Swedish Visiting Cake
from https://www.tasteofhome.com/

This old-fashioned Swedish visiting cake recipe is infused with almond flavor and has a sweet and crunchy almond topping. The cake sets rather than bakes up, resulting in a chewy texture, similar to a coffee cake rather than a typical birthday cake. It’s the perfect snack cake to serve with coffee or hot tea the next time you have company.

Swedish visiting cake (the English name for both mandelkaka and toscakaka) is a traditional Swedish recipe flavored with almonds. It’s a popular treat to serve when guests visit for fika, the Swedish coffee break ritual. Fika, which roughly translates to “coffee and cake,” is more than just grabbing a quick cup of coffee; in Sweden, it’s about taking a break from the day to socialize with friends, family or colleagues.

The difference between mandelkaka and toscakaka has to do with the almond topping. Mandelkaka is typically scattered with plain, sliced almonds, whereas toscakaka has a sweet, crisp layer of caramelized almonds on top. Our version is a marriage between both of these classic Swedish almond cakes.

CAKE:
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
2/3 cup 2% milk
8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

TOPPING:
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, divided
1 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9-in. round cake pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, egg, extracts and milk. Add dry ingredients; whisk to combine. Add melted butter; whisk until batter is smooth and lump-free. Pour batter into prepared cake pan.

In another large bowl, whisk together egg whites, almond extract and 1 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add sliced almonds; stir to combine. Sprinkle almond mixture evenly on top of the batter.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until edges are golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack; cool completely. Dust with 2 tablespoons powdered sugar. Cut into slices.

Makes 10 pieces

Swedish Visiting Cake Variations

Plain almond topping: If you’d prefer a less sweet Swedish visiting cake and topping, you can turn this recipe into a traditional mandelkaka by topping the cake with 1 cup of plain sliced almonds before baking.

Traditional toscakaka: For a caramel-almond delight, bake the cake as directed without any almond topping. While the cake cools, prepare some caramel sauce. Remove 1 cup of caramel and stir in 1 cup of sliced almonds. Pour the almond-caramel mixture over the cake, then broil the cake until the topping is browned and bubbly, about 1 minute. Remove the cake and let it cool before serving.

Naked Swedish almond cake: If you don’t enjoy the added texture of nuts in your baked goods, you can omit the almond topping from the recipe altogether. Instead, bake it plain and then serve it simply with a dusting of powdered sugar once cooled.

Dried cherries: While adding cherries to Swedish visiting cake is definitely not traditional, almonds and cherries are a match made in heaven. Try adding 3/4 cup of dried cherries to the cake batter and then baking the cake as directed, with or without a topping. Cherry almond preserves would also make a divine topping.