Tanja wins immunity with a Swedish princess cake on MasterChef
Twelve contestants had 130 minutes to prepare a demanding Swedish princess cake, and Tanja took the victory and immunity.
The Swedish princess cake is recognized by its green marzipan dress and distinctive domed shape. Contestants had 130 minutes to prepare it, and the judges decided to taste only the most promising cakes.
Karim summed up the difficulty with one sentence: "This is starting from scratch." However, he emphasized that the cake is based on fundamental principles: "It's a demanding cake, but it's based on the basic principles we learn in the first year of pastry making." Luka advised starting with the sponge cake, which should be quite dense, followed by the cream and raspberry jam, and adding the marzipan almost at the end.
The assembly requires precision. The first layer of sponge cake is covered with raspberry jam, leaving a border around the edge, and the second with vanilla cream, again leaving a border. The domed shape is achieved with whipped cream. Only then is it covered with marzipan and decorated with the characteristic rose and leaf.
Tanja, Anna, Ian, and Dominik impressed the judges the most, and their cakes moved on to the tasting. Tanja was the most enthusiastic. Karim congratulated her: "You've achieved the perfect level of moistness with just the right amount of jam, vanilla cream, and whipped cream. Everything is perfect. This cake is worthy of the display case." Luka added: "Today you've set the bar very high for a Swedish princess." Mojmir commented: "Now all that's left for us to do is applaud with joy."
Tanja won immunity and was overcome with emotion: "Even when I was standing in front of the judges and they praised me, I could barely hold back the tears." She added, "I finally believe I can do it, that I can reach for the stars." The badge was presented to her by pastry chef Karim Merdjadi.
