It was JT’s birthday last week. It’s just the two of us, so we usually keep it low key, but we do like to fancy it up with the food. Lobster was on sale at our local market so we took advantage and bought two for his birthday dinner. We love lobster and rarely indulge due to its rich and pricey nature so a birthday celebration is the perfect time to take advantage of this delicacy. We dined in our outdoor dining room under the early evening sky. It was wonderful.
When I asked what JT would like for dessert he said cake. Now that stopped me in my tracks because he is more of a pie person than a cake person. But then again, I had just shown him Charles’ recipe (Five Euro Food) for Kladdkaka and he knew I was dying to make it so he said ‘cake’ or kaka in Swedish. He is so thoughtful and generous. Oh, but wait…this generosity may have some selfish motivations ;-)!
I knew I would like this dessert from the name alone. Kladdkaka. Kladdkaka, kaka, kaka, kaka, kaka, Kladdkaka. Giggle, giggle, giggle. But I digress; I knew I would like this dessert because I LOVED his Tuppkaka dessert (that, for the record I have now made about 6 times). Plus Kladdkaka is very easy to make, one bowl is all you need. In fact, I was lazy and made the entire cake in the food processor. I didn’t even bother to change the blade to the plastic ones. Just processed away. The cake has an intense chocolate flavour without being sweet; don’t be too afraid of the sugar quantity, you need it to mellow the bitterness of the cocoa powder. Next time I think I’ll add a tbsp of espresso powder and a good pinch of cayenne pepper! I may even try to make this gluten free, using almond flour instead of white flour. Stay tuned.
Caster sugar is plain sugar that is much finer than regular sugar but not as fine as powdered sugar. It is supposed to melt a lot easier. I just put my regular sugar in the food processor with metal blades and I pulsed it until it looked significantly finer than original but now powdery.
Kladdkaka
adapted from Charles at Five Euro Food
Ingredients:
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 140 g unbleached Flour
- 50 g Cocoa Powder
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 120 g Butter
- 2 eggs
- 75 mL milk*
- 1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam, heated until runny
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Add the sugar, flour, cocoa powder and baking powder to the bowl of your food processor. Plus few times to incorporate evenly.
- In the microwave, melt the butter slowly so it doesn’t overheat. Add melted butter and vanilla to the food processor in an even stream. Mix well, scraping down the sides as required. Lightly beat the eggs and add to the chocolatey mix until a smooth thick batter forms. *the batter was a little thick (like dough) so I added a little milk to it.
- Lightly grease a round tin about 20cm in diametre (I used a spring form tin). Spoon the batter into the tin and smooth out to the edges (it is rather thick). Resist the urge to try this batter, it’s seriously good and you won’t be able to stop.
- Take a knife and draw a spiraling circular pattern into the cake top (dig in about 1/2cm). Using a fine tip cake decorator, squeeze the slightly warm but runny seedless raspberry jam into the cut pattern. Don’t worry about how it looks on top, it will be dusted with confectioner’s sugar so it doesn’t matter. I wanted the raspberry jam to seep into the cake, which it did very nicely.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes before removing and allowing to cool for ~10 minutes before carefully removing from the tin. Try not to over-bake the cake. If you do, all delicious gooeyness may be lost!
- Serve with fresh raspberries and whipped cream, or just on its own, for a gooey, chocolatey delight!
Thanks Charles for another winner — hope you don’t mind my creative license!!
[…] second go was Charles’ Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake (Kladdkaka) in a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan. Although the insert performed perfectly, I wasn’t so […]
LikeLike
Beautiful! Happy Belated bday to JT. I hope you’re having a great week Eva.
LikeLike
Thanks Yudith, I shall pass along your thoughtful wishes to JT.
LikeLike
Gorgeous! This looks divine!! I’m book marking this for future reference! Would be great to bake a Swedish cake for my aroundtheworldin80bakes challenge
LikeLike
Hi Eva, happy (belated) birthday to JT, although since the post is about a Swedish cake should I say: “grattis i efterskott”? 😀
Thanks for the lovely mention and compliment – I was so curious when you mentioned you’d made a modification and I’m so pleased to see what it is… it sounds really lovely… a great idea I must say. I don’t think I would do it every time like this but every now and again as a wonderful way of fruiting up the cake and giving the flavour a lift for a special occasion – it’s wonderful! I’m going to pass along the idea to my mother-in-law!
LikeLike
Thank you Charles, I’ll pass along your kind wishes to JT. I’m also going to try making it with almond flour instead of white flour to make it gluten free. JTs still working on finishing his cake, but as soon as he is done…
LikeLike
Happy belated birthday to JT! I hope you guys had a fabulous day/evening and week! (We usually celebrate the whole week around here – at least with the kids.) The cake looks delightful. And perhaps there’s something in the air this week with pie lovers requesting cake. 😉 Lastly, lobster….YUM!
LikeLike
Thanks Kristy, it really was a great celebration dinner! I shall pass along your kind wishes to JT.
LikeLike
chocolate, sticky, cake? What? I am in heaven.this just sounds delicious, looks delicious and i am going to dream about it tonight!
LikeLike
Thanks Jessica, it’s a tasty and easy cake.
LikeLike
I’ve been dying to make this cake since I saw it posted on Charles’ blog…especially given the name of it! Did JT really eat it all? Why didn’t he call us?
BTW, Carol now understands how you ate that honey nut mixture by yourself with a spoon. Apparently she and Josh downed it pretty quickly by the spoonful!
LikeLike
No, Barbie, he is still eating it slice by slice every night. Such control, I’m afraid I would not be able to do it!
Hahahaha, I’ve gotten into it a few times and have to make myself put it out of my mind. Far too tempting, sitting in my pantry, calling my name ever time I pass by the kitchen.
LikeLike
Eva, this cake looks delicious, and is even more appealing because there aren’t a ton of dishes to deal with at the end! Love the berries that you’ve added for serving!
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Amber, we love raspberries and chocolate, the combo is quite delicious.
LikeLike
Hee.hee, it’s hard not to go down the kaka path with this one 🙂 – what a perfect birthday evening you had Eva (the lobster sounds delish by the way) and you did such a great job with this luscious, decadent looking cake. The almond flour sounds divine… and you’ve got me all excited with the thought of the espresso too! (can’t wait to see your next version). Happy Birthday to JT!
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Kelly. It’s quite a satisfying cake so you really don’t need much, just a small sliver! I shall pass along you kind wishes to JT, I’m sure he appreciates all this attention he is getting on my blog!
LikeLike
Happy Birthday to JT! What a lovely choice of cake. I didn’t realise that you guys didn’t have caster sugar. We use it to bake our cakes here, because as you mentioned, it melts into the batter easier 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Lorraine, I will certainly let JT know of your kind wishes (he will be thrilled that a celebrity offered him birthday wishes 😉 ).
I am not sure that we don’t actually have caster sugar, but I didn’t have any at home, and I must admit, I’ve never seen it at the supermarket. Making it my self was easy enough. And it certainly makes sense that it melt quicker. I made some squares on the weekend and the sugar took forever to incorporate into the butter. I’ll have to keep that in mind, thanks!
LikeLike
Happy Birthday to JT!
The chocolate cake looks sinfully delicious and yes, perfect for the celebration!
LikeLike
Thanks Angie, I will certainly tell JT of your wishes. The cake was a perfect way to celebrate a birthday.
LikeLike
[…] Frosting, or Charles’ Kladdkaka (Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake), or Eva’s version of Kladdkaka. All of these cakes look really delicious! Would you believe that I scaled back on the batter for […]
LikeLike
Happy Birthday to JT! And the cake looks delicious! Lovely name too! Your dinner of lobster sounds so good, lobster is really a treat if we do have it too!
Have a wonderful week!
LikeLike
Thanks Joyce, I shall pass along your lovely wishes to JT. Hope you have a wonderful week as well.
LikeLike
Eva, it sounds like you made the Kladdkaka your own with the addition of the raspberry jam. I bought some fresh raspberries today and I have the jam in my fridge already. I think my subconscious is trying to tell me something. 🙂
Your recipe also reminded me that I have to go to the dollar store and pick up a bunch of inexpensive squeeze bottles for various cooking and baking projects.
Right now though I’m taking a cooking break as I seem to have made a post every other day in June. 🙂
LikeLike
PS: You said you made your own caster’s sugar by grinding regular sugar. Did you measure the sugar BEFORE you pulsed the sugar or after?
