Kladdkaka, Sweden’s version of brownie, is deliciously fudgy and squidgy, fully deserving its name which means ‘sticky cake’. And it can come in the white, milk or dark chocolate versions with the same recipe.
Foreign cakes are uninspired
This is a statement that would undoubtedly trigger an eruption of violent rebukes, had I posted it on any social platforms. But I haste to explain: all I mean is the cake names, not the cakes themselves.
Take this delicious Swedish confection, a bliss to chocolate lovers with built-in versatility to be white, milk or dark. And it’s called ‘kladdkaka’. However funny-cute it sounds, all it means is ‘sticky cake’. How absolutely boring! Also, do they otherwise have only dry cakes in Sweden?
Compare that to the stunning array of inventively named (proper nouns including) English baking culture! A Battenberg or a Victoria next to regional monikers like Bakewell or Eccles! There’s parkin and there’s a Manchester tart (with a tongue firmly in cheek). There are brownies and blondies, devil’s and angel’s foods, jam roly-polies and that’s all before we even get close to Spotted Dick or Colin the Caterpillar!
But jokes and uninspired names aside, kladdkaka is delicious, easy to make and a worthy competitor to any brownie.
Fika best
When talking about Swedish cakes, we must touch on fika, the Swedish equivalent to the English tea and biscuits. Fika is a marginally younger cultural phenomenon than English tea, both originating from about 19th century when tea and coffee became widely affordable and the industrial social patterns developed.
So what is fika? While we in England socially pause for a cuppa and a biccie, the Swedes swap tea for coffee (kaffi – fika – geddit?) and amplify the biscuit to the size a pastry or of a slice of cake.
And they might not be on first name terms with their cake like we are with Colin or Victoria, but the goods are certainly note- and eat-worthy.
Kladdkaka vs brownie
It’s very similar if you compare recipes, both with equal butter to chocolate ratio. But kladdkaka is less rich in eggs, not quite as sweet as brownie and contains more flour. So I’d say it’s more cakey – in fact, it’s more of a ‘sticky cake’ rather than brownie. What do you know?
How to make kladdkaka batter
It’s arguably easier than brownie because you melt only the butter and then let the chocolate melt in the warm butter, which is easier if it’s broken into pieces.
Separately, eggs must be beaten with sugar until thick and pale – so far, so brownie. Into that, flour is folded followed by – by then cooled – butter-chocolate mixture, with a gentle hand.
The batter should be poured into a wide and shallow tin or dish rather than a deep brownie tin, ideally about 23 cm/9 inch in diameter. You can line it with parchment so the cake can be lifted out – but on the other hand it does tempt you to be eaten straight out of the tin, with a spoon.
Baking takes about twenty minutes, until the edges look firm but the middle is still soft and slightly cracked. It will set further as it cools but I’ll tell you: it takes all the willpower in the world not to grab that spoon and tuck in whilst warm.
White, milk and dark kladdkaka varieties
Exactly the same recipe can be used for a milk or dark chocolate option. Obviously the taste and sweetness will vary: white kladdkaka is rather sickly sweet. The milk one will taste a little like Lion or Yorkie bar, and the dark one will be of a grown-up, refined flavour. In the last case you might want to up the sugar content by some twenty grams though I think dark chocolate confections generally should not be too sweet.
You can add flavourings in each option, like the lemon zest with white chocolate. Milk one might go well with orange zest and the dark – with a pinch of cardamom or even chilli.
And to break through the sweetness, a scattering of seasonal berries, redcurrants or pomegranate seeds will be very fitting for serving.
Kladdkaka keeps quite well stored in an airtight container, but I don’t believe there is a household on earth that would let it last beyond a couple of days.
More fudgy chocolate cake recipes
Gooey chocolate brownie, the best cake ever. This recipe uses cocoa and dark chocolate and makes dense, almost fudge brownies. The key is not to overbake: if in doubt, take it out!
Flourless chocolate cake, also known in its Italian version as torta morbida al cioccolato. This gooey fudgy chocolate cake has only a tablespoon of cornflour in it and no wheat flour.
Easter chocolate egg nest cake with soft chocolate sponge, apricot jam and silky ganache, topped with Cadbury mini eggs, that’s an easy showstopper Easter dessert for chocolate lovers.
More Swedish dessert recipes
Cardamom cake with a crunchy almond bottom layer which turns into upside down topping, is a delicious, fragrant sponge lifted only with air beaten into the eggs and sugar mix. The sugared almond crunch is to die for.
Swedish almond caramel cake, Toscakaka, is a lovely and easy cake to make ahead. Bake the base in advance, then add caramel topping and blast it under the grill just before serving.
King Oscar II cake is also known as Swedish almond tart. It's an almond macaron style cake filled with almond buttercream, easy to make and absolutely delightful.