Conditori La Glace in the heart of Copenhagen has been crafting cakes and confectionery since 1870. From weddings to silver jubilees, Denmark's oldest patisserie has a tradition of celebrating royal occasions.
On the morning of my visit, people were huddled outside its shopfront, taking photos of its window display where royal family portraits and vintage gold candlesticks stood alongside trays of fancy cakes.
Danes were left stunned when the country's much-loved Queen Margrethe announced she would hand the throne to her eldest son Frederik, during her annual New Year's Eve speech.
La Glace's owner, Marianne Stagetorn Kolos, told me that she too was overwhelmed. "I like the royal family. I'm a fan."
The next day, La Glace's team of pastry chefs quickly set to work preparing a new royal recipe fit for a king. The result? A rather regal and sumptuous chocolate financier.
"It is a very masculine cake. At the same time, [it has] some elegance and lightness about it," Stagetorn Kolos explained. "It basically melts in your mouth."
The small buttery almond cake is made in a circular mould with chocolate and Danish favourite, marzipan, then crowned with a caramel crémeux that's thicker and denser than a mousse. At its centre is salted caramel and hazelnut praline. That's all dusted, of course, with gold, then decorated with a disc of toasted hazelnuts and three kinds of chocolate.
Conditori La Glace set up a window display of royal family portraits and trays of cakes (Credit: Adrienne Murray Nielsen)
For Stagetorn Kolos, it was important that the Frederik X cake should be "loved by the people for many years", just as Queen Margrethe's cake has been.
Ever since she came to throne in 1972, La Glace has made a cake in her honour. Consisting of a Florentine biscuit with soft nougat and smooth hazelnut praline, the "Margrethekage" is topped with a signature white marzipan flower in tribute to the queen's nickname, "Daisy".
Tucked away behind the pastry shop is La Glace's four-storey production house. Climbing the steep, narrow staircase, I passed a century-old ice cream machine and was met with wafts of caramel and the sweet scent of chocolate. In a third-floor kitchen, trainee chef Amelia Heimann was piping hazelnut paste and salted caramel into the centre of each financier. "It's just a nice surprise in the middle with all the lovely flavours," she told me. Finally, she gently placed circles of gold-dusted hazelnuts and chocolate on top. "There's a kind of crown-look," she pointed out.
It's just a nice surprise in the middle with all the lovely flavours. There's a kind of crown-look.
It all sounded rather rich and decadent, but when I tasted it, I was surprised to find it quite light and not as sweet as I'd imagined. It seems others might agree; the Frederik cake has been selling fast.
Having outlasted four monarchs, Conditori La Glace has changed little over its 150-year history. Inside, its pink-panelled walls, vintage clocks and gold-framed photographs transport customers to a bygone era where only the most classic pastries and cakes are served. For a city where cutting-edge bakeries seemingly open almost every other week, such longevity is remarkably rare.
"This is how it is. This is how we'll stay," insisted Stagetorn Kolos, who has run this Copenhagen institution for 35 years.
The patisserie serves a mind-boggling array of almost 40 French-inspired desserts, from large creamy gateaux to macaroons, as well as pastries and bread. Other famous Danes have also earned a place on the menu. There's the Hans Christian Andersen, a white chocolate gateau, and the coffee-flavoured Karen Blixen, while composer Carl Nielsen has been immortalised as a chocolate orange truffle.
Behind the glass counter, staff in green aprons hastily served customers as the line stretched towards the door. Among those patiently waiting was Bente Faerch, who told me she'd frequented La Glace many times before. "It's a place with a lot of history," she said. But for her, this occasion was especially nostalgic. "When Queen Margrethe was coronated, I was here with my parents. So, I wanted to be here today as well."
Sunday's succession saw Copenhagen's streets transformed into a sea of people waving red and white Danish flags as they wished farewell to Margrethe and welcomed King Frederik and his wife, Queen Mary.
Trainee chef Amelia Heimann pipes hazelnut paste and salted caramel into the centre of each cake (Credit: Adrienne Murray Nielsen)
Across Denmark, other bakeries have marked this historic moment, too. Inside Copenhagen's fanciest hotel, patisserie Maison D'Angleterre prepared raspberry-flavoured macaroons. Bakery Bodenhoff, also based in the capital, released colourful chocolate-coated strawberry mousses; while Middelfart's Baks Bakery & Deli produced a red and white sugar-coated rum ball.
According to food historian Nina Bauer, namesake or special occasion cakes saw a golden age in Denmark in the mid-19th Century, when anniversaries, celebrity visits and even theatre performances were all marked with a cake. However, many were just one-off celebrations and the recipes were often forgotten over time, causing the tradition to wane.
"Only a few of these special occasion cakes have survived," said Bauer, noting that La Glace stands out because some of its older recipes have endured. "It's not that common anymore. So, I think the coronation has brought this tradition up to speed in the whole country."
Back at La Glace, its 56-year-old owner has succession plans of her own. After taking over the patisserie from her mother, while aged 21, she will pass it on to her daughters next year.
So, have the royals eaten her cakes? I asked. "We have delivered the Margrethe to them," she said. So maybe they'll order the Frederik cake too.
For those unable to make a trip to Copenhagen, here's Conditori La Glace's home baker-friendly recipe for its Sarah Bernhardt cakes. While the mini chocolate-covered confections are not a royal-themed creation, this is one of Denmark's most famous cakes. It was created in 1911 to honour Bernhardt, a famous French actress who had visited Copenhagen, and the recipe offers a delicious taste of this famous patisserie.
Sarah Bernhardt cakes were created in 1911 to honour Bernhardt, a famous French actress who had visited Copenhagen (Credit Conditori La Glace)
Sarah Bernhardt cakes recipe
By Conditori La Glace
Makes 10 cakes
Ingredients
For the macaroon base:
200g baking marzipan
320g sugar
3-4 egg whites
For the chocolate truffle:
375g heavy whipping cream
240g chopped dark chocolate (58% cocoa recommended)
300-400g dark chocolate to cover the cakes
Method
Step 1
For macaroon base: mix the marzipan and sugar together with a spatula, until combined well. (Or use a mixer if making large quantities). Add egg whites until the mixture is wet, but firm. Fill the mixture into a piping bag and pipe it into discs, 7cm in diameter, onto a tray lined with greaseproof paper. Bake the bases in a pre-heated oven at 160C for 25 minutes.
Step 2
For chocolate truffle: pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as the cream is boiling, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Stir carefully until evenly combined. Place the truffle mix in the fridge for a minimum 4 hours to thicken.
Step 3
Assembling the cakes: spread the chocolate truffle on the macaroon bases (approximately 60g each) and shape into pyramid-like peaks. Place the cakes in the fridge while you melt 300-400g of dark chocolate in a bowl over a pot of simmering water. Dip each cake in melted chocolate, holding onto the macaroon base so just the chocolate truffle part gets coated. Place the cakes in the fridge for around 30 minutes, and then serve.
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