Swedish chocolate cake

Sitting somewhere between a molten chocolate cake and a squidgy chocolate brownie, this classic Swedish dessert is rich and dense, with a delicate, crispy exterior and a soft, gooey centre. Kladdkaka is straightforward to make, although it’s really worth splashing out on the best chocolate you can afford. It might be a plain-looking cake, but there’s no need for fancy embellishments — although a dollop of crème fraîche and a handful of seasonal berries will go some way towards offsetting the richness of this most chocolatey of chocolate desserts.

Kladdkaka (Swedish chocolate cake) by Signe Johansen

SERVES:6-8 TAKES:45MINS

INGREDIENTS

200g melted butter, plus extra

for greasing

4 eggs

400g golden caster sugar

120g plain flour

35g good-quality cocoa powder 100g dark chocolate chips (70%)

METHOD

Heat oven to 170C, 150C fan, gas 3½ and grease and line a 23cm round cake tin. Lightly whisk the eggs and sugar in a medium bowl, then fold in the melted butter. Add the flour, cocoa powder and 1 tsp salt and fold again, then fold in the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to settle for a few minutes, then pour it into the prepared cake tin.

Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 mins. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin on a wire rack. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

Taken from Smorgasbord: Deliciously Simple Modern Scandinavian Recipes, by Peter’s Yard with Signe Johansen (£18.99, Kyle Books)