Scandinavian Almond Cake

 

One of the secrets of a happy life is

continuous small treats!

~Iris Murdoch

Today is my Birthday!  I am turning 67 today and am grateful for every moment that got me here.  I think every birthday deserves a treat, a cake, a pie, something to celebrate it with!

With that in mind I have had my heart set on baking a Scandinavian Almond Cake ever since I saw my friend Noelle post a photo of one on her Facebook page the other day. It looked so delicious!

   

Traditionally a Scandinavian Almond Cake, or Norwegian Almond Cake as it is also known, would be baked around the holidays when people are celebrating.  If a Birthday isn't cause for celebration I don't know what is and so I decided that I would bake it for mine! 

One of the things on my bucket list was always to visit the Scandinavian countries while I was in the UK. I never did get there, but I think one of the best ways to visit a country is through its food. I love Swedish Meatballs and Swedish Butter Cookies that you buy in the tins at Christmas.  

So today I am going to pop on a travel show, and sit down with a hot drink and a piece of this cake and go arm chair travelling.  (I think I'll watch Somebody Feed Phil, the Copenhagen episode.)

Traditionally this cake would be baked in a special pan such as the one you see above. It is called a Scandinavian Almond Cake Pan. I bought mine on Amazon. I know it will come in handy for all sorts of bakes.

I love the half moon shape. I can see it done in chocolate with a chocolate glaze and slivered almonds sticking out all over like a hedgehog. Fun  fun!

 

I have a special weakness for foreign dessert, especially cakes, and I have to say that this is one of the most delicious almond cakes I have ever baked and eaten. 

It boasts a beautiful almond flavor throughout, from that beautifully textured cake  to the sweet almond glaze which gets drizzled on top. There is even more almond flavor if you choose to scatter it with toasted  flaked almonds.

 

Its not hard to toast almonds. A few minutes on a baking sheet in a moderate (350*F/180*C) oven does the trick perfectly. I would say five to six minutes. You don't want to burn them.

(Although I have to say there used to be a burnt almond chocolate bar that I really loved to eat. I have not seen it in years.)

This is a light and springy cake which is quite unlike most European cakes which are, generally speaking,  quite a bit more dense. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE

Other than a special pan, you only need every day ordinary ingredients. I am also quite sure you could bake this cake in a loaf tin or a deep 9 inch round tin.  Not sure on the timings however.

For the cake:

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted

 

For the icing:

• 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 TBS heavy cream
• few drops of almond extract
• flaked almonds to decorate, toasted or not

 

I used Watkins pure Almond extract for my cake and large free range organic eggs. I buy my eggs at a place just around the corner from where I live. You can see the chickens running around in the yard.

They have a refrigerator on the porch of the shed with the eggs in it and an honesty tin. $5 a dozen for the most beautiful eggs with the brightest golden yellow yolks!

 

I use whole full fat milk and plain all purpose flour. Robin Hood is what I always buy.  I like it.  My sugar is organic unbleached sugar, so it is a bit brown in color, but as you can see that doesn't show in this cake. 

I use salted butter because I cannot afford to keep both salted and unsalted butter in my house. There is no salt in this recipe, but generally speaking I will cut back on the salt in a recipe a bit anyways. You do need a little bit most of the time, but not a lot.

 

HOW TO MAKE SCANDINAVIAN ALMOND CAKE 

This really is one of the easiest cakes to make. You can have it mixed and in the oven in about 10 minutes or so.  I melt the butter in the microwave while I am mixing together everything else.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray the cake tin really well with baking/cooking/canola oil spray. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Place onto a baking sheet.

Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together with an electric hand whisk until smooth.

Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Beat this into the liquid mixture.

Continue to beat with the electric mixer whilst drizzling in the melted butter until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar, almond extract and cream together until smooth. You should have a mixture that makes for a drizzle. If it is too thick, add a few drops of milk.

Drizzle this over top of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds if desired. I added a few cake sprinkles because, its my birthday and sprinkles on a birthday cake are a must!!!

Cut into slices along the ring lines. Will that be one ring or two?

Note - this cake was adapted from a recipe I found here.

I usually try to bake a delicious cake on most family  birthdays.  Some of my favorites are:

BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE - My brother in law loves this delicious moist chocolate cake. Adapted from a recipe I found in a cookbook by Trish Magwood called Dish Entertains.

RASPBERRY CELEBRATION CAKE - This was a cake developed for the Queen's 60th Jubilee.  It is moist and delicious and the cake I chose to bake for my birthday for many years.  It is studded and filled with fresh raspberries.

VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE - This is my all time favorite cake. Plain in looks, but fabulous flavors.  Two moist layers of cake filled with sweet red jam and dusted with sugar. It is a real favorite cake for the tea table as well! 

Scandinavian Almond Cake

Yield: 18 small or 9 regular

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 50 Min

This is one of the BEST almond cakes you could ever want to bake or eat. Its also one of the easiest! You do need a special pan, although I am quite sure you could also bake it in a deep 9 inch round cake tin

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 large free range egg
• 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 2/3 cup (160ml) whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted

For the icing:

• 1 1/2 cups (195g) icing sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 TBS heavy cream
• few drops of almond extract
• flaked almonds to decorate, toasted or not

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Spray the cake tin really well with baking/cooking/canola oil spray. Dust lightly with flour, shaking out any excess. Place onto a baking sheet.
2. Beat the sugar, egg, almond extract and milk together with an electric hand whisk until smooth.
3. Whisk together the flour and baking powder. Beat this into the liquid mixture.
4. Continue to beat with the electric mixer whilst drizzling in the melted butter until thoroughly incorporated. Pour into the prepared pan.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan for five minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
7. To make the glaze, whisk the icing sugar, almond extract and cream together until smooth. You should have a mixture that makes for a drizzle. If it is too thick, add a few drops of milk.
8. Drizzle this over top of the cake and scatter with flaked almonds if desired. Cut into slices along the ring lines. Will that be one ring or two?

Did you make this recipe?

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