What is a Traestammer in English?

English: Examples of the Danish confectionery cakes træstammer (English: " wooden logs "). The interior of the white marzipan shells, are filled with a cacao- and rum-flavoured pastry called trøffelmasse. The ends and the bottom sides of træstammer are dipped in dark chocolate.

What is marzipan made of?

Marzipan is typically made from finely ground blanched (skinless) almonds, confectioners' sugar, egg whites and almond extract to intensify flavor .

Why is marzipan not popular in America?

Not many Americans have been exposed to marzipan. Most that have have been exposed to the southern European style which has much more sugar (60:40 sugar:almond or more) and doesn't taste all that great. Also, a lot of it is imported and by the time it gets to the US it's stale .

What is marzipan called in America?

What is Marzipan? Marzipan, also known as almond candy dough , is a smooth and pliable confectionary paste made from almonds that can be used as a cake icing or molded into candies. It features a clay-like consistency that makes it easy to handle.

What is the best marzipan in the world?

The World's Finest Marzipan Lubeca has been producing marzipan since 1904. The company continues to use traditional methods of production and is recognized by bakers, pastry chefs and chocolatiers as one of the leading producers of high quality almond paste marzipan.

What is so special about marzipan?

The glory of marzipan is because it holds a shape easily , you can cut out or mold your own figures to decorate holiday pastries. It's also used as a kind of heavy-duty frosting for Christmas cakes because it helps long-keeping cakes (like fruitcakes) retain their moisture instead of going stale.

Is it OK to eat marzipan?

The best quality marzipan contains less sugar in the raw mix. Good marzipan contains minerals such calcium, potassium and magnesium and is also rich in vitamin B and polyunsaturated fatty acids. On the downside, marzipan is high in fat and in sugar .

What is the difference between almond paste and marzipan?

Almond paste has a coarser texture but is much softer than marzipan , which allows it to be spread as a filling. Unlike marzipan, almond paste holds up in baking. The sugar content of almond paste is lower and its almond content higher than marzipan.

1 Because marzipan is based on almonds, it is a sufficient content of vitamin E , in fact, as in the walnut. This vitamin in nature is a very powerful antioxidant and helps to fight stress and nervous tension.

Recipe for Danish Tree Logs (Træstammer) - The BEST and EASY Recipe (2024)

Published: Jun 11, 2015 · Modified: Feb 8, 2020 · About 3 minutes to read this article. · By Kim Nielsen

Traditional and old-fashioned recipe for the Danish Tree Logs also known as Traestammer. Delicious and soft chocolate cake covered with thin layer of marzipan.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

If we have some cake left-over we always bag it and save it in the freezer instead of throwing it out. After some time we have saved enough cake so that we can make some Danish Rum Balls or these Danish Tree Logs. In Denmark these marzipan-covered-rum-cakes are called Træstammer which translated means Tree Logs. Danish Tree Logs are a very traditional dessert and have been made and sold by the danish bakers for many, many year. We both remember having had these as kids and that we loved them!

See also: Traditional recipe for Danish Dream Cake (Droemmekage)

A Danish Tree Log is made from left-over cake which is blended together with some marzipan (almond paste), dark chocolate, raspberry jam and a little rum essence. Then they are covered with marzipan and dipped in chocolate. You can use different types of cake e.g. Danish pastry and chocolate cake. However, we personally prefer chocolate cake which goes great together with the dark chocolate which is added to the 'batter'.

Danish Tree Logs (Træstammer)

Traditional and old-fashioned recipe for the Danish Tree Logs also known as Traestammer. Delicious and soft chocolate cake covered with thin layer of marzipan.

Print Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Course: Danish Pastry

Cuisine: Danish

Servings: 13 cakes

Author: NordicFoodLiving.com

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

Chocolate Rum Cake

450 g cake left-overs (e.g. Danish pastry or chocolate cake)
100 g marzipan
100 g dark chocolate (melted)
1 tbsp raspberry jam
2 tbsp rum essence

Marzipan covering

200 g marzipan (at room temperature)
a little icing sugar
100 g dark chocolate (melted)

