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Verdens Beste
Sørlandet · Southern Coast

Verdens Beste

Literally "the world's best" — meringue-topped sponge layered with vanilla cream and toasted almonds.

1 hr 40 minAdvanced
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Cultural Context & History

Voted the national cake of Norway, kvæfjordkake — better known as "the world's best" — layers airy sponge, crackling almond meringue and vanilla cream into pure celebration.

Ingredients

  • 150 g butter, softened714 kcal · 0 g protein · 78.6 g fat · 0 g carbs per 100 g
  • 120 g caster sugar399 kcal · 0 g protein · 0.3 g fat · 99.4 g carbs per 100 g
  • 5 egg yolks (whites saved for the meringue)
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder0 kcal · 0 g protein · 0 g fat · 0 g carbs per 100 g
  • 5 tbsp milk55 kcal · 3.4 g protein · 2.1 g fat · 5.1 g carbs per 100 g
  • For the meringue: 5 egg whites, 200 g caster sugar, 100 g sliced almonds
  • For the filling: 300 ml vanilla custard, 300 ml double cream, whipped97 kcal · 5.1 g protein · 3.6 g fat · 11 g carbs per 100 g

Per-100 g values shown for ingredients verified against Nutrition data: USDA FoodData Central (snapshot 2026-09-11). Ingredients not yet verified show no nutrition line.

Recommended Tools

  • Electric whiskWhips the whites to a stiff, glossy meringue with ease.
  • Large flat baking sheetBakes the sponge and meringue in one even layer.
  • Offset palette knifeSpreads the meringue and cream cleanly to the edges.

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Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. 1

    Cream the butter and sugar until pale, then beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Fold through the flour, baking powder and milk and spread the batter evenly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

  2. 2

    Whip the egg whites with the sugar to a stiff, glossy meringue and spread it gently over the batter. Scatter the sliced almonds across the top.

  3. 3

    Bake at 175°C for 25-30 minutes, until the meringue is crisp and pale gold, then leave to cool completely on the tray.

  4. 4

    Fold the whipped cream into the custard. Cut the cake in half, spread the filling over one piece meringue-side up, and top with the second to sandwich.

  5. 5

    Chill thoroughly before slicing, so the filling sets and the cake cuts cleanly.

Chef's Tip

This cake is better the day after baking — an overnight rest lets the meringue soften into the cream and the flavours settle, which is exactly why Norwegians make it ahead.

Chef's Tip

Whip the whites in a spotlessly clean, grease-free bowl; any trace of yolk or fat will stop the meringue reaching the stiff peak it needs.

How this page was made

Written by
The Norcook editorial archive. No individual author is named yet — see the editorial and food-safety policy for what that means and what has to happen before a byline appears.
Content last checked
— “checked” records an editorial check, not a qualified review. Where one exists, the recipe-specific review record appears in the food-safety callout.
Regional context
Sørlandet — the hub carries the wider background, the ingredient glossary and its own sources.
Sources
No page-level sources are recorded for this recipe yet. The cultural background above is written as general context, not as a sourced historical claim.

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