Gooey chocolate cake
Kladdkaka
Kladdkaka is Sweden's most popular cake according to Google. 8 out of the top 10 recipe searches by Swedes are for cake recipes and occupying the number one slot is kladdkaka (literally, sticky cake). Indeed, every café in Sweden has their own version of kladdkaka, as it is the most popular fika cake. (Fika is an important part of Swedish culture. It is a coffee and cake break with friends or colleagues, but to Swedes it is much more…)
Kladdkaka will puff up as it is baked, but it is deliberately undercooked and so collapses when it cools. The result is a cake that will have a top that is lightly crisped and cracked, whilst the middle is delightfully gooey, almost runny. It's an easy cake, apart from the timing. If it is undercooked it is a runny mess and if it is over cooked it ends up as a dry and a bit stodgy. John Duxbury
Summary
Tips
• Ensure that the centre of the kladdkaka is still gooey. If possible, serve it when still warm or if that is not possible, reheat it lightly in a microwave before serving. (About 30 seconds per portion on a medium setting (600 W) seems to work well.)
• Unusually for a cake recipe, it is easy to tweak the ingredients to suit your own taste. If you prefer a darker topping, as shown above, halve the amount of flour suggested below. If you want it more chocolatey, increase the amount of cocoa powder to 40 g (6 tbsp).
• If you've not got an electric whisk, simply stir the flour and sugars into the melted butter and then stir in the eggs ensuring that everything is well combined.
• For a gluten-free kladdkaka simply substitute ground almonds for the flour.
• Slices of kladdkaka freeze well. It is best to wrap them well and then defrost slowly in a fridge, before reheating lightly in a microwave.
Ingredients
100 g | (7 tbsp) | unsalted butter |
125 g | (1 cup) | plain (all-purpose) flour |
25 g | (4 tbsp) | good quality unsweetened cocoa powder |
pinch | salt | |
2 | eggs | |
225 g | (1 cup) | caster (superfine) sugar |
1 tbsp | vanilla sugar* |
*Or use 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F, gas 4, fan 160°C).
2. Lightly grease a deep loose-bottomed 21 cm (8") round cake tin (pie plate).
3. Melt the butter and leave to cool slightly.
4. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and salt and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
5. Whisk together the eggs and the sugars together until light, fluffy and pale, at least 3 minutes using an electric whisk.
6. Carefully fold the flour mixture into the eggs and stir until just combined.
7. Fold in the melted butter, ensuring that it is fully incorporated, and then pour into the prepared cake tin.
8. Bake on the lower rack of the over for about 18-22 minutes until the centre is lightly set. (As ovens vary a lot be guided by the appearance and feel. Do not be tempted to overcook it, as it will end up dry and not gooey enough.)
9. Cool in its tin on a wire rack. Once cooled, it can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Serving suggestions
1. Serve with lightly whipped cream and glazed raspberries. To glaze the raspberries mix 2 tablespoons of raspberry jam with 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and then sieve. Glaze the raspberries on a plate and use to garnish slices of kladdkaka.
2. Serve with lightly whipped cream flavoured with some vanilla essence and then sprinkled with sieved cocoa powder.
3. For a double dose of chocolate, drizzle some warm chocolate sauce* over the top and serve with lightly whipped cream spiked with a splash of Grand Marnier.
*Chocolate sauce
*Put 25 g (1 oz) of dark chocolate, 2 teaspoons of double (heavy) cream, 2 tsp of caster (superfine) sugar and ½ tablespoon of hot water in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted and everything is thoroughly mixed and then drizzle or pipe over the kladdkaka.
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John Duxbury
Editor and Founder