Top Cakes for September 6 “Extra Dessert Day!”

Gerry Furth-Sides) Celebrate National Extra Dessert Day on September 6 and do it with the best cakes in the world! The Lemon Hazelnut Torte at Il Forno and the Swedish Princess Cake at Copenhagen Bakery are our two international, favorites, deserving of an article. For more “ethereal” desserts, please see: //localfoodeater.com/five-ridiculously-famous-ethnic-cakes/

The Torte is a pared down, more elegant California version of the Marjolaine, which for me every single ingredient makes a cake perfect: layers of crunchy praline,  ground nuts and marshmallowy meringue with the added surprise of citrus.  

How can you not love anything so labor intensive and difficult as its small layers with fillings of praline, buttercream, vanilla-rum buttercream and chocolate buttercream. The Lemon Hazelnut has instead lemon curd and buttercream, the better to contrast flavors as well as textures.  

I rode my bike six miles to and from the former Rose Café incarnation to eat a slice of this beauty at least once a week. This was years before the pastry chef changed the shape from a cake wedge to the lovely singular, circular one below. If you know where it may be available, please share with me!

This chef worked under the incomparable Amy Pressman, Nancy Silverton’s colleague who was to be her partner at Short Order Restaurant. These are arguably the two most original and best pastry chefs to come out of Los Angeles.

These days it is the welcome of Il Forno, Co-0owner, Founder, Romanian-born restaurateur Joseph Suceveanu, and long-time server, Steven, who welcome customers and myself.

Il Forno‘s kitchen carefully packages the cake so that you can have it at home, too.

Is there a way to make a Lemon Hazelnut Torte at home? The only recipe we found was a vegan one on video that does not even look the same. //www.mobirecipe.com/index.php?proc=article&tit=Lemon-Hazelnut-Torte

Il Forno, 2901 Ocean Park Blvd., (310) 450-1241, Santa Monica, CA //www.ilfornocaffe.com

Copenhagen Bakery called Princess Cake, an “absolute best seller.” The Princess cake, in Swedish, the prinsesstårta, is a traditional Swedish layer cake or torte with alternating layers of airy sponge, pastry cream and raspberry jam. and a thick-domed layer of whipped cream. The cake is covered by a layer thick whipped cream and a smooth rounded top of marzipan. The classic version is sprinkled with powdered sugar and topped with a pink marzipan rose.

The recipe, relatively recent for a classic, came from a cooking teacher of royal princesses, rather than from a chef. It first appeared in the 1948 Prinsessornas kokbok cookbook, published by Jenny Åkerström (1867-1957), teacher of the three daughters of Prince Carl, Duke of Västergöland. It did not have the fruit layers.  

This cake was originally called grön tårta (green cake), but was given the name prinsesstårta because the princesses were said to have been especially fond of the cake. The princesses were  Princes Margaretha, Princess Margaretha (1899–1977; Princess Märtha  (1901–1954) and Princess Astrid(1905–1935.

A slice of the cake was their gift to all of us who love it and the bakery for their anniversary. When I arrived at a little after 8 in the morning, opening time, three staff members were just finishing up 4 customers inside and no line outside. When I left, the line had grown to 22!

I wanted to purchase another piece of to add to the celebration, but the staff would have none of it. This is the kind of generous, community spirit that has made the bakery so popular along with its quality product.

Copenhagen Pastry, 11113 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232, (310) 839-8900, www. copenhagenpastry.com

Admittedly, I first became interested in the Princess Cake because of the Great British Bake Off TV Show! Of course, all it took was me hearing about its “marzipan dome.”

Food Network Star Molly Yeh’s simpler take on making princess cakes was inspired by the IKEA version. Please read about it below. (Food Network Star Molly Yeh Has Her Own Take on Ikea’s Princess Cakes and They’re Almost Too Cute to Eat). The ‘Girl Meets Farm’ and baking show host’s version still takes three hours to make.

Dessert is always more fun and lively with what it is served with and on. We fell in love with these espresso cups at The Commissary in Culver City. When the staff said they do not sell them, I found them online created by an Australian manufacturer and sold by a coffee gear company in Seattle dedicated to the best products available. (//www.seattlecoffeegear.com

 We fell in love with these espresso cups at The Commissary in Culver City. When the staff said they do not sell them, I found them online made by an Australian manufacturer and sold by a coffee gear company in Seattle dedicated to the best products available. (//www.seattlecoffeegear.com