Instructions

Cut the cake into smaller pieces and pour it in a food processor.
Grate the marzipan and melt the chocolate; pour it into the food processor. Also add the raspberry jam and rum essence.
Run the food processor until all the ingredients are completely mixed into a sticky dough.
Roll the chocolate dough into two logs with a length of about 40 cm (15 inch) each. Let the logs cool in the fridge while preparing the marzipan covering.
Make the marzipan covering: Start by bringing the marzipan to a room temperature. Using a rolling pin; roll the marzipan into a thin squared piece. If you sprinkle the kitchen table with a little icing sugar, then the marzipan will be easier to remove afterwards. You can also try using a sheet of parchment paper instead of icing sugar.
Divide the rolled marzipan into two pieces.
Place the chocolate logs on the marzipan and roll them so that the entire logs are covered with marzipan.
Cut the logs into smaller pieces with a length of about 8-10 cm (3-4 inch).
Melt the chocolate in a water bath or using the microwave on low heat.
Cover a chopping board or similar with parchment paper.
Dip each end of the logs in the chocolate and place them on the parchment paper.
Let the logs cool off until the chocolate is completely hardened.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Julie-Katrine
June 02, 2016 at 11:23 am
Hvor er det skønt at se at der er nogen som kommer ud over lille Danmark med vores skønne mad ❤️
Reply
- Louise Dam
  June 12, 2016 at 6:44 pm
  Tak Julie-Katrine, det er så hyggeligt når der er nogen på den anden side af kloden der interesserer sig for f.eks. gammel dansk julemad :-)
  Reply
rachel
September 22, 2016 at 6:13 pm
Beautiful photography. beautiful everything! Love the site, I will be a frequent visitor.
Reply
See Also
Chocolate biscuit balls recipe, no bake step by step - Edible Garden
- Kim Nielsen
  September 22, 2016 at 6:18 pm
  Hi Rachel. Thanks for your nice words. It's always nice to know that somebody likes what you are doing :-)
  Reply
Jen
December 16, 2016 at 11:15 am
I just found this site! My grandfather is from Denmark and isn't well at the moment and I'm looking for things to make him that will perhaps bring him some extra joy - we plan to have risalamande next weekend for Christmas! For the Tree Logs, is it okay if the leftover cake is frosted (as most of my cake leftovers are) or is it preferable that there be no icing? Would I perhaps reduce the marzipan in the filling to account for the moisture imparted by any frosting? Thanks!
Reply
- Kim Nielsen
  December 16, 2016 at 1:06 pm
  Hi Jen. Sorry to about your grandfather. I normally always use cake leftovers which has been in the freezer, that is normally no problem. I would just use the amount of marzipan from the recipe. Regards Kim
  Reply
Greta
July 01, 2017 at 10:52 am
Hello, I really want to try making these, but my chocolate cake did not rise at all and is kind of chewy and really close textured, would this recipe still work?
Best regards from the UK!
Reply
- Kim Nielsen
  July 01, 2017 at 10:54 am
  Hi Greta. These cakes are not supposed to rise. I hope that you like them.
  Reply
  - Greta
    July 01, 2017 at 3:13 pm
    Hi Kim, I meant the cake that is used to make these, not the logs themselves
    Reply
    - Nordicfoodliving.com
      July 01, 2017 at 3:38 pm
      Hi Greta. Arh yes you are right, I was a little too fast. :-)
      I would try to use the cake you have made. I actually think it might still work.
      Reply
Ruth Beal
June 19, 2018 at 6:35 pm
Min far sagde altid at de kager blev lavet afdet bageren fejede op på gulvet. Jeghar altid elsket de kager og er glad for at endelig finde en opskrift på dem. Vi plejede at få en roulade der have træstammendejen i midten og så var der roulade med vanilla smør krem rullt omkring det. Den var beklædt med marcipan og enderne dyppet i chokolade. Vi kæmpede om ende stykkerne. Jeg kan ikke lide romsmagen så jeg vil prøve at bruge orange smag i stedet for . Tak for opskruften
Reply
- Kim Nielsen
  June 20, 2018 at 6:31 am
  Hej. Jeg fik også altid at vide at ingredienserne, var opfej fra bagerens gulv. Jeg ved dog ikke om det er rigtigt, det lyder lidt mærkeligt syntes jeg. Jeg kan også huske at endestykkerne, med chokoladen, altid var dem som blev spist først. Jeg er glad for at du har fundet opskriften og at du kan lide den. Hvis du er interesseret i en lidt mere sukker-fattig opskrift, kan jeg anbefale min opskrift på træstammer med dadler. Du kan finde opskriften her på min blog.
  Reply
Elle
December 07, 2019 at 11:27 am
Thank you so much for this recipe. When we visit Denmark we love to enjoy Træstammer but have never found it being sold anywhere else in Europe. Now we can make Træstammer ourselves at home - can't wait to try this recipe!
Reply
- Kim Nielsen
  December 08, 2019 at 10:27 am
  You are welcome. I hope that you will enjoy the recipe and maybe bring back some good memories from your visit in Denmark :-)
  Reply
Jean Lamb
April 18, 2021 at 4:32 pm

These taste delicious ... had only previously tasted the Ikea ones which I love, but these are in a different class!!
Reply
- Kim Nielsen
  April 19, 2021 at 7:37 am
  Thanks for your comment. I'm happy that you liked the recipe for Danish tree logs :-) Regards Kim (NordicFoodLiving.com)
  Reply