Air Fryer Danish Egg Cake with Pork (Æggekage)

July 9, 2022

Air Fryer Danish Egg Cake with Pork (Æggekage)

Æggekage is old Danish country cooking: a thick, sliceable egg dish baked with crisp pork, chives and tomato and served with rye bread. It is simple supper food, where a couple of eggs and a piece of pork become a whole meal, and the dish has held its place on the Danish table from the farmhouse kitchen right up to today.

Here it is made in the air fryer. The pork is fried crisp first, and a little of the fat is used to grease the dish and season the cake. The egg mixture is whisked smooth, poured into an ovenproof dish that fits in the basket, and baked at 355°F (180°C) until it is set and golden. The tomatoes go on for the last few minutes, so they heat through without cooking away.

The classic æggekage is thick and sliceable, bound with a little flour and milk — not the thin, custard-like version and not the modern variants with cheese or baking powder. Keep the mixture light on milk, so the cake can be cut into wedges. The pork is the heart of it, and the dish belongs together with rye bread and plenty of finely snipped chives.

Ingredients

Serves 4

Pork and accompaniments

150-175 g pork or bacon in slices (about 8-10 slices)
1 bunch chives, finely snipped
2-3 tomatoes (about 130 g each), sliced (or a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved)
rye bread, to serve

The egg cake

8 eggs
2 dl milk
2 tbsp wheat flour (or 1 tbsp potato starch for a firmer, more sliceable cake)
½ tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
a little bacon fat (or oil), for the dish

Directions

Pork and accompaniments

Lay the pork or bacon on the rack or in the basket, and fry at 355°F (180°C) for 8-9 minutes, until it is crisp. Set it to drain on paper towel, and save a little of the fat for the dish.

Snip the chives finely, and slice the tomatoes while the pork fries.

The egg cake

Whisk the flour and a splash of the milk together into a smooth mixture without lumps. Whisk in the rest of the milk, and then whisk in the eggs one at a time. Season with salt and pepper.

Grease the ovenproof dish with a little of the saved bacon fat (or oil), and pour in the egg mixture. The dish should be about 18-20 cm, so it fits in the basket.

Put the dish in the air fryer, and bake at 355°F (180°C) for about 15-18 minutes. Stir the mixture gently after 5 minutes, so it bakes evenly, and then let it look after itself.

Lay the tomato slices on for the last 5 minutes or so, so they heat through without cooking away. The egg cake is done when it is set in the middle and golden.

Spread the crisp pork over the egg cake, and scatter generously with finely snipped chives. Serve at once with rye bread.

Notes

If you want a thinner, quicker cake, the egg mixture can be baked directly in a lined or sprayed air-fryer drawer at 355°F (180°C) for about 10-12 minutes instead of in a dish.

Browning happens fast in an air fryer. Keep an eye on it for the last few minutes, and cover loosely with foil if the top browns before the middle is set.

Boiled potatoes in wedges or slices (about 400-800 g) can be folded into the mixture for a more filling, classic version. Then the baking time lands at the high end.

The classic binder is a little flour and milk. Cheese, cream and baking powder appear in modern air-fryer versions, but are not necessary for the classic æggekage.