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Kladdkaka (aka Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake) is one of Sweden's most beloved (and easy) desserts and every chocolate lover's dream come true! This version is also a one-bowl, no-mixer recipe that comes together quickly with pantry staples!
I originally posted this Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake back in 2018 but thought it was appropriate to share again as it's one of the easiest and most delicious cakes you'll ever have the pleasure of meeting. And I love that its ingredients are all pantry or refrigerator staples so it's easy to put together without making a trip to the grocery store. In addition to all of that, I received the following comment recently which, to me, gave this Swedish-inspired cake an official stamp of approval!
As a Swede, I was looking for a way to spruce up my normal kladdkaka recipe for my work-colleagues as we had a birthday bash for two of the Swedes here... found your recipe and thought to try it as it looked so yummy! Have to say it was a hit with both the Swedish people as well as the other nationals. Absolutely amazing and there were not even crumbs left after they had discovered it! Absolutely fabulous, and will definitely be doing it again! Thank you for sharing, very much appreciated, from a Swede living abroad
A funny name for a fantastic cake
The real name for this Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake is Kladdkaka. Kladdkaka is pronounced like this and it's one of Sweden's most popular cakes. I've gathered, from doing some research, that there are as many versions of Kladdkaka as there are blondes in this land of the midnight sun! Every Swedish café, small or large has its own version of Kladdkaka, which literally means "sticky cake".
What is Kladdkaka?
Kladdkaka is similar to our beloved American brownies but different at the same time. It's a dense, rich chocolate dessert with a crisp exterior and a soft and gooey interior. It's a bit like an underbaked chocolate cake, reminding me of our "molten chocolate cakes" that were popular several years ago. Kladdkaka is often described with words like "sticky", "gooey" and "fudgy". I describe it as a "chocolate lover's dream come"!
One-bowl, no-mixer
Not only is this Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake super delicious, but it's also incredibly easy to make. If you have an 8-inch cake pan, a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon or whisk, that's all the equipment you'll need to put this cake together. And if you keep a stash of cocoa in the pantry, you probably have everything necessary to mix up one of these wonderful chocolate cakes.
I mentioned earlier that every café in Sweden has its own version of Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake. It only seemed proper that this Café should too! I tried a few different recipes, then came up with my own. The cake is delicious right out of the oven, with just a simple dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa and a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
We loved the simplicity of serving it on its own, but I also wanted to share a simple and decadent way to dress up this cake with an easy (two-ingredient) sea-salted truffle topping. Serve your Kladdkaka on a pool of our Ridiculously Easy Raspberry Coulis for a fabulous flavor combination and a beautiful presentation. The coulis looks fancy but it truly is ridiculously easy! Check out the video below:
Got a sweet tooth? No need to spend a lot of time or make something complicated or fussy. Just raid the pantry and whip up a Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake. Then wait for the rave reviews to come rolling in.
Café Tips for making this Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake
- Be careful to not overbake this cake. You want a somewhat molten, moist interior.
- Don't be tempted to use a higher temperature. Some of the recipes I tried called for baking the Kladdkaka at 400˚F. The outer edges got overdone and the center ended up sinking. Not so pretty (see my failure below!)
- Because you want the center of the cake to be "sticky", the traditional "toothpick test" won't work. Just go according to the time and you should be fine.
- When this cake comes out of the oven, let it cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then run a thin-bladed knife all the way around the edge, even if you plan on adding the truffle topping. This will make it much easier to remove later.
- You need an 8-inch round or square cake pan for this recipe. You can use a 9-inch pan but the cake will not be as high.
- For easy removal of this cake and to ensure a pretty presentation, be sure to grease the pan well. You also want to line the bottom with a round of parchment paper. You can easily cut your own, but I love these pre-cut parchment paper circles. They make it a breeze when you get ready to make a cake.
- A little trick - if you're cutting your own parchment paper rounds, quadruple the layers of parchment paper and cut 4 at a time. Store the extras in your cake pan. Next time you make a Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake, you'll be all set to go!
- This is a one-bowl cake. I use the microwave to melt the butter, mix up the cake in the same bowl and then wash it while the cake bakes. I then have a clean bowl for making the topping.
