Swedish sticky chocolate cake (kladdkaka)

This rich chocolate cake is possibly Sweden’s most popular cake, with every cafe boasting its own version. It’s a rich, dense simple cake that is deliberately undercooked so the centre stays nice and gooey (‘kladd’ means sticky in Swedish). It is also a clever cake, with chilling changing its character, making it lusciously dense and more fudge-like.

Swedish sticky chocolate cake (kladdkaka) Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  10

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 185 g butter, melted and cooled, plus extra to grease
• 330 g (1 cup) caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 225 g (1½ cups) plain flour
• 55 g (½ cup) cocoa powder
• icing sugar or cocoa powder, to sprinkle
• thick cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Cooling time 1½ hours

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Brush a 20 cm springform tin with melted butter and line the base with non-stick baking paper.

Place the butter, caster sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and use a balloon whisk to stir until well combined. Stir in the eggs until well combined. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder, add to the butter mixture and stir with the whisk until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cake is set on top but still very gooey in the centre when tested with a skewer.

Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and cool the cake completely in the tin (this will take about 1½ hours). Sprinkle with icing sugar or cocoa powder and serve in wedges with thick cream or ice-cream.

 

Note

• This cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Served chilled for a dense, fudgy texture or bring back to room temperature before serving.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O'Brien. Food preparation by Tina McLeish. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. For hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

This recipe is part of our Bakeproof: Scandi baking.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.