Kransekage is the traditional Danish New Year's Eve cake shaped as stacked rings.
The name means “wreath cake,” and the dessert is made from almond paste, sugar, and egg whites. Its rings are baked in graduated sizes and assembled into a tall cone or tower, usually held together with white icing. The result is both a celebratory centerpiece and a dessert served in small portions.
Kransekage is strongly associated with midnight on New Year's Eve in Denmark and is also served at weddings and other major celebrations. A bottle of sparkling wine is sometimes placed in the center of the ring tower, reinforcing its festive role.
It should not be confused with æbleskiver, which are small spherical pancake-like pastries, or with marzipan in general. Kransekage's distinctive stacked-ring construction is the feature that identifies the cake and gives it its wreath-like name.