Scandinavian Almond Cake Recipe

best almond cake recipe

Despite my half-breed Scandinavian heritage, I had never heard of Scandinavian Almond Cake until recently.  My favorite neighbor, and full-blooded Norwegian Paul Knutson, told me about it. His family made us corn bread in this odd-shaped pan, and said it was their pan for Norwegian Almond Bread. I had never heard of such a thing. I did a little research online and then asked to borrow the pan so I could add this to my culinary repertoire. (you can purchase a pan on Amazon – they’re not too expensive)

Let me confess that my first attempt was not a total success.  While it tasted great, the thing stuck to the pan and came out in clumps.  It was a huge blow to my self-esteem as a cook.  Sure, we still ate it, and everyone agreed it was delicious – but it wasn’t what I imagined when I set out to perfect this recipe.  The second attempt didn’t go much better.  Then, it became a battle.  Me vs. the Cake Pan.  I re-read instructions, tweaked the recipe, and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong.   Turns out the FOURTH time was the charm.  If you’ve struggled with this recipe yourself, read my tips below.  After “extensive” research, I think I have this sucker finally figured out.

The best part: its ingredients are found in your pantry. It’s SUPER frugal, but tastes rich. Top with powdered sugar, fruit preserves, a glaze, or whipped cream.

Scandinavian Almond Cake
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 10-12
 
This traditional scandinavian almond cake is easy to make, and a treat for all!
Ingredients
  • 1¼ C. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1¼ C. flour
  • 1 stick melted margarine
  • 1½ tsp. almond extract
  • ⅔ C. milk
  • ½ tsp. baking powder

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, egg, flour, margarine, almond extract, milk and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Spray baking pan with PAM and sprinkle with WONDRA or a light flour. If desired, sprinkle the bottom of the pan with sliced or slivered almonds. Pour in batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool in the pan before inverting and removing from pan. Sprinkle slices with powdered sugar before serving.

 

I struggled with getting the cake out of the pan the first few times I made it.  The secrets to getting it out of the pan are:

  • Use margarine instead of butter
  • Spray the pan liberally with Baker’s Joy, or PAM then sprinkle with Wondra flour
  • Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with almonds before pouring in the batter
  • Don’t underbake.  The cake will turn golden brown before it’s done.  Use the toothpick test if necessary.
  • Cool cake completely in the pan before inverting

scandinavian-almond-cake-recipe/

swedish almond cake

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Comments

  1. Kimberly,

    This looks amazing! I am so eager to try it but don’t have the pan. Can you suggest another pan that might work?

    Thank you so much!

    • frugalbites says:

      I’ve heard that you can use a Bundt pan and double the recipe. However, I’m not sure of cooking times for that. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!

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