{"id":8305,"date":"2026-10-19T15:18:49","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:18:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/?post_type=sweetlore&p=8305"},"modified":"2026-10-31T18:49:36","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T09:49:36","slug":"prinsesstarta","status":"publish","type":"sweetlore","link":"https:\/\/parade.kyoto\/en\/sweetlore\/prinsesstarta\/","title":{"rendered":"Prinsesst\u00e5rta"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Powdered sugar and a small rose sit on a smooth green dome. Prinsesst\u00e5rta is a Swedish cake of layered sponge, vanilla custard and whipped cream, wrapped in marzipan made from almonds and sugar. Cream is heaped high between the layers of sponge baked in a tin and on top, and the cake is shaped into a round form. Bearing a name associated with princesses, this cake also appears at family birthdays, weddings and on a day celebrating a dialect.<\/p>\n

The naming legend involving the princesses, and the records of the \u201cgreen cake\u201d<\/h2>\n

The cookery teacher Jenny \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m opened a domestic science school in Stockholm in 1907. Besides cooking, the school taught cleaning, washing-up and the care of young children. In the 1920s, the three sisters Margaretha, M\u00e4rtha and Astrid, daughters of Prince Carl and Princess Ingeborg, attended the school. The connection with the princesses raised the prestige of the school, where daughters of wealthy families studied, and of her cookbooks, which were read throughout the country.<\/p>\n

According to tradition, the three sisters were fond of \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m’s \u201cgr\u00f6n t\u00e5rta,\u201d the green cake, and so it came to be called the \u201cprincess cake.\u201d The recipe (ingredient proportions and method) for the green cake survives in \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m’s Mera god mat, published in 1939. In that recipe no fruit jam is sandwiched between the layers, and a colored almond paste forms the outer covering. \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m also published Prinsessornas kokbok in 1929, but the method for the green cake survives in the 1939 book.<\/p>\n

As a cake sold in shops, it already appeared in a Konsum advertisement in the newspaper Dagens Nyheter on January 24, 1936. The marzipan-wrapped form was being sold before the 1939 cookbook. On the other hand, a sweet of the same name from 1924 was piped with cream and decorated with chopped almonds and pistachios. Not everything called \u201cprincess cake\u201d was a green dome from the beginning. Today’s prinsesst\u00e5rta carries on not only the legend involving the princesses but also the changes in its name and form in shops.<\/p>\n

Baking the sponge, then cooking and cooling the vanilla cream<\/h2>\n

One method for the sponge is to warm whole eggs and sugar before whisking them. When the whole eggs are warmed to about 60\u00b0C, removed from the bain-marie and whisked until cool, they become a pale, light batter. The flour is folded in three additions so as not to deflate the foam, and finally a small amount of melted butter is mixed in before baking. The baked sponge is cooled completely and cut into three layers.<\/p>\n

For the vanilla cream, milk, heavy cream, egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch are combined with a vanilla pod and its seeds and cooked while stirring until thickened. The cooked cream is strained into another container and stirred over cold water to cool. Finishing the baking of the sponge and the cooling of the cream in advance makes it easier to move on to assembly.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
A prinsesst\u00e5rta wrapped in green marzipan (June 19, 2010; location unknown). It has been dusted with powdered sugar, leaving a crown shape. Photo: Fredrik Tersmeden (= User:FredrikT) \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No content alterations or cropping by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Building a dome of sponge and cream and wrapping it in marzipan<\/h2>\n

Vanilla cream is spread on the bottom layer of sponge, and the next layer of sponge is placed on top. On the middle layer, cream is again heaped high in the center, and the last layer of sponge is placed on top. More whipped cream is heaped on top of that and also spread over the sides, shaping the whole cake into a round dome. The rounded shape comes from the cream heaped inside and the whipped cream covering the surface.<\/p>\n

In another method of assembly, the top layer of sponge is turned over so that its cut side faces up. The sponge is baked, the cream is cooked and the whipped cream is whisked, and finally the components are layered and finished as a single cake.<\/p>\n

The green marzipan is rolled out thinly into a circle large enough to cover the whole cake. It is draped over the dome and smoothed against the sides by hand, easing out the folds, and the excess at the base is trimmed off. Dusted with powdered sugar and decorated with a rose made of pink marzipan and green leaves, the cake takes on its familiar appearance.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
A small prinsesst\u00e5rta made in Arkansas, United States (October 2, 2025). A small rose sits on the green dome. Photo: MarcellusW \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. Released under CC0 by the photographer. No content alterations or cropping by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Single-serving domes and frog-shaped little cakes<\/h2>\n