- If you don't have a microwave, melt the butter on the stovetop in a medium-size pot and mix up the rest of the cake right in the pot.
- This cake freezes beautifully. I like to cut the cooled cake into small wedges, then freeze them for one hour, uncovered. Once the wedges are frozen, you can place them in a storage container or ziplock bag. It will be easy to pull out just the amount of servings you need. Allow the cake to thaw completely before serving.
- I use a sprinkle of flaky sea salt as a garnish and delicious gourmet touch. My favorite flaky sea salt is Maldon. It's more expensive than ordinary salt, but a box will go a long way. Don't use it as an everyday salt, but rather as a "finishing" salt for both sweet and savory dishes. To use it, take a pinch between your thumb and forefinger and rub them together to slightly break up the large flakes. It's wonderful! And if you need a little gift for a foodie buddy, a box of Maldon will seal your friendship forever!
- This cake is very rich. Even though it's made in an 8-inch pan, you can easily get 12-14 servings from 1 cake. For a super elegant dessert, serve small wedges of this Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake on a pool of our Ridiculously Easy Raspberry Coulis. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of mint. Expect lots of oohs and aahs!
Thought for the day
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself is the Rock Eternal! Isaiah 26:3&4
Kladdkaka (aka Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake) is one of Sweden's most beloved (and easy!) desserts and it's definitely a chocolate lover's dream come true!
- 10 tablespoons butter (I use salted)
- 1 ⅓ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt I love Maldon
- whipped cream, mint sprigs optional
- Ridiculously Easy Raspberry Coulis optional
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Preheat oven to 325˚F. Spray an 8-inch round or square cake pan with baking spray or grease the pan with butter and then dust with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with a round (or square) piece of parchment paper. Don't omit this or the cake will be difficult to remove from the pan.
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Place butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and cover bowl with a plate or paper towel. Cook in the microwave on high power for 1 ½ minutes, or until butter is melted.
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Add sugar to the bowl with melted butter and whisk to combine. Add eggs, one at a time and stir well after each addition. Add the cocoa, flour, vanilla and salt. Stir just until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
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Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread out to an even layer. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Don’t over bake. The cake should be slightly firm on the outside, but moist and sticky inside.
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Cool completely OR let the cake cool for 10 minutes before adding truffle topping.
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While the cake is baking, wash out the bowl. After the cake comes out of the oven, heat the heavy cream in the clean bowl for 1 minute on high power. Add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir and allow to sit for 1 minute. Then stir until all chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
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Pour truffle mixture over the semi-cooled cake and spread to an even layer.
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Allow the truffle topping on the cake to cool for 10 minutes (otherwise, the salt will “melt” into the topping”), then sprinkle with about ¼ teaspoon flaky sea salt.
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Cool the cake at room temperature for several hours, then refrigerate for 30 minutes before removing it from the pan.
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To remove, run a thin-bladed knife around the outer edges of the cake. Invert pan onto a dinner plate and, holding the plate and pan together, give it a good shake downwards. If the cake doesn’t release, go around the edges again with a knife then repeat with inverting cake. Once the cake is released, invert again so that the truffle layer is on the top.
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Serve with our Ridiculously Easy Raspberry Coulis and a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.
See Café Tips above for more detailed instructions.
Recipe adapted from Carrots and Spice.
Serves 12-14
Maryann Winn says
What is the best way to cut this cake for serving?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Maryann, once this cake is cooled completely, it's easy to cut into wedges for serving.
Baker lvl_1 says
This cake was absolutely delicious! I made the cake and the ganache, I used a little bit of espresso powder in the ganache. The recipe was very easy to follow along with. I made this cake for my friend's birthday and she loved it as well. This will be my birthday gift for others from now onwards.
Thank you for this recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome, Baker! Thanks for letting us know!
Nicole says
Hi Chris, How would I make this gluten-free? Can a Bob's gluten free flour work? Thanks so much - looks decadent!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Nicole, I haven't tried making it gluten-free, so I can't say for sure. If you try it, let us know.
JB says
Great recipe as written. Would like to share for my sister-in-laws birthday but she is allergic to egg whites. Can anything be substituted for the eggs in the recipe?