LikeLike
Hi Maria, I actually measured before, but it really doesn’t matter because it’s by weight. If it were volume (like cups), you would need to measure after.
LikeLike
Thanks Maria, I know you will love this cake because it all takes place in one bowl! Yes, the dollar store is a fantastic place for these little kitchen tools. I have several in different sizes. May I suggest that you keep some for savoury and some for sweet (just write sweet on it with a sharpie) and that way, your chocolate sauce won’t have the faint taste of garlic!
LikeLike
Belated Happy Birthday to JT, by the way. I was so excited by the cake I forgot my manners. 🙂
I also forgot that the recipe measurements were by weight, which I is one of the reasons I didn’t make it as soon as Charles posted it. I have a very inexpensive set of scales … not exact enough for most recipes. I just use it to weigh out pasta before boiling or to separate out 5 pounds of lean ground beef I buy into 1 pound portions into freezer bags.
Definitely will have to label the squeeze bottles. I bought the ingredients for okonomiyaki and would have liked to apply the sauce and mayo appropriately. And then I’m also bbqing a steak, potatoes, cevapcici aka mici or mititei and burgers today. So much food for 1 person to eat. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Maria, I shall mention your kind remarks to JT. I will make the cake again and I shall try to remember to post imperial measures by volume so it’s easier. JT bought me my electronic Tare scale, which is absolutely amazing! I love baking by weight, it makes so much more sense to me than leveling out a measuring cup.
I had to google cevapcici, mici or mititei! I look forward to your post about it!
LikeLike
If you post the imperial measurements, I’m more likely to make the cake. Cause I’m lazy that way. 🙂
I posted a picture of the mititei (what we called them at our house) the last time I made them. I don’t have a recipe as I buy a pre-seasoned mix at the city market. Even my mom didn’t make her own. At $5.99 for 600 gms where all I have to do is form the meat into sausages, it’s not worth experimenting to find a recipe and doing it myself.
They even sell them on wooden skewers rolled in bread crumbs for $6.99 a pound if you want to do them that way and then serve them as apps or remove them from the skewers after they’re done into pita wraps with the appropriate veggies such as lettuce, tomatoes and sauce.
http://a-boleyn.livejournal.com/88097.html
LikeLike
JT obviously got a birthday of a life time, this cake is absolutely gorgeous!!! You made me giggle with your giggling 😉
Cheers
CCU
LikeLike
Thanks CCU, I love that cake is kakka in Swedish, so funny.
LikeLike
Fun to say, fun to eat and I love how you plated it.
LikeLike
Thanks Greg, we’re still getting through it; it’s such a rich cake that a sliver is enough.
LikeLike
Hi Eva,
Just loving the sound of this cake and birthday greetings of course to JT!
I still don’t possess a food processor and do everything by hand but am rapidly getting to the point where I think I might be tempted as the old wrists and arms aren’t as strong and flexible what they used to be!
LikeLike
Thank you GD, and I shall pass along your kind wishes to JT. Of course, you can make this cake the old fashioned way and build a little muscle on top of it!
LikeLike
What a decadent way to end a birthday meal! I love how the cake is scored, then the jam applied…sounds wonderful~ Hope your friends enjoy the souffle 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks Liz. OMG the souffé was an ENORMOUS hit, thank you! I am sending my BF to your blog for the recipe, she loved it so much.
LikeLike
Eva, luckily I have a fruit cake this weekend, so I won’t be tempted to make this gorgeous chocolate cake until I finish mine, but I still remember I loved it on Charles’s blog. Yours looks as fabulous as his: rich, very chocolatey and sticky…
I also often test shortcuts in cake recipes. Many cakes can be prepared simply by throwing everything into the food processor and are perfect too.
Lobster, sticky chocolate cake and outdoor dining room sound like a wonderful evening.
LikeLike
Thanks Sissi, this truly is a cake not to be missed. I first came across this method with Nigella Lawson, she made a very easy chocolate cake, no separating eggs and such. So when I saw Charles instructions were basically one bowl, I thought why not the food processor. It worked out perfectly.
LikeLike
Happy birthday JT, wow, quite a period of celebrations, anniversary followed by JT birthday.
