Mjuk toscakaka or Amazing Swedish Cake

For this month's Random Recipe Challenge Dom at Belleau Kitchen told us to dig deep into baking books/sections and pick a baking recipe. This obviously suited me perfectly! After gathering a tottering pile of books I picked at hazard The Art of the Tart which is a sweet little book by Tamasin Day-Lewis. I've made a couple of the savoury tarts from this book but the opening at page 80 was for this Swedish tart recipe. This is I think my absolute new favourite recipe which would be as apt for a dinner dessert as it would be with a mid afternoon cup of tea. This tart shaped cake is moist yet light with the most delicious crunchy, fudgey flaked almond topping.


The Recipe


150g butter
125g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp water


Topping
30g flaked almonds
60g butter
5 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp plain flour
1 tbsp milk


1. Preheat oven to 180 c and butter a 22cm tart tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs one by one, then add the vanilla extract. Sift in the flour and baking powder, beat thoroughly, then add the water and continue beating until smooth. Put the mixture into the tart tin, smooth the top and bake for about 30 mins. Remove from the oven and then turn the temperature up to 200 c.
3. For the topping, put all the ingredients together into a saucepan and heat until the mixture bubbles. Spoon the mixture over the tart and return to oven to brown for 5 mins.