Suksessterte — Norway's almond cake with golden yolk cream

i. Origin & history

Almond cakes built on ground nuts and egg whites rather than flour have a long history in European baking, from French dacquoise and Italian almond cakes to the macaroon tradition. In Scandinavia, this style of cake became a twentieth-century favourite in several forms: Sweden's succétårta and Norway's suksessterte are versions of the same idea, an almond base topped with a yolk-based cream. The name — succès in French — is shared with a French pastry tradition of almond-meringue layers, and in Norway it is usually explained simply as a cake that always succeeds.

In Norway it became a classic of home baking in the second half of the twentieth century. It is the kind of cake families bring to confirmations, christenings, birthdays and 17 May celebrations, often baked in a large rectangular tin (langpanne) and cut into squares for a crowd. It also has a practical appeal that home bakers love: it uses whole eggs with nothing wasted, the whites going into the base and the yolks into the cream.

Suksessterte is also one of Norway's best-known gluten-free cakes, since the base is made with ground almonds instead of flour. It is often recommended to coeliac guests, and it was gluten-free long before that became a selling point.

The cake is sometimes confused with sans rival, the Filipino layered cashew-meringue cake with buttercream, and with the Swedish Kronans kaka, a potato-and-almond cake. Suksessterte is usually a single layer, with a softer, chewier base and a thick custard-like yellow cream on top.

ii. How whites and yolks make two different layers

The base is essentially a large almond macaroon. Egg whites are whisked to stiff peaks, and ground almonds mixed with icing sugar are folded in. In the oven, the air in the whites gives lift, the egg proteins set, and the almonds provide body and flavour. Baked at a moderate temperature, the base turns golden and slightly crisp outside while staying soft and chewy within. Using unblanched almonds, ground with their skins, gives a speckled base with a deeper, nuttier flavour.

The cream on top — often called gul krem, 'yellow cream' — is a cooked custard of yolks, sugar and cream, thickened gently over low heat, then cooled and beaten with soft butter until smooth and light. It is closer to a custard buttercream than to whipped cream, which is why it is so rich and why it holds its shape when cut.

Heat control is everything in the cream. Egg yolks thicken between about 70 and 82 °C; above that, they scramble. Cooking slowly over a low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, then cooling it quickly, gives a silky result. The butter must be soft and the custard cool but not cold when they are beaten together, or the mixture splits or becomes lumpy.

The base must cool completely before the cream goes on, or the butter in the cream will melt. Chilling the finished cake firms the cream so it can be cut into neat slices.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 12 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 200 g almonds (skin-on or blanched), finely ground
• 200 g icing sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 egg whites
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 egg yolks
• 125 g caster sugar
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
• 150 g unsalted butter, very soft
• 50 g flaked almonds, toasted, or grated chocolate, to decorate

Norwegians often grind skin-on almonds, giving a darker, more rustic base; blanched almonds make it paler and finer. Buy whole almonds and grind them yourself with the icing sugar for the freshest flavour, or use ready-ground almonds. The baking powder is optional — some traditional recipes omit it, but it helps the base rise evenly. Use very soft butter for the cream, almost spreadable; cold butter will not blend smoothly. For a strictly gluten-free cake, check that the baking powder is gluten-free.

iv. Method

1. Make the cream first: whisk the yolks and sugar in a saucepan until pale, then whisk in the cream. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 80 °C). Do not let it boil. Stir in the vanilla, pour into a bowl, cover the surface and cool completely.
2. Heat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F), or 155 °C fan. Line a 24 cm springform tin, or a 20 × 30 cm tin, with baking paper and grease the sides.
3. Mix the ground almonds, icing sugar and baking powder. Whisk the egg whites with the salt to stiff, glossy peaks.
4. Fold the almond mixture into the whites in three additions, gently, until just combined.
5. Spread the mixture evenly into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden and set on top, with a skewer coming out clean. Cool completely in the tin.
6. Beat the soft butter for 2 minutes until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in the cooled custard, a spoonful at a time, until smooth, thick and glossy.
7. Spread the cream over the cooled base in a thick, even layer, leaving a slim border or covering it right to the edge. Scatter with toasted flaked almonds or grated chocolate.
8. Chill for at least 2 hours before cutting into wedges or squares.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Cook the custard gently. Yolks scramble above about 85 °C. Low heat, constant stirring and patience give a silky cream.
• Whisk the whites properly. Stiff, glossy peaks give the base its lift. Soft whites make a flat, dense base.
• Fold, don't stir. Folding the almonds into the whites gently keeps the air in.
• Match the temperatures. Butter and custard should both be at room temperature. Cold custard makes the cream lumpy; warm custard melts the butter.
• Cool the base completely. Spread the cream on a warm base and it will melt and slide.
• Chill before slicing. At least 2 hours in the fridge firms the cream for clean slices.

vi. Variations

Langpannesuksess is the traybake version, cut into squares for parties. Mini suksessterter are baked in muffin tins. Some recipes add a little cardamom to the base, or coffee or chocolate to the cream. Swedish succétårta is very similar, sometimes with two layers of almond base sandwiching the cream. Hazelnuts can replace some of the almonds.

Related nut-meringue cakes on DessertCat include the French dacquoise, the Filipino sans rival, the Austrian Linzer torte and the hazelnut meringue. For other Norwegian celebration cakes, see bløtkake and Sweden's prinsesstårta.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve suksessterte chilled or at cool room temperature, in small wedges — it is rich — with coffee. It is popular at confirmations, birthdays, christenings and 17 May, and as a gluten-free option on any dessert table.

Covered in the fridge, it keeps for 3–4 days, and many people think it is better on the second day. It freezes very well, whole or in slices, for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge for a few hours before serving.

ix. More from Scandinavian

• Bløtkake — Norwegian cream layer cake
• Prinsesstårta — Swedish princess cake
• Skolebrød — Norwegian custard bun
• Dacquoise — French nut meringue cake
• Sans Rival — Filipino cashew meringue cake
• Fattigmann — Norwegian Christmas twists