Swedish Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka) to Bake with Kids

Kladdkaka (pronounced roughly "KLAD-kah-kah") is the Swedish sticky chocolate cake, and it may be the friendliest dessert a beginner can bake. There is no mixer, no frosting and no layering. You melt butter, stir a handful of pantry ingredients together in one bowl, and bake the batter in a single round pan. The word comes from kladdig, the Swedish for sticky or gooey, which is exactly what the middle of the cake should be.

In Sweden, kladdkaka is a staple of fika, the coffee-and-something-sweet break that is a fixture of the working day and the weekend alike. It is usually served in small wedges with lightly sweetened whipped cream and fresh berries, which cut through the richness. Children tend to love it for the same reason adults do: it tastes like the best part of a brownie.

What makes kladdkaka different

A kladdkaka batter contains very little flour compared with a standard chocolate cake, and no baking powder at all. That is the whole secret. With so little structure to hold it up, the cake stays dense and fudgy rather than rising and turning fluffy. The edges set into a thin, slightly crisp crust, and the center stays soft, somewhere between a brownie and a chocolate pudding.

Two habits matter more than anything else. First, whisk the eggs and sugar only until combined, not until pale and airy, because extra air would make the cake puff up and then collapse. Second, stop baking while the middle still wobbles. It firms up as it cools, and a cake baked until a toothpick comes out clean will be dry rather than sticky.

The recipe

• Prep 10 min
• Bake 20 min
• Serves 8

IngredientsTap to check off

• 7 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup (80 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (25 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar, whipped cream and raspberries, to serve

MethodTap a step when it is done

1. 1Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch (20 cm) round cake pan or springform pan with butter and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. 2Step 2: Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave and let it cool for a few minutes.
3. 3Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together by hand for about 30 seconds, just until combined. The mixture should not turn pale and fluffy.
4. 4Step 4: Add the flour, cocoa, vanilla and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir gently until no dry streaks remain.
5. 5Step 5: Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The edges should be set and the surface slightly cracked, while the middle still wobbles when you shake the pan.
6. 6Step 6: Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve in wedges with whipped cream and raspberries.

Print recipe

Baking it in the oven

The oven is the traditional route and the most forgiving one. A light-colored metal pan or a springform pan gives the best crust. A dark pan bakes faster, so check it a couple of minutes early. Ovens vary, so go by the look of the cake rather than the clock: set edges, a few fine cracks on top and a soft, slightly shiny center are the signs it is ready.

Let the cake cool in the pan before you cut it. Warm kladdkaka is lovely but very soft, and some families like to serve it warm on purpose, spooned into bowls with ice cream. For clean wedges, wait until it is completely cool, or chill it for an hour, and wipe the knife between cuts.

Baking it in the air fryer

Kladdkaka suits a small air fryer well, because the cake is compact and the batter is so simple. The Swedish air fryer recipe site airfryer-recept.se has a guide to making kladdkaka in the air fryer, which is a useful second reference if you would like to compare methods.

A few general points apply whichever instructions you follow. Use a round pan that fits in the basket with a little space around the edges so the hot air can circulate; a 6- to 7-inch (15 to 18 cm) pan is common. The batter will sit thicker than in an 8-inch pan, so lower the temperature to about 320°F (160°C) and allow a little longer than in the oven, checking from around 18 minutes. If the top darkens too quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of foil. Line the pan with parchment and use a foil sling or oven mitts to lift it out, since the pan will be very hot.

Jobs for little helpers

Because the method is so short, kladdkaka is a good first cake for children. Younger kids can measure and tip in the dry ingredients, crack the eggs into a separate cup first so any shell is easy to fish out, and whisk. Older children can line the pan and stir in the melted butter. An adult should handle the hot butter, the oven or air fryer and the removal of the pan.

Serving and storing

Serve the cake with whipped cream and raspberries or strawberries, or simply with a dusting of powdered sugar. Because the center is soft, keep leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to three days; the cake becomes even denser and fudgier when cold, almost like a truffle. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving, or warm a slice briefly in the microwave. Individual slices can also be wrapped and frozen for up to a month and thawed in the refrigerator overnight.