Although it is called a “cake”, this wonderful dessert is more like a moist, dense, chewy cookie. It is full of wonderful almond flavor and is very addictive. You’re going to LOVE it!
This…has to be one of my all time favorite Christmas treats. It’s one of those foods that brings you back time and again for “just one more bite and then I’ll stop”.
I made several of these a few years ago and gave them as neighbor gifts for Christmas. One neighbor said that after she tasted it, she let each of her children have a small piece and then hid the rest of it for herself. I can’t blame her, I think that’s a perfect thing to do.
The recipe comes from my mother in-law. She got it during her time in Sweden, from their family cook. It instantly became a huge family favorite. You are going to love this recipe for its simplicity, but even more for its wonderful “almondy” taste. Although it is labeled as a cake, its texture is more like a chewy cookie. It should be slightly crispy on the outside and dense and moist on the inside, so get the idea of ‘cake’ right on out of your mind. Your favorite part will probably be the middle where it is almost creamy – be still, my beating heart.
Tips and Tricks
Flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup. Avoid ‘scooping’ the flour into the cup because this may cause you to pack too much flour into the cup. Too much flour will produce a heavy, dense, dry product. Essentially, you will have made a Swedish almond brick.
Almond Extract. Resist the temptation to add additional almond extract to this recipe. It is not like vanilla extract and will make the cake bitter or medicinal tasting. Although one teaspoon may not sound like much, it is plenty and will give a wonderful almondy flavor.
Almonds. An alternative to slivered almonds is whole almonds, processed in a food processor. Use the “grating” disk. It will essentially shave the almonds and/or grate them into small pieces. I have also used sliced almonds and they work very well, too.
Mixing. Swedish Almond Cake is amazingly easy to make and is stirred with a spoon, not a mixer. Get out your favorite big mixing spoon and go to town. Alternatively, a whisk can be used to work the flour/sugar and butter together. Note: When the flour/sugar and butter are combined, the mixture will be crumbly or grainy, similar to coarse sand.
Gift Giving. If you use Swedish Almond Cake for gift giving, bake it in a disposable aluminum pie tin. It can be dressed up with in plastic wrap which is gathered at the top into a rosette (sort of) or pompom and tied with colorful Christmas ribbon. For a fancier gift, bake the cake in a glass pie plate or other nice pie plate and gift both the cake and the pie plate. This one or this one from Emile Henry are my favorites. They are impress-your-boss beautiful. This one is an understated, every day workhorse, but still worthy of gift-giving, especially with Swedish Almond Cake on board. Easy, easy, easy!
How To Make Swedish Almond Cake
You may also like:
- Swedish Apple Pie
- Swedish Beetroot and Apple Salad (Rodbetsallad)
- Swedish Red Cabbage
- Swedish Meatballs
Swedish Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup white all-purpose flour spooned into measuring cup, do not pack
- ½ cup butter, softened (NOT margarine)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds, more or less per personal preference
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate; set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together sugar and flour. Stir in butter. The mixture will be somewhat crumbly.
- Whisk the eggs and almond flavoring together, then stir into the sugar, flour and butter mixture.
- Spread evenly in a lightly buttered pie plate. Sprinkle slivered almonds on top.
- Bake for about 25-35 minutes until edges are light golden brown. Cut into wedges while still slightly warm. 16 wedges is a nice size for easy handling.
- Store at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap.
Notes
- Do NOT increase the almond extract. This particular extract tends to make foods bitter or gives them a “medicinal” taste if too much is added. One teaspoonful gives a perfect amount of almond flavor to this recipe.
After being cooked is the middle suppose to be gooey?
The center portion of this “cake” is supposed to be somewhat gooey or dense, but not raw. It is softer than the rest of the cake. It is my favorite part!
Thinking of using 1/2 cup of almond flour on place of the all purpose flour. Any thoughts?
I have never experimented with almond flour in this recipe. However, I found a recipe at the blog “Outside Oslo”, by blogger Daytona Strong, which seems to have a good substitute recipe using almond flour. Her almond cake looks beautiful and although it calls for using lingonberries, I imagine that you could skip them. Here is the link for Daytona’s gluten-free Lingonberry-Studded Almond Cake.
His looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it! Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
Either one will work just fine.
Sooo delicious and incredibly easy to make. I did sprinkle confectionery sugar on top – just a personal preference. These are even better the next day.
Thanks for the tip about the powdered sugar. Great idea!
If you’re using the 9×13 pan, does the bake time change?
Lisa, I have personally never made this recipe in a 9 x 13 pan. I contacted my sister in-law for more details and she could not give me any. Since she moved to Utah and now lives at altitude, she says that she ruined 4 batches of Swedish Almond Cake and has given up making it all. I need to remove my comment in the recipe about the 9 x 13 pan. I live in Utah at the same altitude as my sister in-law and have never had any problems with the recipe, as it currently stands. I am sorry for getting hopes up regarding doubling this recipe. Annie used to swear by doubling it, but I guess that things have changed.
I have doubled it…no problem! Turns out equally great..l used two glass pie plates…so same timing…love it!🍁❤
Thank you for the info!
No baking soda or salt? Was that a mistake?
No – no salt, no baking powder.
This is my favorite go-to for neighbors, girls night in, family picnics, etc. It’s SO easy and who doesn’t love almonds?
Love it, Love it, Love it!
Yay! Thank you!
Can I use almond paste instead of extract? I thought maybe it would give it a better almond flavor!
Almond paste, as I know it, would not work in this recipe. The almond flavor from the almond extract gives this recipe a nice almond flavor.