This is a classic Dutch cake or cookie. It is more like a flat cupcake, really. It will catch your eye if you go to a Dutch grocery store and browse through the isle with all the cookies and other pastries. They are the ones with the bright pink top. Unfortunately, we’re not able to enjoy the convenience of going into a store and just pick out and try all the different cookies, because we live in the USA. We miss these Dutch Pink cakes or ”roze koeken”, so why not make them ourselves?
Where does the ”roze koek” come from?
These Dutch Pink Cakes are officially called ”Glacé cakes” and are originally from Amsterdam. A company called ”de Bruin” started in 1948 to make these cakes until 1988, when another bakery called ”Lotus bakeries” started to make the pink cakes on a larger scale.
There is a possibility that these cakes actually came from Italy even before World War II, when Italian ice cream makers opened up stores in bigger cities like Amsterdam.
What is a ”roze koek”
Typically these cookies are more of a cup cake with a flat top. The top has a nice pink sugary layer. I was happily surprised that the recipes I found, called for raspberry juice as a coloring method, instead of food coloring. Some recipes had 1/4 cup of almond flour in the batter, which made the cakes more dry, more cookie like. I love the hint of lemon zest in the batter and lemon juice in the sugar layer on top.
And because these are pink, they’ll be so great for a Valentine’s Day treat. Check out more Valentine’s Day treats, like these heart shape apple cookies.
And talking about Valentine’s Day, need super creative ideas for Valentine’s Day? Here are home made gifts to bring smiles to your boyfriend’s/girlfriend’s/husband’s/partner’s face.
And what about this awesome Home Spa to do on Valentine’s Day with your family!
What went wrong with my first batch?
Mostly I make Dutch treats for my kids and my husband…..okay not always….I will try them first of course…a lot of them!!
My first batch, I didn’t use almond flour and the cakes went up like real cupcakes. I wanted to get the flat tops, so I cut the tops off. This meant that the sugary syrup totally soaked into the cake, which was something that the kids didn’t mind at all!
The idea of cutting the tops off came from someone who participated at a baking show in the Netherlands. I’m not sure if he was able to get the flat tops without cutting them off or if he had a problem to create the crunchy sugary pink top without it disappearing into the cake.
My next batch I didn’t bother with a little raised top, but I was sure not to let the syrup soak in. The looked a lot better.
I also used frozen cherries, instead of raspberries for the red color.
The Recipe for ”Roze Koeken”.
Roze Koeken (Dutch Pink Cakes)
These cupcake like “Roze Koeken” are Dutch style pastries with a top layer made of pink sugar.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Butter room temperature
- 1/2 Cup Sugar 100 gram
- 2 Eggs room temperature
- 1 Tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Pinch Salt
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/4 Tsp Baking powder
- 2 Tsp Lemon zest
- 1 Cup Flour
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 1/2 Cups Powdered sugar
- 1/2 Cup Frozen red fruit (raspberries)
Instructions
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Turn the oven on to 350F (180C). Grease and dust some flour over the cupcake pan. Set aside.
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Cream the butter and the sugar with a mixer until light yellow.
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Add all the rest of the ingredients except for the powdered sugar, red fruit and lemon juice.
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Beat for 3-4 minutes. Divide the batter in the cupcake mold. Make them only half full.
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Put the cakes in the oven for about 10 minutes with a cookie sheet on top. This way they won’t go high like cupcakes. Bake for another 10-12 minutes without the cookie sheet.
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Let cakes cool completely. In the meantime slowly boil the red fruit in a small pot just enough when liquid starts to come out.
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Mix the powdered sugar, lemon juice and coloring juice. Dip the top of the cakes in the sugary mix and let it harden on a rack.
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ENJOY!!!!
Hello everyone,
Welcome to my Crafty Dutch Girl blog! Grab a cup of “koffie” and browse through fun blog posts about our Dutch family expat life in the USA, Dutch history, Dutch recipes, Dutch things to do in the USA and all kinds of crafts and activities. Don’t forget to connect with me for new ideas! “Groetjes en tot ziens”.
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