A Legendary Norwegian Cake Recipe—The Best Cake In The World.

Kvæfjordkake — Norway's "World's Best Cake" (Verdens beste)

🛒 INGREDIENTS

Cake base:
• Unsalted butter, softened — 3½ oz (100 g)
• Egg yolks — 4
• Milk, room temperature — 3½ tbsp (50 ml)
• All-purpose flour (plain flour) — 1¼ cups (150 g)
• Baking powder — 1 tsp (5 g)
• Sugar — ¼ cup (50 g)
• Salt — 1 pinch

Meringue:
• Egg whites — 4
• Sugar — 1 cup (200 g)
• Lemon juice — 1 tsp (5 ml)
• Vanilla extract — 1 tsp (5 ml)
• Salt — 1 pinch
• Sliced almonds or chopped pecans — ½–1 cup (50–100 g)

Diplomat cream — custard:
• Milk — 2 cups (500 ml)
• Egg yolks — 3
• Sugar — ½ cup (100 g)
• Cornstarch (cornflour) — ⅓ cup (40 g)
• Salt — 1 pinch
• Vanilla — to taste

Diplomat cream — whipped cream:
• Cold heavy cream / double cream (33–35%) — 1 cup (240 ml)
• Sugar — 1 tbsp

Pan: a quarter sheet, 9.5 × 13 in (24 × 33 cm). For a half sheet, 13 × 18 in (33 × 46 cm), scale the quantities up or the layer comes out too thin.

👩‍🍳 METHOD

1) Custard (make first — it needs to chill). Whisk 3 yolks, ½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup cornstarch and a pinch of salt smooth in a heavy saucepan. Heat 2 cups milk until almost simmering, then pour about a third into the yolks in a thin stream, whisking constantly so they don't scramble. Return everything to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling — then cook 1–2 minutes more. Off the heat, stir in vanilla, transfer to a bowl, press cling film onto the surface, and chill until cold (about 2 hours).

2) Prep. Heat the oven to 320°F (160°C). Line a rectangular sheet pan with good parchment.

3) Batter. Beat 3½ oz soft butter with the ¼ cup sugar until smooth (a mixer is easiest). Add the 4 yolks one at a time, then 3½ tbsp room-temp milk. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together and sift into the butter in 2–3 additions, folding just until no dry flour remains. Spread onto the parchment in a very thin, even rectangle.

4) Meringue. In a spotlessly clean, dry bowl, whip 4 whites with a pinch of salt and the lemon juice on low to a soft foam. Raise to medium and add 1 cup sugar gradually, 1 tbsp at a time; finish with the vanilla. Whip to a glossy, stiff-peak meringue (about 10 minutes). Spread over the raw batter, sweep into waves and peaks, and scatter generously with almonds or pecans.

5) Bake & cut. Bake about 30 minutes, until the meringue is dry and golden. Keep the pan in the lower third of the oven so the top doesn't scorch. Important: as soon as it's out — while still hot and soft — cut the sheet in half into two equal pieces. Let them cool to room temperature.

6) Finish. Whip 1 cup cold cream with 1 tbsp sugar to soft peaks. Beat the cold custard smooth, then fold in the whipped cream gently, bottom to top. Set one cooled layer on a plate, meringue up. Spread on all the cream, top with the second layer (meringue up), and press lightly. Chill 2–4 hours to set and soak.

💡 KEY TIPS
• Temperature: butter and milk for the batter at the same room temperature; cream for whipping ice-cold.
• Cut it hot — slice the sheet while warm; once cool, the meringue crust shatters.
• Add the sugar to the whites slowly, or the meringue "weeps" syrup in the oven.
• Use superfine (caster) sugar for the meringue — it dissolves faster and gives a more stable, glossy result than regular granulated.
• Whipping the meringue took me about 8–10 minutes — go by texture: glossy with stiff peaks.
• Temper the yolks: stream the hot milk in slowly while whisking, or you'll get sweet scrambled eggs.
• Cook the custard out — let it bubble 1–2 minutes, or it stays loose and tastes of raw starch.
• Cool the custard fully before folding; warm custard melts the cream and turns it to soup.
• Don't overmix the batter — stop the moment the flour disappears. A thin layer is normal.

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