Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate Cake)

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Simple yet totally decadent, kladdkaka is a gooey Swedish chocolate cake that’s sure to tempt your sweet tooth. This single-layer cake is a chocolate lover’s dream.

When I was growing up, visits to my Swedish grandfather’s house always included fika, the practice of having coffee and a sweet snack. The coffee pot was always bubbling at their house, and I didn’t know this wasn’t standard practice until I was an adult.

Snacks at their house usually meant cocktail rye bread with cheese, but what a dream it would have been for my chocolate-loving heart to have been served this kladdkaka instead!

Kladdkaka, or Swedish sticky chocolate cake, is one of the easiest cakes you can make. It only requires a few ingredients, and barely needs adornment, so there’s not much to fuss over.

It melts on your tongue like the best fudgey brownie, the richness the perfect bed for a whipped cream blanket and berry pillows. Tuck on in!

Ingredients for kladdkaka

Full list of ingredients including quantities is located in the recipe card.

You’ll need:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Superfine sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• Eggs

Superfine sugar is also sometimes labeled as caster sugar. If you can’t find it in your store, don’t worry! You can make it yourself in your food processor by pulsing a few times until the sugar is fine. Let it rest a minute before opening the lid because the sugar dust will rise up and you don’t want it in your face!

Superfine sugar is ideal for lots of recipes, because it incorporates into the other ingredients much more quickly than regular granulated sugar. For this cake, that means the gooey mousselike interior won’t have a gritty mouthfeel.

how to make this recipe

Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a 9-inch springform pan. I don’t recommend using a regular cake pan for this recipe, as it will be hard to remove the cake from the pan cleanly.

Set a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add the butter to melt. Once the butter is fully melted, remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk until completely melted and smooth, then set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is foamy. Make sure the chocolate has cooled, then whisk it into the egg mixture.

Sprinkle the flour and baking powder over the top and gently fold it in, making sure everything is incorporated. Don’t stir too vigorously, this is similar to making brownie batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Make sure you do not overbake; you want the center to be set but somewhat gooey. It should look dry on top and may have a slightly sunken center.

Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before serving to allow the center to set.

Serve with whipped cream and berries, or with ice cream and a strawberry coulis.

Storage tips

Store any leftovers well wrapped in the refrigerator, where it should keep for about 3 days.

If you anticipate having leftover cake, it’s best to keep the toppings off and serve it per slice instead, for better storage.

Recipe tips

Bittersweet chocolate works well in this recipe, but regular semisweet chocolate chips are also a great option, especially if you like desserts that are a little sweeter or you plan to serve the cake without toppings.

If you need to use an 8-inch springform instead of a 9-inch, make sure to add more time to baking or the center may ooze out.

Be sure to not overbake the cake, and cool it completely before cutting. If you cut too soon, the filling won’t quite be set. Still delicious, but rather more like a chocolate lava cake than kladdkaka.

Make this cake as part of a toast to Sweden, with tender Swedish meatballs and dill potatoes for dinner!