food to glow

Adapted from scandinaviankitchen.com who wrote the recipe for Waitrose magazine, and who have a highly-regarded café and shop in London.

This is my version of the most popular cake in Sweden. Somewhere between a brownie and a proper cake, unleavened kladdkaka is delightfully squidgy when done as it ‘should’, but even if its interior is less than fudgy it will still be fantastic. But it is worth keeping an eye on it to achieve the proper texture of crispy exterior and gooey interior because it is quite possibly the best chocolate cake if done with this in mind. I give some slightly pedantic instructions below to help you get the perfect result. You are wanting a crackly crust and a molten interior. Sounds good, huh?

So, do save room after dinner for this one. This is supposed to serve 8, but if you can make that happen rather than gobble it between four people then you are a better person than I! Serve with berries and softly whipped cream. 100g unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan.

2 tbsp liquer of choice – e.g. Frangelica, Kirsch, Glotonia Pedro Ximenez Los Pecadillos (what I use – divine!) – optional but decrease the flour to 150g if not using

2 medium eggs

150g golden caster sugar or sucanat

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste

160g chestnut flour, light spelt flour or unbleached plain flour/AP flour OR gluten-free baking flour mix (I use chestnut flour – naturally gluten-free and uber yummy!)

¼ tsp fine salt

4 tbsp best cocoa powder (I use Green& Black’s) 1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Butter and line a loose-bottomed 20cm/8 in pan.

2. Melt butter; add liquer if using, then set aside.

3. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer or with electric beaters for 4-5 minutes.

4. Sift over the flour, salt and cocoa powder and fold in lightly – no beating! Now pour in the butter and fold again until just mixed to a smooth batter.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared oven and bake in the lower part of the oven for 18-22 minutes, depending on your oven and perhaps the type of flour you’ve used. The perfect kladdkaka is one that cracks slightly when pressed. If it dents immediately it needs another minute or two. The cake will not rise as such but will puff up and crack charmingly as it cools. Cracks are good in this cake!

6. Allow it too cool a bit before cutting and eating while warm. Because I was taking the two that are shown to work I needed to cool them completely to cut them. But kladdkaka is best warm. If eating it the next day (such restraint!) do rewarm the cake on low in a microwave. You can freeze it too: defrost it in the fridge and then pop it into the oven until just warmed. Serve with softly whipped cream (a touch of vanilla is nice in the cream) and maybe some berries. I also like it with a flurry of bitter cocoa.