This Toscakaka - aka Swedish Almond Cake is the perfect single-layer cake for a coffee break, brunch, or any occasion! This rich and buttery almond cake has a light, tender, moist texture with the perfect crispy and caramelized brown sugar almond topping. This cake is incredibly easy to master, yet looks and tastes impressive!
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If you need a simple cake to bring to a gathering or serve to guests, this cake is always a winner. It has gotten rave reviews from our friends stating it tastes like "an almond croissant but in cake form!" It's incredibly simple to make and tastes amazing.
This almond cake, aka 'toscakaka' is a Swedish fika favorite. ☺️ What's fika you ask? It's a lovely concept that all Scandinavian countries have, although it may be called something different.
In Swedish, it's 'fika' and in Norwegian, it's called a 'kaffepause' and essentially it's a relaxing coffee break with a nice chat, and a little sweet treat. It's a part of everyday life in Nordic countries. It offers a moment to pause, reflect, refuel, and enjoy. Speaking of fika treats, you have to try these incredible kardemummabullar (Swedish cardamom buns)!
As an exchange student in Norway in high school, I fell in love with the way Nordic folks make time for relaxation in their day-to-day routine.
In recent years I've wanted to revisit some of my Scandinavian comfort food favorites and learn more about traditional Nordic foods. I'm also of Swedish and Finnish descent, so it's especially interesting to me!
For more Nordic recipes, try this Finnish salmon soup (lohikeitto), this Swedish shrimp toast (toast skagen), this Norwegian cucumber salad (agurksalat), and this lingonberry sauce, the stuff that gets served alongside Swedish meatballs!
For an easy Nordic Christmas recipe, try our glogg recipe (Nordic mulled wine)!
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❤️Why We Love This Recipe
- Delicious flavor and the perfect combination of textures. This buttery cake has a rich almond flavor with a crunchy, caramelized topping. We used a combination of almond flour and all-purpose flour for a really delicious and tender crumb.
- Simple to make with clear instructions. This cake is very straightforward and super approachable for beginner bakers. Our step-by-step instructions will guide you through with ease and confidence. No leveling the cake, frosting, or making multiple layers. This single-layer cake is a show-stopper!
- Made with simple ingredients. There aren't too many ingredients used in this recipe and you probably already have most of them on hand in your fridge and pantry. If not, you can find everything you need at most grocery stores!
🧈Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Almond flour. This results in an incredibly moist cake with a super tender crumb. We love Bob's Red Mill because it's finely ground.
- Almond extract. Not a traditional ingredient, but if you like almond, flavor don't skip this!
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- No almond flour. We highly recommend using almond flour if you have it, it yields an incredible texture and flavor in this cake. However, in this recipe, all purpose flour is often used solely so it *should* work just fine to swap it out. Almond flour is generally substituted with flour 1:1 quite well. If you give it a try, will you let us know in the comments? We'll be sure to report back if we do the same!
- No almond extract. Simply omit it, or swap it for vanilla extract.
✨Variations
- Gluten-free. Simply swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. We like using Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. It should work just fine!
- Swap the nuts. You could technically swap in any nut of choice here, like walnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
- Spiced. Add in a hint of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg to this cake. These are all common ingredients in Nordic recipes and would taste great! You'll definitely enjoy the fall version of this cake - our almond apple cake with a buttery brown sugar apple topping and a cinnamon spiced cake!
- Lemony. Add in some fresh lemon zest, and lemon extract instead of almond for a zing of citrus flavor.
- Dairy-free. Simply swap the butter for your favorite vegan version, and use a dairy-free milk instead of regular milk.
*This recipe hasn't been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you change or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below.
🔪Prep Work
- Allow the eggs to sit out at room temperature for about an hour. Alternatively, you can place them in a bowl of warm warm for about 10 minutes to get them to room temperature quickly.
- Let the milk sit out for about 30 minutes to get it to room temperature.
- Measure out the rest of the ingredients using a food scale.
- Grease and line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
📋Instructions
In a mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, all purpose flour, salt, and baking powder. Make sure everything is evenly dispersed. (Image 1) Set aside.
⭑Pro Tip: Use a digital food scale for precise results when measuring flour. Too much flour can make the cake dense and dry.
Place the melted butter and sugar in a bowl and mix on medium until light and fluffy. (Image 2)
Add in one egg at a time. (Image 3)
⭑Pro Tip: For a light and tender crumb and to avoid a dense cake, don't add in all the eggs at once, and instead, add them one-by-one to the batter, mixing completely.
Mix until combined completely, and smooth, about 1 minute per egg. (Image 4)
Add in the vanilla extract and the optional almond extract, (Image 5) then mix again.
Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. (Image 6)
Gently fold everything together until combined, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. (Image 11)
⭑Pro Tip: At this point, don't overmix! Once the dry ingredients are added, you want to make sure to fold until combined, but not beyond that, or else you risk overactivating the gluten in the flour and making the cake dense and tough.
Pour into the cake tin and spread out evenly. Bang the pan on the counter a few times to bring any bubbles to the surface and level out the pan. (Image 8)
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown, and the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. The cake should spring back when touched. (Image 9) Don't turn the oven off.
Meanwhile, while the cake bakes, make the caramel almond topping. Place the butter, sugar, salt, milk, and flaked almonds in a saucepan on medium heat. (Image 10)
Stir the mixture constantly until the butter has melted, the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened. This should take about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the topping from the heat, and stir in the optional almond extract. (Image 11)
When the cake comes out of the oven, pour the caramel almond mixture over top of the baked cake and spread in an even layer over top.
