Kladdkaka
This is the Swedish chocolate cake, a relative of the brownie and the molten lava cake. It all comes together in one saucepan with a wooden spoon, and you purposely underbake it to keep the centre soft and gooey. Couldn’t be easier.
The way I make it now includes light muscovado sugar, which creates delicious caramel notes, but feel free to substitute with brown sugar or, indeed, white sugar as you like. I also add a teaspoon of instant espresso powder, which I add to all chocolate baked goods to deepen the chocolateness; you can happily leave it out.
When you melt the butter you can, if you like, allow it to brown a little. This isn’t traditional, but it works perfectly here.
Kladdkaka
170g (1½ sticks) unsalted butter
250g (1¼ cup) light muscovado sugar
40g (½ cup) cocoa powder, plus more to dust
1 teaspoon espresso powder
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g (¾ cup) flour
Set your oven to 160°C (325°F). Lightly grease a 20cm (8 inch) springform pan and line the base with baking paper.
Melt the butter in a roomy saucepan over gentle heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Add the sugar, cocoa, espresso powder (if using) and salt, and beat until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined, then stir in the vanilla.
Fold in the flour until just combined.
Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30–35 minutes – the edges will be well set and the centre should have a crust over it but still be soft underneath, remembering that it will set more as it cools.
Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before unspringing.
Dust with cocoa powder or icing sugar before cutting and serving.
