Vacuum cleaner cakes (Dammsugare)
A cousin to the Danish Romkugler, these treats from Sweden are also made using leftover cake and pastries. The name ‘Vacuum Cleaners’ is both because the shape looks a bit like a vacuum cleaner tube – and because, well, it was said to be made from all the bits the baker vacuumed up from the floor at the end of the day!
Traditionally, the marzipan covering is green. For this, 25% marzipan is fine (this can be bought in normal supermarkets) – and you can colour it any shade you like to make a vibrant selection. In Denmark, these are often sold in bakeries two or three times the size of these. There, they are known as ‘Tree Trunks’ (Træstammer).
Makes about 20, depending on your sizing.
Servings: 20 Cakes
Ingredients
- 250 g 2 ½ cups crumbled leftover cake (store-bought Madeira, sponge, Swiss/jelly roll or similar
- 75 g 3/4 stick butter
- 1 ½ tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 heaped tablespoon raspberry jam
- Rum essence or Arrack liqueur to taste.
- Green food colouring paste
- 250 g 9 oz marzipan or almond paste (at least 25% almond content)
- Icing/confectioners’ sugar to dust
- 150 g 5 ½ oz dark chocolate, melted
Instructions
- Put the cake crumbs, butter, cocoa, raspberry jam and rum essence into a food mixer and mix on a medium setting until you have a smooth paste. Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour before rolling. Depending on what cake you use you may need a little more jam to keep it smooth.
- Meanwhile, add a few drops of green food colouring paste to the marzipan and work it with your hands until the colour is even.
- Roll out the marzipan on a surface lightly dusted with icing/confectioners’ sugar.
- Roll out long logs of the cake mixture, approximately 1.5 cm (5/8 in.) in diameter and lay one at a time on top of the marzipan. Roll enough of the marzipan around the cake mixture to cover completely and cut. Set aside seam-side down. Repeat until you have used all of the cake mixture and marzipan, then cut the logs into 6–7-cm (2 ½ –2 ¾ in). pieces.
- Dip each end of the logs in the melted chocolate and place on baking parchment. Leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe by Bronte Aurell for ScandiKitchen. You’ll find this recipe in The ScandiKitchen Cookbook and in Bronte at Home, published by Ryland, Peters and Small. Photo by Pete Cassidy.
