.
• With lemon zest in place of cardamom.

History

Thin cone biscuit pressed between patterned irons, one of the seven sorts of cakes Norwegian households traditionally bake for Christmas.

Frequently asked questions

What is Krumkake?

Krumkake is a dessert from Norway: lacy waffle cones filled with whipped cream. Thin cone biscuit pressed between patterned irons, one of the seven sorts of cakes Norwegian households traditionally bake for Christmas.

How long does Krumkake take to make?

Krumkake takes 20 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 25. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Krumkake?

Yes, within limits. A pizzelle iron, which gives a different pattern but works. A rolled cone of baking paper if you have no wooden form.

What is the most important thing to get right in Krumkake?

Your fingertips will suffer, which is why experienced makers use a cloth or a wooden roller.