We love a good, simple cake recipe, and this Swedish visiting cake may just be one of our new favorites. Each slice is bursting with almond flavor and coated with an irresistibly sweet and crunchy topping made with slivered nuts. It’s the perfect snack cake to serve with coffee or hot tea the next time you have company.

What we love most about this easy cake recipe is how quick it is to throw together. Mix the topping in one bowl and the almond-flavored cake batter in another. Bake it in a 9-inch baking pan until it’s lightly golden, and you have a totally delicious last-minute dessert or sweet breakfast treat you can serve on the fly. No fancy cake decorating skills are required; just dust the top with a generous amount of confectioners’ sugar and serve it. This Swedish visiting cake will become a fast favorite.

What is Swedish visiting cake?

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.

Ingredients for Swedish Visiting Cake

• Sugar: In cake baking, sugar sweetens the batter and makes it moist and tender.
• Egg: Eggs provide structure to cakes. They add moisture and also incorporate air into the batter, helping them rise and become fluffy.
• Almond extract: Almond extract is an essential ingredient in this Swedish visiting cake recipe. It perfumes and flavors the cake, just as it does in other recipes with almond extract.
• Vanilla extract: While Swedish cake is first and foremost an almond cake, a touch of vanilla extract gives the recipe a bit more depth and complexity.
• Milk: Milk adds moisture and richness to the batter. We suggest whole milk for extra tenderness, but low-fat milk can be used instead.
• Flour: While many types of flour can be used in cake baking, this easy recipe requires nothing more than everyday all-purpose flour.
• Baking powder: Baking powder acts as a leavener that makes the Swedish visiting cake rise as it bakes in the oven.
• Salt: Salt balances and enhances the other flavors in this cake recipe.
• Butter: Butter adds a rich flavor to the cake and helps keep the crumb soft and moist.
• Topping: A combination of egg whites, confectioners’ sugar, almond extract and sliced almonds turns into a sweet and crisp topping that contrasts nicely with the soft and tender cake. If you only have granulated sugar at home, you can make powdered sugar in seconds by blitzing it in a blender.

Taste of Home

Find more recipes like this on my companion blog, “Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let’s Eat!”