Living Under a Dessert Rock

There is no such thing as a hot fudge sundae in Denmark.

I was shocked. No, I was scandalized. How could the concept of warm, sticky chocolate goo over cold and creamy ice cream, topped with the perfect cloud of whipped cream not exist? Needless to say my future plans involve opening a sundae shop in Copenhagen. I think I will make billions of Danish kroner.

A few weeks later, I was discussing Thanksgiving with my host family. When we got to the topic of dessert, I was disturbed that I had to not only explain what an apple pie is, but also just pies in general. My mom has to send me canned pumpkin and tinfoil pie plates for the holidays, because I have not been able to find either one in grocery stores.

How could Denmark forsake these iconic desserts that we hold so near and dear to our hearts? How could Denmark live without the pastries that we wait for months to devour? How could you, Denmark?!? The fact is that Denmark is too busy enjoying the sweets that are nearly impossible to find in the US. After sampling marzipan pastries from my local bakery, and layer kage from a Copenhagen Institution, my only question is this: How could we, America? How could we?!?

While lacking in the pies and sundaes department, Denmark certainly makes up for it with its tarts and kages (cakes). While fruit and cream fillings tend to dominate American pies and tarts, the star ingredient in Danish tarts is marzipan. Marzipan is a brown, sugared almond paste, and Danish bakers have mastered the art of this confection with its application to almost every type of sweet Denmark has to offer. It is in chocolate bars, it is stuffed in dates at Christmastime, it is dyed pretty colors, and it is the filling for the best tart I have ever had.

Every Friday is kage day at my house. My host family has the whole extended family over to eat, laugh, and catch up on each other’s week. When I came home from school one Friday, there was a marzipan tart sitting on the dining room table. A perfectly buttery tart crust was filled with the almond paste, topped with honey-glazed hazelnuts and almonds, and generously drizzled with a dark chocolate ganache. It had the perfect amount of sweetness, balanced with the savory nuts and the slight bitterness of the dark chocolate. As I cut into my third piece, I wondered why this tart, or just marzipan is not available in almost any bakery in America.

Besides the tart, all other round dessert substances are put into the general category of kage. The most popular type in Denmark is the specialty cream kage, where layers of different types of mousses are stacked on top of each other in impressive numbers. You can buy these layer cakes at almost any Conditori, but the one place you have to go to is La Glace.

La Glace is a Copenhagen Institution. Established in 1870, six generations have been making the most delicious cakes I have ever tried. My host grandmother remembers enjoying a slice in the late 19th century – styled dining room when she was a little girl. Looking at the menu, you have a choice of several different layer cakes named after famous Danes or monuments such as H.C. Andersen, Karen Blixen, or Det Gyldne Tårn (The Golden Tower). While I wanted a slice of everything, for my first visit I had to have what La Glace is know for: the Sportskage.

The Sports Cake is named after the Danish play “Sports Man”, which premiered in November 1891 in Copenhagen. When my slice was placed in front of me, I saw how little it resembled the cakes I am so used to eating at home. On top of a thin, macaroon bottom where the cake should have been was a huge dome of cream full of crushed nougat, topped with an “icing” of delicate whipped cream. Finished with little balls of caramelized choux pastry, - - the pastry used in éclairs - - the kage was rich, sweet, and obviously creamy, yet magically still light and not too filling. The last bite was emotionally on par with my first goldfish dying. La Glace redefined my idea of what a cake should be. Why have essentially sweet vanilla or chocolate bread when you could have nougat and whipped cream? I suppose everyone has their own opinion, but I was ecstatic to learn that my host family gets all their birthday cakes from La Glace. Another slice of heaven, here I come!

Of course I still think it is crazy that hot fudge sundaes are not available on every block, especially in a country that has the highest yearly consumption of ice cream in Europe. Of course I am going to miss my easy access to a slice of homemade pie this year. When you travel, although you might miss the foods from home, you can find acts of culinary genius that you could never dream of. So is it really Denmark that has been living under the dessert rock, or is it us?