The small single-serving version is called a princess pastry (prinsessbakelse<\/em>). The small version is also given its round shape with cream. In the small-format recipe from the dairy company Arla, a thin sponge is spread with vanilla cream and raspberry jam, each layer is frozen, and rounds are then cut out. Whipped cream is piped into silicone hemisphere molds, the sponge is pressed in as the base, and after freezing the domes are removed from the molds and covered with marzipan. Instead of cutting a single large cake into slices, this method serves small domes assembled upside down, one per person. They are kept refrigerated or frozen, and powdered sugar is dusted on when they are eaten.<\/p>\n

Green marzipan is also used for a sweet named after the frog (groda<\/em>). At Ullas Kondis, a pastry shop in Ume\u00e5, sponge is combined with vanilla cream and strawberry-flavored whipped cream and covered with thin green marzipan. Even among sweets with the same name, groda, the composition of the filling differs from maker to maker. Both the smooth dome and the little frog face are made by shaping marzipan.<\/p>\n

\n\"A\n
A prinsesst\u00e5rta photographed in a shop in Gothenburg (December 11, 2011). An example decorated with red marzipan and a ribbon. In the version published on Commons, the cake has been cropped out of the original photograph. Photo: Heather Cowper \/ Heather on her travels<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/a> \/ CC BY 2.0<\/a>. Reduced-size version obtained from Commons. No content alterations or cropping by us.<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

Cakes with jam, and marzipan colors chosen for celebrations<\/h2>\n

The old green cake contained no jam, and a version with jam in the lower layer is sometimes distinguished by the name operat\u00e5rta. This is a different cake from the French op\u00e9ra, which layers coffee and chocolate.<\/p>\n

Today, on the other hand, raspberries or jam are sometimes added even to cakes called prinsesst\u00e5rta. Scattering raspberries over the custard in the bottom layer adds the tartness of fruit to the cream layer. The color of the covering also varies. At an event celebrating a royal christening in 2012, an industry association sold pink cakes as prinsesst\u00e5rta and linked the sales to donations. In addition to the classic green marzipan and rose, versions with the outer color or the flavor of the filling changed to suit a celebration are also made.<\/p>\n

A week supporting children, and a day celebrating the Sm\u00e5land dialect<\/h2>\n

In the last week of September, the baking and confectionery industry holds a Prinsesst\u00e5rta Week, which has linked cake sales to support for children.<\/p>\n

In Sm\u00e5land, the cake also appears in a new custom celebrating the first Thursday in March. The standard Swedish f\u00f6rsta torsdagen i mars<\/em>, \u201cthe first Thursday in March,\u201d becomes f\u00f6ssta tossdan i mass<\/em> in the local pronunciation. marsipant\u00e5rta<\/em> (marzipan cake) likewise becomes massipant\u00e5ta<\/em>. People enjoy this shared sound, in which the r sound weakens or disappears before certain consonants. Greetings are written on a green cake to express affection for the dialect and the region. In 2025, the event was added to Sweden’s national inventory of intangible cultural heritage.<\/p>\n

Glossary<\/h2>\n

Jenny \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m<\/strong>: A Swedish cookery teacher and cookbook author. She also taught domestic science to the princesses.<\/p>

Margaretha, M\u00e4rtha and Astrid<\/strong>: Three princesses, sisters, who studied under \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m. They appear in the legend about the cake’s name.<\/p>

Marzipan<\/strong>: A paste of almonds and sugar kneaded together. It is rolled out thinly to cover cakes and is also shaped into flowers and other forms.<\/p>

Bain-marie<\/strong>: Heating a container indirectly by setting it in hot water.<\/p>

Cornstarch<\/strong>: Starch obtained from corn. Here it is used to thicken the cream.<\/p>

Konsum<\/strong>: The name of a Swedish cooperative-affiliated retail chain. It appears in a cake advertisement from 1936.<\/p>

Prinsessbakelse<\/strong>: A version of prinsesst\u00e5rta made in a single-serving size.<\/p>

Groda<\/strong>: Swedish for \u201cfrog.\u201d It is also the name of a small cake made in the shape of a frog with green marzipan.<\/p>

Sm\u00e5land<\/strong>: A province in southern Sweden. It has the custom of the \u201cfirst Thursday in March,\u201d which celebrates the regional dialect.<\/p>

References<\/h2>\n
  1. \n

    Visit Sweden: Princess cake, Lisa Lemke recipe<\/a> \u2014 A celebration cake; sponge made with warmed whole eggs; adding the flour and butter; cooling the custard; assembling the three layers; raspberries; marzipan.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  2. \n

    Visit Sweden: Local legends<\/a> \u2014 A representative Swedish cake, the green cake, and the connection with \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m. Its statement giving 1948 as the year of publication does not match other sources and is not adopted as the year of first appearance.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  3. \n

    Peter Olausson: Prinsesst\u00e5rtor<\/a> \u2014 A comparative study of older, different sweets with the same name, with images of the 1936 advertisement and of the cookbook page for the green cake. The text and posted images were actually read. The book titles and years for the images are the poster’s attributions; the title pages of the originals have not been independently verified.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  4. \n

    Sveriges bagare & konditorer: press material of May 7, 2012<\/a> \u2014 The legend that attributes the cake’s origin to the princesses’ fondness for it, the pink prinsesst\u00e5rta, and the donation event.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  5. \n

    Sveriges bagare & konditorer: Prinsesst\u00e5rta Week 2009<\/a> \u2014 The industry event in the last week of September and its support activities. Because the starting year and \u201cthe 7th year\u201d in the text are inconsistent, the starting year is not used in this article.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  6. \n

    Isof: The first Thursday in March, celebrating dialect<\/a> \u2014 Dialect pronunciation and the cake; a regional event held since around 2010.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  7. \n

    Isof: Explanation of the 2026 event<\/a> \u2014 The 2025 inclusion in the national inventory of intangible cultural heritage. It does not describe an inscription on UNESCO’s world lists.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  8. \n

    Agnes Hamberger: Johanna Antonia (Jenny) \u00c5kerstr\u00f6m \/ Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon<\/a> \u2014 The opening of the school in 1907, the three princesses and their parents, their attendance in the 1920s, and the standing of the school and her publications.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  9. \n

    Arla: Prinsessbakelse<\/a> \u2014 The full ingredients and steps for the small version: upside-down assembly in molds, shaping by freezing, and powdered sugar at serving. Not used as a general standard for how many days it can be kept.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  10. \n

    Ullas Kondis: Grodor<\/a> \u2014 The shop’s own product description of its frog-shaped cake and its filling. Not treated as a uniform composition for groda in general.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  11. \n

    Isof: F\u00f6ssta tossdan i mass<\/a> \u2014 The standard and dialect word forms, the change in the r sound, its recent spread, and the 2025 national inventory.<\/p>\n<\/li>

  12. \n

    Evaluation of the etymology footnote: The older revision 59586650 of Swedish Wikipedia, used for comparison, includes in its \u201cNamn och varianter\u201d section a theory linking the name to prinsessmandel (\u201cprincess almond\u201d), a trade name for premium almonds. However, footnote 11 is not a specific article or testimony about the naming but a cross-newspaper search by the National Library of Sweden (https:\/\/tidningar.kb.se\/?q=%22prinsessmandel%22), and 2021-07-21 is the access date. The same footnote also carries a warning, in place since July 2021, that a source citation supporting the connection is needed. The existence of the trade name does not establish a causal link to the naming of the cake, so the theory is not currently added to the article as an etymology. This is not a conclusion that the theory is false; the decision is based on the lack of sources indicated by the compared revision itself and on the fact that no primary record can be traced from later accounts either.<\/p>\n<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    A round green dome with a small pink rose. Prinsesst\u00e5rta is a cake beloved in Sweden. Beneath its simple exterior lie layers of sponge and two kinds of cream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6980,"menu_order":60,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_parade_sweetlore_meta":{"en":"Prinsesst\u00e5rta","subtitle":"A Swedish cake with layers of cream beneath green marzipan","topics":"Green marzipan \/ sponge \/ custard \/ celebrations","country":"Sweden","show_toc":true,"ingredients":["nuts","cream"],"texture":[],"occasion":[],"method":["baked"],"season":[]},"footnotes":""},"sweetlore_category":[154],"class_list":["post-8305","sweetlore","type-sweetlore","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"sweetlore_related_products":null,"sweetlore_related_faqs":null,"sweetlore_related_voices":null,"sweetlore_related_mode":"manual","sweetlore_related_articles":[8264,8252,8253,8256,8261,8262,8263,8265]},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t