If the opportunity arises spend some time in Maine, the lobster and scenery, you will love it all.
I remember Charles Kladdkaka, going to have my daughter make it for me. She likes to bake and I don’t.
LikeLike
Thank you kindly Norma, I shall pass along your good wishes to JT. Yes, the spring and summer are our celebratory months, for sure; my birthday is coming up in July and I like to drag out my bday celebrations for a month!
To be honest, it’s such an easy cake to make, you could do it with both hands tied behind your back.
LikeLike
Oh, kladdkaka! and here came so many sweet memories: I use to travel to Stockholm a lot, and one of my favorite places was a Strandbryggan coffee shop. I would take a cup of coffee with a slice of Kladdkaka, enjoy the river front and the view for an hour or so, then energized and well rested would carry on with my business. Thanks for bringing good memories with a wonderful post! Cake is delicious, I know it for sure! 🙂 Happy birthday to JT!
LikeLike
Thanks Marina, glad to have been able to bring back some memories; you should check out Charles’ blog, Five Euro Foods, he often makes Swedish delights! I shall pass along your lovely wishes to JT.
LikeLike
A belated happy birthday, JT, and what a great dinner to celebrate it! Lobster and cake! Love the raspberry swirl. Yum! Before moving to my present home, I lived in an area of Chicago that was once a Swedish community. Although many Swedes have moved away, the business district is still populated by a few Swedish businesses, restaurants, and a bakery. I’m going to see if they offer this cake. (Any excuse to go to that bakery. They’re incredible!)
LikeLike
Thank you kindly John, I shall pass along your kind wishes to JT. The cake is so easy to make, you would be doing yourself a real disservice not to make it. Although an outing to a bakery is never a bad idea 😉
We’re off to Mid-way on Saturday morning…and being whisked off to Wisconsin. Would have loved to try to meet for a quick drink somewhere! Hopefully next time.
LikeLike
I agree but all this means is that we’ll have more to talk about the next time you’re in town. 🙂
Safe travels.
LikeLike
Thanks John! That made me smile.
LikeLike
That looks sooo rich and delicious – love the dusting of powdered sugar in the top pic – makes it look all the more decadent. Happy Birthday to JT!
LikeLike
Thanks Bill, the powdered sugar is a real European thing to do, in fact, I can hardly recall a dessert my Mom made without it! I shall pass along your kind wishes to JT.
LikeLike
Ooooh lobster and cake! Seriously delicious. You’ve just made me want to hurry up and make this cake by adding a processor method! Sounds like a great birthday dinner..I know I would appreciate it.
Nazneen
LikeLike
Thanks C&C, the cake did not suffer from my short cut!
LikeLike
Happy birthday to JT! How lovely that you were able to celebrate eating outdoors with lobster and cake! Did you make an appie? We honestly didn’t eat outside this entire summer – just too cold. Ridiculous for Sydney where you can normally eat outside at night at least five months of the year. Love the look of the cake with the pretty and colourful berries – it always makes me feel better when I eat a dessert if there’s a little fresh fruit to go with it! And thanks for letting me know about the cloud thingy. I really should get organised and be like you and JT and put all my movements into it so I know where I am! xx
LikeLike
Thanks Charlie, I shall surely pass along your kind wishes to JT. Too bad about your summer, we have had our share of those, but fortunately not for a while. I did indeed make an appie but sadly it was not photo worthy! I was inspired by Sissi (with a glass) and Maria (A_Boleyn) to make a fresh roll with shrimp and some left over Asian slaw and one of my curly lettuces from the garden. I have a ways to go on making it look like a professional roll. But it sure was tasty. The cloud is truly amazing…we used to run around like chickens with our heads cut off, updating this device and that device, and we no longer need to do that. I have all my iBooks on all devices too, should I need to read one at any time! It’s sooo cool.
LikeLike
This cake looks so rich and delicious. I’m sure I would finish many pieces if I got my hands on it. 😛
LikeLike
Thanks Jenny, it surely is a tasty cake. We’re still working our way through it!
LikeLike
An amazing looking cake – just how a chocolate cake should be, not too cakey :D.
LikeLike
Hi Frugal Feeding, welcome back. Simple is best with good ingredients. Hey, love your illustrations on your blog masthead!
LikeLike