Monday, February 18, 2013

Sockerkaka (Swedish Cardamom Cake)


This cake is a new one to me, and I'm so glad I found it - because it's both lovely to eat and simple to make.  This is a sockerkaka, which means "sugar cake" in Swedish.  The cardamom is optional, says my Swedish sister-in-law, but it's so wonderful that I don't see myself leaving it out (and I am not always a fan of cardamom!).  It's a delicate cardamom flavor here, almost more scent than flavor, and it's perfect.

This is also one of those great "dump everything in a bowl and mix it" recipes, so I can see myself using it as a jumping-off point for cakes with other flavor profiles (in which case I would leave out the cardamom, most likely).  I think it would be great with chocolate chips, or nuts, or cinnamon, or berries, or any number of things!





Sockerkaka
from The Great Scandinavian Baking Book
Serves at least 12

Note: The recipe calls for a "9-inch tube-type fancy mold," by which she probably means something like a kugelhopf pan, but I don't have one of those.  I made mine in a star Bundt pan, which is a 10-cup pan, I believe, and it worked great.  It would work in a 12-cup Bundt pan, too, but would be shorter. I'm willing to wager you could also use 2 standard loaf pans.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom (I do not crush my own. If you do, more power to you - and the cardamom flavor will be stronger in your cake!)
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
bread crumbs or vanilla wafer crumbs, for coating pan (I use store-bought bread crumbs)


Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Butter a Bundt pan (see note above), or use cooking spray (this is what I do; it gets into all the nooks and crannies better that way, I find).  Coat the pan with the bread or wafer crumbs and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, salt, eggs, and whipping cream.  Mix at low speed for 15-30 seconds, until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix at medium speed for 3 minutes.

Pour into prepared pan, and bake for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Remove from pan immediately; cool on a rack. Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar.



  © Free Blogger Templates Spain by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP