Swedish Visiting Cake

The water is still crashing over the dam, the rain is still strong and steady and the leak over the stove is still leaking – the roofer said he couldn’t get here until Monday (actually, he said he was “swamped” – really) – but I am in a much better mood and all it took was a couple of minutes in the kitchen. 

I thought I was going to make muffins and then the Swedish Visiting Cake came to mind (the recipe’s in Baking) and I could think of nothing else.  The recipe for his cake was given to me by my friend Ingela, who said her mother claimed that you could start making this cake when you saw visitors coming up the drive and have it ready for them as soon as they were settled into your home.  And mothers never lie. 

Making the cake just now reminded me for the nine-millionth time why baking is so dear to me:  it is a pleasure that engages all your senses.  In the 10 minutes it took me to get the mixture into my old cast-iron skillet, I rubbed sugar and zest between my fingers, watched a batter grow from thick and dull to lithe and shiny, caught the fragrance of lemon, vanilla and almond and had the satisfaction of knowing that I was making something completely by hand and that it would be something others would soon enjoy.

The fact that the house will smell like butter, sugar and vanilla for hours is just a happy extra.

Swedish Visiting Cake (adapted from Baking, From My Home to Yours)

Makes 8 to 10 servings

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

About 1/4 cup sliced almonds (blanched or not)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet or other heavy ovenproof skillet, a 9-inch cake pan or even a pie pan.

Pour the sugar into a medium bowl.  Add the zest and blend the zest and sugar together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and aromatic.  Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended.  Whisk in the salt and the extracts.  Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour.  Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.  Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar.  If you're using a cake or pie pan, place the pan on a baking sheet.

Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is golden and a little crisp on the outside; the inside will remain moist.  Remove the pan from the oven and let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides and bottom of the cake to loosen it.  You can serve the cake warm or cooled, directly from the skillet or turned out onto a serving plate.

Comments

[Dorie]

Jeannie, I got goosebumps when I read your comment - I am thrilled that you have this recipe. I hope it will make you and everyone you share it with happy.

Tulipflowers - it's great to hear that you're making this recipe often and that everyone loves it. I think it's a remarkable recipe - so easy and sooooooo good.

[Jeannie]

Oh my Goodness, thank you so much for posting this cake recipe. This cake brings back so many wonderful memories. I remember this cake from my youth, my mother used to make this cake all the time. The recipe was lost when she passed and since I didn't know the name of the cake, I've been unsuccessfully searching for it for years.

[tulipfleurs]

Hello! Just wanted to tell you that I made your Swedish Visiting Cake a while back and even at my first attempt, it came out "perfect." It has now been a hit at work, home and at gatherings. Thank you so much for this delicious (and easy) recipe. Have a wonderful day!

[Dorie]

jjob -- what a great idea to top the cake with chocolate chips and to add coconut extract. I bet the coconut was good in the cake. I made the cake over the weekend and sprinkled raw brown sugar over the top and really liked the little crunch it gave it.

[jjob80]

Dorie,

I love your book and this cake is the first thing I've made. I was out of almonds and being the chocoholic that I am I sprinkled small chocolate chips on top. Having added the chocolate chips, I also substituted a 1/2 tsp of coconut extract for the almond and it was delicious. I am anxious to try the original recipe, I know it will be equally wonderful. Thanks for the wonderful recipes!

[Dorie]

Hi Deborah -- I'm absolutely flummoxed by what happened with your cake. I've never heard of it collapsing before. Remarkably, the cake does not have leavening, it depends on the beaten eggs and the water in the butter for its height, which, as you can see in the photo, is not considerable. The only thing I can think of is that you might have over beaten the batter at the points at which you added the flour and folded in the melted butter. While, as with all cakes, you want to beat the eggs, you don't want to over do it when you add the flour -- simply stir it in gently. I really can't figure out what might have happened.

Does anyone else out there who's made this cake have a conjecture?

[Deborah Danielson]

Hi Dorie - I just got your "Baking- From my Home to Yours" Book and the first thing I made was the Swedish Visiting Cake. I used a 9" dark metal pan that is on the heavy side since I don't have a cast iron pan. I started to think I was missing a leavening ingredient when the cake came out a bit lower than that in the photo(mine was about 1" or so in height). And after cooling it really collapsed to, as best as I can describe, a thin (approx. 1/2") chewy, but moist bar-type "cookie." The taste was EXCELLENT and the product was quite addictive. I made it twice with the same results. But I cannot help but think I did something wrong, or am missing an ingredient. The only things that I can imagine are making it rise are the eggs and the salt. There is no baking powder or soda. Any tips???

[Dorie]

Maria, the cake can be baked in a regular 9-inch cake pan or in a pie pan -- just make sure to butter the pan well.

[Maria]

Can you bake this cake in a different pan?

[Ginny]

Hi Dorie,

Am Christine's sister who made this cake which was a hit at our dinner party. It has such a lovely texture and taste. My husband and 5 kids just loved it. And they came running to the kitchen when I opened the oven, the aroma is heavenly. Defintiely, this will be a staple dessert at home. The best part is it's simplicity.

[Dorie]

Isn't it remarkable when something so simple can be so good! I'm so grateful to my friend Ingela for bringing me both the cake AND the recipe!

[Christine]

My sister made this cake today for a dinner party,and it was everyone's favorite! There were 3 other desserts on the table but they were left practically untouched. What a simple yet delightful cake!

[Mmm]

You've probably never kept the leftovers of an uneaten cake around long enough to experience this, but this cake definitely improves with age. The two-day old piece I just ate was the best of its three nightly tastings. Denser and a just a little bit chewy ("aged, as it was, on a foil-covered plate atop the fridge), the texture was perfect with a cup of coffee. Willpower is not getting up right now to make another one!

[Dorie]

Kenn, I really didn't mean to "guilt you into testing the cake" -- although it is good to know that my guilt-inducing powers are still intact, since they don't seem to work on my son any more. I'm surprised the cardamom wasn't perfect with the cake, but glad to know that it's still being gobbled up at the office.

[Kenn]

Dorie, You guilted me into testing this out. Although I have no comparison, I have a feeling the almond flavor goes better with this texture and weight of cake (if that makes sense). I'd prefer the cardomom flavor with a yeast dough (but it is getting raves at my office this morning).

[Dorie]

Lori, how great is it to think of a cake that can hold its own with talk of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Kenn, you're absolutely right -- cardomom is a signature spice in Scandinavian baking. I love cardomom and think it could be a really good addition to this cake. Either add a little cardomom (I'd start with 1/4 teaspoon or even a tad less) to the flour or to the sugar when you're rubbing in the zest. I'd keep the vanilla extract, but I might omit the almond extract with the cardomom. When you do it - let me know what you think.

[Kenn]

Dorie, When I saw this entry, I was immediately excited to think this recipe might remind me of breads with cardomom that I've had, but that ingredient was nowhere in sight. Is it wrong of me to associate this spice with Swedish baking? (Btw, your chocolate crackle cookies were a great hit over the holidays.)

[Lori in PA]

I made this cake recently when a couple of homeschool friends were coming to plan our history co-op for the upcoming semester. It goes so well with cups of tea and talk of Ancient Greece and Rome! Everyone from the two year-old to the forty-somethings enjoyed it very much.