Prinsesstårta (Princess Cake)

For the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease 3, 8-inch round cake pans with butter (or a 9×9-inch square baking pan if making 1/3 the batter for the half size log shape cake). Set aside.
• Combine the whole egg, vanilla, stevia, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and doubles in volume and the mixture falls in ribbons from the whisk, about 5 minutes. Fold in the almond flour and baking powder.
• In a clean bowl with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites and xanthan gum with an electric mixer until they form medium peaks (not quite stiff peaks). Gently whisk one third of the whites into the almond batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining whites until evenly combined.
• Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pans and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until springy to the touch but not browned. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool completely in the tin, about 20 minutes before removing and storing, wrapped in cling film to prevent drying.

For the Creme Patissiere

• Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl and it set aside to rehydrate.
• Add the cream and milk to a large pot on medium heat and bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.
• Whisk the yolks together with the stevia, salt, and glucomann in a large heat proof bowl.
• When the milk and cream are at a low simmer, slowly pour the hot mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to keep the eggs from overcooking to temper them. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the pot of cream. Cook while whisking slowly and constantly until thickened, about 4-5 minutes. As the mixture becomes more thick, whisk vigorously to keep the cooking even, watching for bubbles. When you see a couple of bubbles, remove from heat. Do not boil as it will cause the eggs to overcook and scramble.
• Remove from heat and whisk in the rehydrated gelatin until smooth, about 1 minute. Then whisk in the butter, another 30 seconds or so.
• Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a storage container. Immediately press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold, about 2 hours and up to 3 days. Whisk thoroughly before using.

For the Jam

• Sprinkle the gelatin over the tablespoon of water and let soften for 10 minutes. While gelatin is hydrating, cook the raspberries. You can microwave them until broken down and soft or heat over medium-high heat in a small pan on the stovetop, pressing to break them down. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a small bowl, pressing to extract as much as possible, discard seeds. Stir in the stevia, pinch of salt, lemon juice, glucomann, and rehydrated gelatin. Stir well until gelatin is melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside, stirring occasionally until cool and thickened.

For the Marzipan

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend the ingredients together until you have a smooth marzipan. Roll into a log and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator before using.

To Assemble

To make a full-size circular dome cake

• Whip the cream, stevia, and salt to stiff peaks. Mix 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pastry cream, reserve the remaining 2/3.
• Place the first layer of cake onto a serving plate. Spread half of the jam on top. Add half of the pastry cream mixture. Top with a second cake layer and repeat layering with jam and pastry cream. Top with the final cake layer.
• Spread the reserved whipped cream over the top and sides (to keep the jam from leaking) of the cake, forming a dome on top.
• Roll the marzipan between 2 sheets of parchment paper until about 14 inches in diameter so that it is large enough to cover the cake. Peel one sheet off carefully. Then drape the marzipan over top of the cake, carefully peeling back the second sheet. Gently pull the marzipan down to cover the cake, smoothing and pressing it to the cake with your hands to prevent wrinkles. Trim excess and gently push the edges of the marzipan in at the base.
• Dust the top of the cake and then place the rose in the middle of the top.

To make the yule log shape half size cake

• Trim the cake and then cut into even thirds that will fit a Yule log shape silicon mold (I used a Silikomart buche mold 220x60mmx50mm).
• Spread 2/3 of the whipped cream into the top of the silicon log mold. Top with a layer of sponge cake. Spread a layer of jam, followed by a layer of pastry cream (fold the remaining 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pastry cream before you place it into the mold). Finally, top with a final layer of sponge cake. Freeze overnight.
• Unmold the frozen cake. Roll out the marzipan in a large rectangle and transfer as described for the full size cake. Let thaw before slicing and serving.