Kladdkaka (Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake)

About This Recipe

Kladdkaka is a real, traditional Swedish dish, known as Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake. A deliberately underbaked chocolate cake with a crisp top and a dense, fudgy, almost molten center.\n\nKladdkaka, literally 'sticky cake', rose to popularity in Swedish home baking in the latter half of the 20th century as an easy, reliably crowd-pleasing dessert that requires no mixer and just one bowl.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Swedish home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 2eggs
• 250 gsugar
• 1 tspvanilla extract
• 100 gall-purpose flour
• 4 tbspcocoa powder
• 0.25 tspfine sea salt
• 125 gbutter(melted)
• 1 tbsppowdered sugar(for dusting)

Instructions

1. 1

   Whisk eggs and sugar

   Whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla together until pale and slightly foamy, about 2 minutes.

2. 2

   Add dry ingredients

   Sift in flour, cocoa powder and salt, folding gently until just combined.

3. 3

   Add butter

   Fold in the melted butter until the batter is smooth and glossy.

4. 4

   Prepare the pan

   Pour into a buttered 22 cm springform pan.

5. 5

   Bake

   Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 20 to 22 minutes — the edges should be set but the center should still jiggle slightly.

6. 6

   Cool and serve

   Let cool for at least 20 minutes; the center firms up as it cools but should stay fudgy. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Variations

• •

  Add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top before serving for a salted version.

• •

  Stir in orange zest for a chocolate-orange variation popular in Sweden.

• •

  Serve with lightly whipped cream and fresh berries to cut the richness.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions