STICKY CHOCOLATE CAKE
There’s a wonderful Swedish custom called Fika (fee-ka) —a coffee and cake break with friends, with colleagues, a social pause in the day. And reportedly, the most popular Fika cake is a sticky, gooey chocolate confection called kladdkaka. Aside from good coffee and chocolate, the idea of an institutionalized, national custom of ‘taking a break’ is breathtaking—mind bending! So, here’s a pretty simple version of the cake that makes the custom sweet. Caution—this version is meant to serve 12!!!!
- ½ cup butter
- 6 tblsp cocoa—plus a little more
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup flour
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tblsp vanilla
Melt butter in are saucepan, then let cool a bit off the heat. Prepare an 8” round pan, either a cake pan or a springform pan—butter bottom and sides. Line bottom with parchment round, then butter paper. (Put 2 strips of parchment [16”X2”] under bottom liner and overhang edges, to help remove from cake pan) Using a little extra cocoa powder, scatter it over bottom of pan, then tilt and shake to cover bottom and sides. Whisk flour and cocoa in bowl, then whisk in sugar. Add cocoa mixture to butter and stir—then add beaten eggs and vanilla—stir until well mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Preheat oven to 350’. Now here’s the tricky part. The essence of the cake is a sticky interior—which means slightly underbaked. After about 25 minutes the top should be firm, but crack a bit when touched. The edges should be firmer. But if you prefer a slightly more cooked version, let it bake for another 5 minutes or so. However it comes out—it will be delicious. Let cool on rack for an hour—loosen sides with knife and remove cake.
The Kitchen Hive