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, JB! I haven't tried substituting the eggs so I can't say for sure. If you try it, be sure to let us know!
Carla says
Could a springform pan be utilized to aid in removal of the cake?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Carla, I haven't tried this in a springform. If I did, I would wrap the bottom with some foil to ensure that nothing leaks out. It's actually easy to remove though if you line the pan with parchment.
Trix says
I've made this many times without the ganache, but thought I'd try it with it for a dinner party. Why would you add the topping first, then unmold it by turning upside down on a plate, THEN turn it back over? That would be a huge mess and a pretty banged up cake.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Trix, actually it works quite nicely if you follow the directions as written. The ganache has enough time to cool and harden.
Melissa says
Made this today for Christmas Eve. It was amazing! Made it with the rasberry coulis, mint, whipped cream, and sea salt as suggested. It was very easy to make, and received rave reviews. Thank you for taking the time to share this!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thank you so much for letting us know, Melissa!
Lisa says
I’m planning on making this for Christmas and wondered if it could be made the day before? If so, should it be stored in the fridge or just at room temp? Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lisa, you can definitely make this the night before. I would store it in the fridge but then bring it out a few hours ahead so it can come to room temperature before serving.
Kim Siano says
Yummy! I made this for my daughter’s going away party yesterday. She will be getting her masters in Stockholm, Sweden, so I wanted to make a traditional Swedish dessert, but make it gluten-free since my daughter is gluten intolerant. It was incredible!!! My whole family loved it and didn’t realize it was gluten-free. I also made the ganache for the top with Lily’s stevia sweetened chips, so cut out the amount of sugar. I want to try the cake portion with sugar substitute next time and also try the recipe for the raspberry coulis. The recipe was easy, clean-up a snap and the results was so delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Kim!
Diane says
Chris, it was delicious! And once the truffle topping was added, no one even knew the cake had fallen a bit. I will definitely make it again - so easy! And the raspberry coulis cut the sweetness of the chocolate perfectly.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much for sharing your results, Diane!
Diane says
Chris, is it normal for the cake to fall in the centre a bit? We are high altitude (3300 feet) but I think you are as well. Should I make some sort of adjustment? I baked it for 22 minutes. Maybe I underbaked it? My pan is dark and I baked at 325. Once I add the ganache, and the raspberry sauce, I know it’s going to be delicious. I just wondered if I did something wrong.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Diane, it can sink a tiny bit in the middle. We live at 2600 feet so there shouldn't be too much of a difference. If it's too soft in the middle, next time leave it in for a few more minutes.
Cassie Roberts says
The recipe for the truffle topping says to let it cool for several hours, then chill before removing it from the pan. Is that referring to the cake? I'm unsure of when to take the cake out of its pan and when to put the truffle top on.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cassie, sorry if that was confusing. The truffle topping is poured on the cake and then the truffle-topped cake is cooled at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Then refrigerate it for 30 minutes to make it easy to remove from the pan.
Conrad Skinner says
Startled how easy this recipe is considering the incredible results! Absolutely delicious with the raspberry coulis.....
I'm going to try the truffle topping with milk chocolate next time
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Conrad! So happy you enjoyed it!
Laurie says
Great recipe! My husband loved it! Super easy to make. I made a strawberry coulis instead of raspberry. Just delicious!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Laurie!
Sandia says
Absolutely delicious. A keeper. Thank you.
Chris Scheuer says
So happy you enjoyed it, Sandia!
Meghan says
Thank you Chris for this lovely recipe! My husband and I have made it multiple times now, and each time we are amazed how easy the recipe is, because the end result looks so fancy!! Even my dad, who doesn't like chocolate, loves when we make this dessert!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Meghan! I'm so happy you loved the cake.
Ellen says
Do you turn the cake out before adding truffle topping? or are you supposed to use a springform pan? Unclear how it gets unmolded.
Claire says
I only have unsalted butter, how much additional salt do you recommend adding to compensate? Looking forward to baking this and sharing with a Swedish-Danish friend!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Claire, just use an extra ¼ teaspoon. Enjoy!