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    Home » Cuisines

    Traditional Swedish Cakes: Make Them at Home!

    Published: May 13, 2023 · Modified: Mar 13, 2024 by Neriz · This post contains some affiliate links.

    Authentic Swedish cakes that you can easily make in your own kitchen! There’s no need to travel up north, so have that cup of coffee or tea ready and enjoy!

    Traditional Swedish Cakes that are so easy to make at home, showing a slice of Swedish strawberry cake.

    Aside from the usual flour, sugar, and eggs, it would help to have these Swedish baking staples in your kitchen for making these traditional cakes from Sweden:

    • Almond paste. No need to buy it; you can easily prepare your homemade almond paste.
    • Ground cardamom. If cardamom seeds are easy to purchase in your area, I suggest you buy them instead and ground them yourself when needed.

    Don’t worry; if you are into authentic Swedish desserts and fika pastries, you will surely use these two staples as well.

    So, let’s start with Swedish cakes for special occasions!

    Swedish Cakes for Holidays

    Swedish Strawberry Cake

    Classic Swedish Midsummer Cake decorated with more fresh strawberries.

    Locally known as ‘midsommartårta‘ or midsummer cake, this layered Swedish cake is a must for celebrating the country’s biggest holiday — midsummer’s day.

    It is also the season for excellent fresh strawberries, so they always go hand in hand.

    Some use jam for the filling, while others use macerated strawberries — as seen in this Swedish midsummer cake recipe.

    Saffranskaka 

    A slice of saffranskaka, ready for serving.

    A moist sponge cake that’s subtly flavored with saffron, Swedish saffron cake is ubiquitous as soon as Advent kicks-off.

    Like lussekatter or saffron buns, you will see it in bakeries, gatherings, or even in the cake sections of big supermarkets.

    While this saffron cake has a bit more butter than your usual sponge cake, it does not overpower the saffron’s flavor and aroma — simply delicious.

    Classic Swedish Cakes

    Toscakaka

    An overhead shot of a cooled toscakaka, with two slices ready for serving.

    Also called ‘tosca cake‘, this Swedish almond caramel cake is a famous treat for fika or coffee break.

    Glazed with caramelized almond flakes, the crunch and hint of bitterness from the almonds in every bite will definitely have you reaching for a second slice.

    Kardemummakaka

    A shot of a slice of Swedish cardamom cake, highlighting the texture of the cake.

    At first glance, this flavorsome cardamom cake looks so plain.

    But there is nothing ordinary about its taste — it’s a perfect balance of ground cardamom, sugar, and butter on every bite.

    You don’t just taste the spice; you smell it as soon as your Swedish cardamom cake is halfway done in the oven.

    So start preparing your coffee or tea as well. 

    Swedish Almond Paste Mini Cakes

    Almond Mini Cakes on a plate served with an espresso and regular coffee.

    Known locally as ‘mumma,’ these are addictive mini cakes that will give you an almond cake with almond paste in every serving.

    But there’s more! Each almond paste cake is coated with ground cardamom, so if you have yet to try that combo, you’re in for a surprise.

    Almond cardamom cakes — absolute perfection. 🙂

    Äppelkaka

    A freshly baked Swedish apple cake, ready for slicing, with powdered sugar and fresh apples next to it.

    Unlike your ordinary apple cake, this Swedish cake with apple slices on top has a bread-like texture.

    It’s not as soft as the rest of the classic Swedish cakes, but that does not mean it’s dry and dense—it’s the exact opposite.

    Swedish apple cake is light and moist, and the apples are cooked beforehand. So, if you don’t like raw apples in your cake, you should definitely give this a try.

    Oh, don’t forget the vanilla sauce!

    Kladdkaka

    A slice of gooey Swedish chocolate cake, served with coffee and berries.

    Known as ‘Swedish sticky chocolate cake‘ outside Sweden because you guessed it — the inside of the cake is sticky.

    The key to making this classic Swedish cake is to have a perfect balance of sweet and bitter for the sticky cake.

    Plus, make sure you don’t overcook it, so keep a close eye on your kladdkaka the first time you prepare it — just to get a feel of how it works for your oven.

    After that, you will surely make it regularly, because it’s unbelievably easy for something as delicious. 🙂

    Mandelkaka (Swedish Almond Cake)

    A slice of mandelkaka, highlighting the texture of the inside of the cake.

    This traditional Swedish almond cake recipe does not skimp on almonds.

    It uses almond flour, and it’s topped with blanched almond flakes — so you get the unmistakable aroma and flavor of almonds.

    Always a winner with family and friends!

    Kärleksmums

    An overhead shot of Kärleksmums sliced and ready for serving.

    This one has got a LOT of names:

    • Swedish chocolate coconut cake
    • mocha squares
    • chocolate and coffee squares

    Regardless of what you want to call this classic Swedish cake, three things remain the same:

    • It’s a chocolate sponge cake
    • With a thin layer of chocolate icing
    • Sprinkled with desiccated coconut

    So if you like those things, you will definitely love this Swedish coffee cake!

    Have you decided which traditional Swedish cake you would like to try first? Then, go ahead and let me know which is your favorite!

    YOU CAN ALSO GET IDEAS FROM THIS LIST OF CAKES AROUND THE WORLD!

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