Kladdkaka - Swedish Fudge Cake needs no fancy equipment, comes together in about 5 minutes with only five ingredients for a purposely underbaked chocolate cake with a gooey center; that makes this one of the best Swedish recipes.
Table of Contents
What is Kladdkaka?
Kladdkaka is a traditional Swedish dessert that translates to "sticky cake" or "gooey cake." It is a rich and fudgy chocolate cake with a slightly gooey center and a crispy outer layer.
Ingredients and substitutions for Kladdkaka - Swedish Fudge Cake
- Butter: The melted butter helps give this cake it's fudgy dense interior which is often not the goal with a cake, you could use a non dairy butter like for like, though I have never tried this, so cannot guarantee the final result.
- Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar gives our cake itโs sweetness without additional flavor. You could substitute with raw sugar or half and half with brown sugar, though your cake would have slightly more caramel flavor and might not result in such a crackly top.
- Eggs: The eggs are whipped until super fluffy here, the texture they create as well as adding structure to the cake makes them essential.
- Cocoa powder: This chocolate fudge cake would not be the same without the cocoa powder which you will want to be of high quality as this really and truly is a chocolate cake at heart.
- Plain flour: You don't need much in this cake and the proteins in the plain or all purpose flour help to bind with the other ingredients to give the cake structure and create the beautiful external crust and fudgy interior. I have not tried this cake with gluten free flour, however, you could try a gluten free blend due to the low quantity required here.
- Vanilla extract and salt: Both vanilla extract and salt act as a flavor enhancers in the cake, without it we wouldn't have depth of flavor when we bite into a slice. You could replace the vanilla extract with a small packed of vanilla sugar, if this is readily available where you reside.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Kladdkaka:
Step 1: Whip it: Whip the eggs and sugar until fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.
Step 2: Add the flour and salt: Add the flour and salt a quarter at a time and whisk until combined.
Step 3: Cocoa mixture: Add the cocoa powder and extract into the melted butter until the mixture resembles chocolate sauce.
Step 4: Cake batter: Stir the butter cocoa mixture into the egg and flour mixture until smooth.
Step 5: Bake: Pour into your prepared cake tin and bake until you have a clean skewer from the edge of your cake.
Step 6: Cool: Allow the cake to cool fully.
Step 7: Serve: Slice and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or thick yogurt. Dig in!
Other chocolate cakes you'll enjoy
Kladdkaka Cake
Ingredients
- 90 grams / 2 medium eggs room temperature
- 275 grams / 1 โ cups superfine/caster sugar
- 80 grams / ยฝ cup plain flour
- ยผ teaspoon sea salt
- 113 grams / 4 ounces butter melted
- 30 grams / 4 tablespoons plain cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a 15 cm or 6 inch round cake tin with parchment paper.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar together until fluffy and the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the flour and salt a quarter at a time and combine until well mixed.
- Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract into the butter and combine until smooth.
- Add the butter mixture to the sugar mixture and whisk to combine until smooth.
- Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or when the toothpick test comes out clean from the edge of the cake.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Serve with a little whipped cream.
- Enjoy this lava cake with spoons at the ready.
Video
Notes
- Butter: The melted butter helps give this cake it's fudgy dense interior which is often not the goal with a cake, you could use a non dairy butter like for like, though I have never tried this, so cannot guarantee the final result.
- Cocoa powder: This chocolate fudge cake would not be the same without the cocoa powder which you will want to be of high quality as this really and truly is a chocolate cake at heart.
- Sugar: Superfine or caster sugar gives our cake itโs sweetness without additional flavor. You could substitute with raw sugar or half and half with brown sugar, though your cake would have slightly more caramel flavor and might not result in such a crackly top.
- Cake tin: The cake tin used here was 6 inches or 15 centimeters, so the cake has a higher crust and fudgier center. A springform pan or regular cake pan between 6-8 inches or 15-20 centimeters works best otherwise the cake will be too flat and less fudgy.
Nutrition
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Made it and loved it?
If you have made this recipe, it would mean so much to leave a review below to help more people find this.
Jessica Payne
Do you think you could double the recipe?
Sylvie Taylor
Hi Jessica, you definitely could, however, it would be better to bake it in a larger cake tin - one around 20 cm or 8 inch for around the same time. Otheriwise it's best to increase the time by 10 minutes if using the standard 15cm or 6 inch tin. Hope you enjoy this and thanks so much.
Janelle
Wow! This is an amazing recipe. I didn't have a 6" pan so I used a 6.5" ceramic bowl. I also used Einkorn flour instead and added 10-15% more flour since Einkorn is a touch different than regular flour. I also used regular white sugar since I've never seen caster sugar in the US. I had to cook it an extra 10 minutes since I had a ceramic bowl. It turned out so delicious. I can't wait to try it again. Thanks so much!!
Sylvie Taylor
Hey Janelle, so great to hear that your Kladdkaka turned out perfectly and bet the einkorn flour added a beautiful complimentary flavor. Apologies for the confusion around the sugar, in the US it is usually known as superfine sugar. Thank you so much for the review!
Taylor Di Lucca
Thanks for sharing your comment! We are einkorn flour people as well and it certainly bakes much different than regular flour. This will be exciting to try!
Sarah
I've made this cake countless times whenever I have to bring a plate and though it's a small cake, I've seen people pull out spoons to scoop up the last pieces on the plate, on more than one occasion. It's a great cake!
Sylvie Taylor
Thanks so much for your review Sarah. This cake doesn't need to be big to be a hit!
Alisdair Brooks
This cake is amazing for parties, super easy to make and really delicious! I like to serve with some whipped cream and a dusting of icing sugar. If you want to contrast the sweetness, a little bit of greek yoghurt on the side is an amazing addition!
Sylvie Taylor
Thanks for the the tips and it's great to hear how you enjoy serving this. Thanks so much
Everett
I made this cake as didn't have chocolate on hand but wanted a chocolate cake (not brownies) and wow!! I ended up making it another 3 times in two weeks because every chance I had to share it, I took it. Love this
Sylvie Taylor
Happy to hear you love this cake as much as us Everett!
Clara
Could I just ask what type of flour you use fir this cake? Iโm based in the uk- so would it be self raising or plain? ?
Sylvie
Hi Clara, the best outome will be to use plain flour so that the cake ends up with it's signature fudgy consistency.