Swedish visiting cake

ingredients prep for Swedish visiting cake

The morning is barely half over and it has already been a busy day.  I have been out to three stores,  hitting the first one at 6:00 AM where I get my butter (the incomparable Plugra European-style butter), and then two others picking up general food stocks for the week but more importantly certain ingredients for several things that will be made.  I have already baked cookies, and I just pulled Swedish visiting cakes from the oven.  These cakes are really nice.  I know, that's such a simple and generic term, "nice", but it fits.  These aren't items that take any incredibly complex techniques, or that are visually stunning in an extraordinary way; they are simply nice tasty enjoyable little cakes.  In Sweden they are traditionally served when guests visit, hence the name.

The ingredient list is comprised of ordinary items:  sugar, lemon zest, almond and vanilla extracts, flour, eggs, kosher salt, sliced almonds, and butter.  That's it.  Nothing unusual, just normal things that are often found in a typical pantry and kitchen.  But these unassuming ingredients combine to make something that is truly wonderful.

Swedish vising cakes ready for the oven, still pale, and not quite to the top of the molds

Butter is melted almost all the way.  A bit is left unmelted but softened, and then you gently stir until you have a very slightly creamy liquid that is just a bit warm, but certainly not hot.  This butter is set aside until later.  Lemon zest is rubbed into the sugar until very fragrant, and then eggs are whisked in.  I always do this by hand rather than by machine because there's so little time and effort involved that there's really no point to loading it all into a mixer.  Besides.... it's fun to do it!  Hand-whisking the lemon sugar and eggs is easy and satisfying as you watch it come together.  Then the salt and extracts are whisked in.  But when you add the flour, toss the whisk into the sink.  Get a silicone spatula, and gently stir in the flour so as not to work it too much.  This it to keep the cakes soft and tender. Finally, pour in the butter and gently fold it in.  

Where are the almonds, you ask?  Well, pour the batter into a 9-inch cake pan, or if you want smaller cakes, as I sometimes do, use three 4 inch cake molds.  Then scatter sliced almonds over the top.  They shouldn't be piled on, but I like to ensure that very little batter is showing through them.  Then sprinkle on some sugar.

Swedish visiting cakes fresh from the oven, browned and at the top of the molds

After cooking for almost 30 minutes, they come out lightly brown on top, but moist and soft inside.  They are an absolutely wonderful snack or breakfast or whatever you else you want to do with them.  I'm going to have one as soon as I finish these last few words.  The other two are being picked up today to be enjoyed by someone else.  Happy eating, everyone!