Scandinavian Almond Cake

 

This month, Eat the World is heading to Norway!

The first thing that comes to mind when I think about Norwegian food is lefsa and lutefisk.  I’ve shared 2 lefse recipes already and lutefisk is a hard no.

Even so, I knew immediately what I was going to make this time (rare, I know!)  My sister-in-law’s family traces their ancestry to Norway and several Christmases ago, she gifted me a rehrucken pan and her family’s recipe for Scandinavian Almond cake, so I knew this would be the perfect time to showcase that tasty recipe!

This cake is so simple and it really lets the almond shine!  The main thing is properly greasing that pan, because let me tell you, I’ve had a disaster or two when I tried to shortcut the pan greasing (mind you, it was still delicious, just a mess (I had to make it a trifle instead)). 

Eat the World

Norway

• An Array of Flavors from Norway: Aquavit-Cured Salmon, Snøfrisk, Gjetost by Culinary Cam
• Fiskesuppe by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Norwegian Risgrøt Rice Porridge by Sneha's Recipe
• Scandinavian Almond Cake by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Recipe Notes

-A rehrucken pan is traditional for this cake.  If you don’t have one, you can try a loaf pan, but bake times may need to be adjusted

-Using shortening (or butter) and flour to grease the pan is crucial.  Anything less and the cake will stick like crazy.

Scandinavian Almond Cake

1 ¼ cups white sugar

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoons almond extract

⅔ cup milk

1 ¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup almonds, chopped

Vegetable shortening + additional flour for greasing (see note)

Powdered sugar, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

Liberally grease a rehrucken pan (see note) with vegetable shortening, then dust with flour to prevent sticking.  Tap out excess flour.  Sprinkle the chopped almonds onto the bottom of the pan.  Set aside.

Place the sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and beat until smooth and combined.

Add the almond extract, milk, flour, and baking powder and mix on low until combined.  Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes or until browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes or until the pan is no longer hot to the touch, but still a bit warm.  Gently loosen the top edges, then invert to remove the cake from the pan.

Once cooled completely, dust with powdered sugar and serve.

 Amy Eats the World in...

1. Cuba: Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Beef)
2. Ireland: Cheesy Potato Soup with Irish Ale
   
3. Thailand: Chicken Satay
   
4. Kenya: Crunchy N’Dizi (Peanut Crusted Bananas)
   
5. Sweden: Rodbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beet Salad with Goat Cheese)
6. New Zealand: Kiwi Burger 
7. France: Fougasse (Provencal Flatbread)
8. Argentina: Chimichurri Sauce
   
9. Mexico (Halloween Special): Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)
10. India: Spiced Golden Milk 
11. Poland: Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
12. Ethiopia: Buticha (Hummus)
13. England: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Leaky Cauldron-Style Mini Cottage Pie 
    
14. Georgia: Lobiani (Bean-Stuffed Bread)
15. Mexico: Crispy Pork Carnitas
    
16. Cambodia: Loc Lac (Shredded Beef with Lime)
17. Israel: Chicken Albondigas (Chicken Meatballs)
18. Finland: Sima (Lemonade) 
19. Puerto Rico: Arroz con Tocino  (Rice with Bacon)
20. Egypt: Ghorayebah Cookies
    
21. Ukraine: Scuffles (Rohalyky) Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
    
22. Portugal: Bitoque (Steak & Eggs) 
23. Germany (Christmas Special): Lebkuchenherzen (German "Gingerbread" Cookies) 
24. Trinidad & Tobago: Trini Macaroni Pie 
25. Iraq: T'bit (Slow Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice) 
26. Fiji: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal) 
27. Senegal: Cafe Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) 
28. Colombia: Cañón de Cerdo (Colombia-Style Pork Loin Roast) 
29. Soul Food (United States): Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce 
30. Bangladesh: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 
31. The Netherlands: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep) 
32. Laos: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Chicken Noodle Soup) 
33. Jamaica: Chicken &  Pumpkin Soup 
34. Vietnam: Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga) 
35. Sudan: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 
36. Luxembourg: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
    
37. Uruguay: Pasta Caruso
38. China: Homemade Fortune Cookies
39. Lesotho: Borotho Bread
40. Scotland: Tattie Scones
41. Native American Tribes of North America: Wild Rice, Squash, & Corn Soup
42. Guyana: Butterflaps
43. Greece: Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
44. Réunion Island: Rougail Z'Andouille
45. Japan: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
46. Australia: Fairy Bread
47. Ecuador: Lentil Soup with Rice (Arroz con Menestra de Lentejas)
48. Slovakia: Garlic & Potato Soup (Cesnaková Polievka)
49. Turkey: Simit Bread
50. Dominican Republic: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
51. Libya: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)
52. Malta: Brodu Tat-Tigiega (Maltese Chicken Soup)
53. Wales: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup)
54. Morocco: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce
55. Bermuda: Bermuda Triangle Cocktail
56. Philipines: Pork Siomai
57. Chile: Chilean Beef & Corn Shepherd's Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
58. Slovenia: Slovenian Flatbread (Belokranjska Pogača)
59. Lebanon: Ka’ak (Lebanese Purse Bread)
60. Congo: Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
61. Guatamala: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)
62. Austria: Viennese Kaiser Rolls
63. French Polynesia: Vanilla Bean Lemonade
64. Seychelles: Creole Rice
65. Switzerland: Bündner Gerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup)
66. Brazil: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
67. Madagascar: Hen`omby Ritra (Malagasy Simmered Beef)
68. Spain: Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
69. Afghanistan: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
70. Indonesia: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
71. Denmark: Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
72. Oman: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
73. Costa Rica: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
74. Palestine: Whole Chickpea Hummus (Musabaha)
75. Zimbabwe: Beef Hifiridzi (Beef Short Ribs with Greens)
76. Kiribati: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup
77. Belize: Pan de Muerto
78. Azerbaijan: Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)
79. Iceland: Piparkökur (Icelandic Pepper Cookies)
80. Zambia: Zambian Spinach
81. Burma/Myanmar: Garlic Oil Noodles with Chicken
82. Moldova: Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)
83. Samoa: Keke Pua’a (Samoan Steamed Pork Buns)
84. Honduras: Honduran Style Refried Beans
85. Czech Republic: Česnečka (Czech Garlic & Potato Soup)
86. Vatican City: Gnocchi al Vaticano
87. Montenegro: Pečena Piletine Sa Rižom (Baked Chicken & Rice)
88. Mauritius: Mauritian Beet & Potato Salad
89. Togo: Zowey (Togolese Spicy Peanut Balls)
90. Liechtenstein: Gerstensuppe (Barley Soup)
91. Korea: Dwaeji Bulgogi (Korean-Style Pork BBQ)
92. Northern Italy: Tiramisu
93. St. Lucia: Cacao Tea
94. Armenia: Lavash Crackers
95. Algeria: Khobz El Koucha (Algerian Bread)
96. Andorra: Pa Amb Tomaquet
97. Venezuela: Carne Mechada (Venezuelan Shredded Beef)
98. Sierra Leone: Ginger Beer - Sierra Leone Style
99. Norway: Scandinavian Almond Cake