SWEDISH VISITING CAKE

Swedish Visiting Cake

Thin and light with a golden sugar crust and a soft and chewy interior, this Swedish tea cake recipe from award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan is the perfect holiday treat to serve to guests.

From “The Sweet Life: Holiday Baking with Dorie Greenspan,” November/December 2019

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
• ½ teaspoon pure almond extract (optional)
• 1 cup (136 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

Instructions

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350°. Butter a seasoned 9-inch cast-iron skillet, a 9-inch round cake pan, or even a pie pan.

Pour the sugar into a medium bowl. Add the lemon zest and blend with your fingers until moist and aromatic. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Whisk in the salt and the extracts, if you’re using them. Switch to a rubber spatula and stir in the flour. Finally, fold in the melted butter.

Scrape the batter into the skillet and smooth the top with the spatula. Scatter the sliced almonds over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar. If you’re using a cake or pie pan, place it on a baking sheet.

Bake until the cake is golden and a little crisp on the outside, 25 to 30 minutes; the inside will remain moist. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the sides to loosen it. You can serve the cake, warm or cool, directly from the skillet or turn it out onto a plate, then flip it right-side up onto a serving plate. Well wrapped, it will keep for about 5 days at room temperature or up to 2 months in the freezer.