Return the cake to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is golden. (Image 12) Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 20 minutes or so to allow the brown sugar caramel sauce to solidify.
Carefully remove the cake from the tin and let the cake cool fully on a wire rack, about 15-20 minutes.
Top with powdered sugar (if desired). (Image 13)
Slice, and serve with a cup of coffee. Enjoy!
✨Pro Tip: Be careful when adding cream and make sure to add it slowly! It's really easy to thin the frosting too much, but hard to thicken it if it becomes too thin.
✨Tips & tricks
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake batter. Ingredients at room temperature will mix together much more smoothly. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time, including the eggs, and milk.
- Measure accurately. Use a kitchen scale if you have one, as the sizes of cups vary. Accurate measurements can take a baked good from good to great and too much flour can lead to a dry, dense cake.
- Make sure your melted butter isn’t too hot. The butter can be warm, just not hot! It will help dissolve the sugar. However, hot butter will just make the cake greasy and mess with the emulsification process.
- Don’t skip mixing the butter and sugar. While it’s not entirely necessary, it will yield the best results, and we highly recommend it. Because there is a large proportion of sugar in this cake batter, the butter won't quite come together totally right away, that's okay - it will when the eggs and extracts are added! Creaming butter and sugar together incorporates air into the butter, dissolves the sugar, and increases volume. It results in a lighter, airier cake with a tender crumb.
- Add the eggs one at a time. This allows the eggs to incorporate properly into the batter. If they are all added in at once, the cake will become too dense and won't bake up properly. Take the extra time to add them one by one, you won't regret it!
- Don't overmix the dry ingredients. Once you add the flour, mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated. This will ensure your cake is tender and fluffy, instead of tough and dense.
- Bang the cake pans on the counter before baking in the oven to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface.
- Use an oven thermometer. Make sure your oven is fully preheated before baking. An oven thermometer can help confirm that the oven has reached the right temperature. Often, the beep you hear from the oven goes off prematurely before the temperature is reached. Also, different ovens run at different temperatures. This is the best way to ensure your cake won't bake too quickly (if your oven runs hot).
- Prep your pan. Always grease and line your springform pan with parchment paper for easier cookie removal and cleanup. We don't want the cake to stick to the pan!
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. This cake is best enjoyed fresh when it's still a bit warm, but will retain moisture for an extended period of time because of the almond flour!
Sure! This cake can be made a few days in advance and be stored at room temperature wrapped tightly with plastic wrap. Due to the almond flour, the cake will remain very moist.
Alternatively, you could bake the cake portion, and store it for a few days, then finish off with the almond topping before serving.
Yes, you can. Freeze cake pieces, or large cake portions in tightly wrapped plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
Sure! This cake is delicious on its own. While we highly recommend the caramelized almond topping, you can leave it off if you prefer.
More Tasty Dessert Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Swedish Almond Cake - Toscakaka
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
- 9-inch parchment paper rounds
- hand mixer (or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or a whisk)
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Cake
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (1 stick)
- 1 cup white sugar 200g
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 cups almond flour finely ground, 224g
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 75g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Caramel almond topping
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar 100g
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups sliced almonds 200g
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract optional
Instructions
Cake
- Grease and line a springform 9-inch cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the melted butter and sugar in a bowl and beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup white sugar
- Add in one egg at a time and beat until combined completely, about 1 minute per egg.4 large eggs
- Add in the vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined.2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together (or sift) the almond flour, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and fold until combined, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.½ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour, 2 cups almond flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour into the cake tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until golden brown, and the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. The cake should spring back when touched. Don't turn off the oven!
Almond topping
- Meanwhile, while the cake bakes, make the caramel almond topping. Place the butter, sugar, salt, milk, and flaked almonds in a saucepan on medium heat.10 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ cup whole milk, 2 cups sliced almonds
- Stir constantly until the butter has melted, the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened. This should take about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the topping from the heat, and stir in the optional almond extract.⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- When the cake comes out of the oven, pour the caramel almond mixture over top of the baked cake and spread in an even layer over top. Return the cake to the oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until the top is golden.
Assembly
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 20 minutes or so to allow the brown sugar caramel sauce to solidify.
- Carefully remove the cake from the tin and let the cake cool fully on a wire rack.
- Slice and serve with a dusting of powdered sugar, berries, or whipped cream. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Video
Notes
-
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cake batter. Ingredients at room temperature will mix together much more smoothly. Set out any cold ingredients ahead of time, including the eggs, and milk.
- Use a kitchen scale if you have one, as the sizes of cups vary. Accurate measurements can take a baked good from good to great and too much flour can lead to a dry, dense cake.
- Make sure your melted butter isn’t too hot. The butter can be warm, just not hot!
- Creaming butter and sugar together incorporates air into the butter, dissolves the sugar, and increases volume. It results in a lighter, airier cake with a tender crumb.
- Add the eggs one at a time. This allows the eggs to incorporate properly into the batter.
- Don't overmix the dry ingredients. Once you add the flour, mix your cake batter just until the ingredients are incorporated.
- Bang the cake pans on the counter before baking to bring any trapped air bubbles to the surface.
- An oven thermometer can help confirm that the oven has reached the right temperature, and ensure you don't over or undertake the cake.
- Always grease and line your springform pan with parchment paper for easier cookie removal and cleanup.
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