Danish Dream Cake (Drømmekage)

A traditional treat from Denmark! Drømmekage or Danish Dream Cake is a delicious, soft cake with coconut caramel on top.  Every bite has the right balance of sweetness from the cake and the topping.  Try it for your next coffee break!

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They call this dream cake because they say it ‘tastes like a dream.’ 

Yep, I smiled too the first time I heard that. 🙂

You can make this on a standard springform round cake pan, but since they’re generally cut into squares, I find it easier to use a square cake pan.

Danish dream cake could also work as a sheet cake — you just have to adjust this recipe. Or, you’ll end up with a slightly thin layer of cake.

Regardless of what pan or tray you want to use, expect a delightfully tasty treat that’s excellent with coffee or tea.

IF YOU LIKE MORE CLASSIC NORDIC DISHES, THEN YOU WILL LIKE THESE POSTS!

Ingredients

• Flour – you only need all-purpose flour for this dream cake recipe.

• Butter – unsalted butter.

• Brown sugar – I usually use muscovado sugar for making drommekage.

• Vanilla sugar – just use your favorite brand.

• Sugar – this is for the cake batter, so regular white sugar would be great.

• Desiccated coconut – unsweetened, dried coconut. 

• Baking powder – use whatever brand you have on hand.

• Milk – full cream milk, if possible.

• Eggs – medium-sized eggs (63 to 73 grams each or 2.2 to 2.5 ounces each), and at room temperature.

Preparation

Start preparing your dream cake by preheating the oven to 180°C (350°F).

Line your cake pan with baking paper.

Sift and mix flour, vanilla sugar, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl (photo 1).

Set the sifted dry ingredients aside for later.

Using a large mixing bowl, combine eggs with sugar (photo 2).

Use a hand mixer to combine until it becomes creamy.

Add the sifted dry ingredients, melted butter, and milk (photo 3).

Mix everything until you get a smooth dream cake batter.

Pour batter into the lined cake pan (photo 4).

Tap the pan on top of the counter to remove bubbles. 

Place the pan in the oven for about thirty minutes or until the top turns golden.

Ten minutes before you remove the cake out of the oven, start preparing the coconut caramel topping.

Using a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat, and add milk (photo 5).

Add brown sugar. 

Mix until the sugar has completely dissolved while bringing it to a slow boil. 

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add desiccated coconut and mix to combine (photo 6).

Pour the coconut and sugar mixture on top of your dream cake (photo 7).

Use a spatula to level the coconut caramel on top (photo 8).

Place cake back in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes.

Set cake aside for coconut caramel to solidify (about twenty minutes).

Slice your Danish dream cake into portions and serve!

Helpful tips

• Remember to use a baking sheet on top of your cake pan with some extra hanging on the sides.  

It makes it easier to lift drømmekage out of the pan before slicing.  

• You can use a metal whisk to mix if you don’t have a hand mixer.

• I use unsweetened coconut in this recipe.  If you are using sweetened ones, you might need to adjust the sugar in the topping to avoid making it too sweet.

• Be careful when taking your dream cake out of the oven for the last time.  

The caramel on top is extremely hot, and the bubbles are completely normal.

Recipe variation

• Brown sugar.   You can use any type of brown sugar — muscovado, turbinado, etc. The trick is to make sure it’s completely dissolved before mixing with the coconut.

However, if you want the topping to be darker, you must use dark brown sugar, not the lighter ones.

Looks so tempting, right?  Then give this drømmekage recipe a try this weekend, and let me know how it goes! 🙂