Swedish Visiting Cake
Swedish visiting cake (the English name for both mandelkaka and toscakaka) is a traditional Swedish recipe flavored with almonds. It’s a popular treat to serve when guests visit for fika, the Swedish coffee break ritual. Fika, which roughly translates to “coffee and cake,” is more than just grabbing a quick cup of coffee; in Sweden, it’s about taking a break from the day to socialize with friends, family or colleagues.The difference between mandelkaka and toscakaka has to do with the almond topping. Mandelkaka is typically scattered with plain, sliced almonds, whereas toscakaka has a sweet, crisp layer of caramelized almonds on top.
Servings: 8 to 10
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 stick (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- About ¼ cup sliced almonds blanched or not
Instructions
- Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350℉. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan or even a pie pan.
- Pour the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour. Finally, fold in the melted butter.
- Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar (I used Demerara sugar for a little more rustic look). If you’re using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.
- Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it. You can serve the cake warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.
Notes
“I made my cake in my cast iron skillet. I think everything tastes just a little bit better in cast iron. This cake was moist on the inside with a golden crunch on the outside. So delicious and so easy to make. You don’t need a hand mixer, just a whisk and a spatula. When I was finished all I had to wash one bowl filled with a few utensils. That’s my kinda cake.
This is one of those recipes that I’ll be making again and again.”
