Swedish Visiting Cake with Whisky Glaze! This snack cake can be made in a matter of minutes with simple ingredients. The flavors of cardamom and whisky make it a warm and inviting slice to share with friends.
I'm going to be completely, unashamedly honest: I know next to nothing about Sweden.
I'm embarrassed to say that hearing the word "Sweden" brings to mind images of:
Swedish Fish...
 |
| Image Source |
The Swedish Chef...
Swedish Meatballs...
...and of course, Ikea.
I'm only telling you this because I think it's important to note that it's never too late to learn something new about the world. Not even when your interpretation of an entire culture is based on things you've seen on Sesame Street.
{Oh, the things I admit to you guys. Sigh.}
So, why all this talk about our Nordic friends? Well, thanks to an assignment given to me by Honest Cooking and the NORTH Festival, I can now say that I have just a tiny bit more information about Sweden, their culture, and their food.
To be honest, my Google searches for "Swedish food" didn't bring up much more information than what I already knew. If you went by the great and powerful Internet, you would be under the assumption that Swedish folk ate nothing but pickled herring, spiced cinnamon buns, princess cakes, and meatballs. {With the exception of this thing which was pretty darn cool.}
After a little more digging, I was able to come up with some general assumptions about Swedish food:
- Cardamom and warm spices are pretty popular
- They are not afraid of butter {which automatically makes us kindred spirits}
- It is steeped in tradition and is made to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace
I like these people.
My friends at Honest Cooking sent over a few Swedish items for recipe inspiration. Among them was a small bottle of Mackmyra Swedish Whisky. Suddenly, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it.
During one of my searches, I found a recipe for Swedish Visiting Cake. It is a snack that can be made in a matter of minutes with simple ingredients resulting in a sweet cake that is meant to be shared with friends. I decided to give the recipe a little twist with a dash of Swedish whisky, a pinch of cardamom, and a boozy glaze. The result was phenomenal.
Swedish Visiting Cake stood out to me as supremely representative of Swedish culture: Warm, inviting, and hospitable. {Its authenticity is yet to be determined, but I doubt anyone would care after taking a bite.}
Is it just me, or is anyone else ready to book a flight to Stockholm?
If you can't quite take the time for a proper visit to Sweden, you can check out the NORTH Festival in New York City, which will be showcasing Nordic flavors from skilled chefs from October 2 - 7.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go explore this whole "fika" idea a little further...
Swedish Visiting Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar + extra for sprinkling
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Swedish whisky such as Mackmyra
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Scant ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick {8 tablespoons} butter melted & cooled
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
For Glaze:
- ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Swedish whisky
- 1-2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees {or 325 degrees if using ceramic dish}. Prepare a 9 inch cake pan, cast iron skillet, or ceramic baking dish by greasing liberally with butter.
- Combine sugar and lemon zest well by rubbing together with fingers or by using a stand mixer until fragrant and slightly moistened.
- Add eggs and beat until the mixture becomes pale. Add vanilla extract and whisky and mix until combined.
- In a small bowl combine flour, cardamom, and salt. Sprinkle flour mixture into wet mixture a bit at a time and mix until just incorporated.
- Fold or mix in cooled butter until the batter is uniform.
- Pour batter into greased dish or pan. Sprinkle with almonds and extra sugar.
- Bake for about 25 minutes if using a ceramic dish, or 25-30 minutes if using a cake pan. It is ready when the top of the cake begins to turn golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.
- For Glaze: In a small bowl, combine ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon Swedish whisky and 1 teaspoon water. Mix until smooth and a drizzling consistency is reached.
- Drizzle over cake before serving.
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan
Leave a Reply