Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake & Kladdkakans Dag!
Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake is a beloved, comforting dessert with a crisp crust and soft, gooey middle that has it’s own day of celebration!
Kladdkakans Dag
Kladdkaka is a very popular Swedish chocolate cake, served in cafes but mainly baked at home. It is similar to both a brownie and molten chocolate cake and made from pantry staples: butter, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, flour and vanilla. Kladdkaka is quite dense in texture as it has no leavening. It is thought that the cake originated during World War II when baking powder was difficult to find in Sweden. Kladdkaka is also known as “sticky chocolate cake” or “mud cake”. The name comes from the Swedish word “kladdig”, which literally means “sticky” or “messy”. Kladdkaka is easy to prepare and often made by children. In 2008, “Kladdkakans Dag” or “Sticky Cake Day” became a national celebration every November 7th!
The Process:
Kladdkaka mixes up in about 5 minutes in just one bowl, making it the ultimate last minute dessert. Melted butter is combined with sugar and cocoa powder, eggs and flour to create a shiny, smooth batter. In Sweden, vanilla sugar or vanilla essence is used for flavoring, which is easily achieved with our vanilla extract.
The batter is poured into a greased and parchment-lined springform cake pan and put in the oven for only 10-12 minutes. If you do not have a springform pan, a regular cake pan works just as well. The key to good Kladdkaka is being careful not to over bake the cake. You want it to retain a nice soft, gooey interior.
When the Kladdkaka comes out of the oven it needs only a short cooling time before releasing the sides of the pan, or turning out from the pan onto a platter. Pictured in the springform is the traditional recipe for Kladdkaka while the standard cake pan shows my gluten-free version with almond flour. The recipe works very well to substitute almond flour in an equal amount for the all-purpose flour.
Once out of the pan, the Kladdkaka may be dusted with powdered sugar for some adornment and served with freshly whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or a raspberry sauce and berries.
Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka)
Equipment
- Springform pan or standard cake pan
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup blanched almond flour (may substitute all-purpose flour)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch springform or standard cake pan and cover the bottom with a parchment paper circle cut to fit.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cocoa powder, sugar and salt.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix until very smooth.
- Stir in the flour until well-mixed.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 10-12 minutes until top is barely springy.
- Cool and release sides of pan or invert onto a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream, ice cream, berries or berry sauce.
Notes
Tips for Success:
- A springform pan allows for the easiest removal of the cake from the pan, however a standard cake pan will work! Just be sure to line the bottom of the pan with parchment and then cool before inverting the cake onto a serving platter.
- Almond flour not only allows for gluten-free cake consumption, but also creates an extra moist and gooey kladdkaka. All-purpose flour is traditional and may be substituted in an equal amount.
- Do not over bake the cake! A gooey interior is most desirable!
