8 Best Swedish Cakes

I guess it’s no surprise that the home of fika makes incredible cakes. Fika is the Swedish coffee + cake break that plays such a key role in Swedish culture. Fika isn’t just about the coffee and cake – it’s about taking the time out of a busy day to enjoy a pause by yourself, or with friends or family. But it’s also about the cake! And oh boy are the cakes good.

Here are my recipes for the eight best Swedish cakes, in my opinion. I’ve also shared my favorite Norwegian cakes here and my favorite Danish cakes here

Silviakaka (Silvia Cake)

I swear I’m not listing Silvia cake first because my name is Silvia. It really is my favorite Swedish cake! The base is so light and fluffy with the perfect amount of vanilla, and the egg cream glaze is the best cake topping I know (you’ll find it on another Scandinavian favorite success cake).

Just writing about Silvia cake is making me wonder if I have the ingredients for it in my kitchen right now because now I really want some. I can already see that I should probably clear my schedule tomorrow for baking after sharing this list.

I’ve shared my Silvia cake recipe here.

Pannkakstårta (Pancake Cake)

Pannkakstårta is made with a stack of thin Swedish pancakes filled with cream, berries, and jam. Some people make the cake simply with a pile of pancakes, but I like to wrap the entire stack in pancakes as well so that it looks like a proper cake.

Pannkakstårta is a popular Swedish birthday cake, usually served on birthday mornings. I recently made this for my birthday, and it was a big hit with all of my friends! I’ve shared my pannkakstårta recipe here.

Kladdkaka

Probably the cake I have made the most on this list is kladdkaka. It’s so quick and easy to whip up, and I always have the ingredients already in my kitchen. But most importantly, kladdkaka tastes incredible. It’s like a more delicious version of brownies, with a crispier top and gooier inside.

Kladdkaka is Swedish for sticky cake, and this chocolate cake is definitely sticky. Kladdkaka is purposely slightly under baked, making for the perfect sticky chocolate cake.

I’ve shared my kladdkaka recipe here.

Kärleksmums

Kärleksmums, or “love treats,” are sort of like the chocolate version of Silvia cake, with a hint of coffee. It’s a light chocolate cake topped with a dark chocolate coffee glaze and shredded coconut. This cake is so beloved that it’s also quite popular in Norway.

I’ve shared my kärleksmums recipe here.

Cardamom cake

I love cardamom, and I love how much Scandinavians love to add cardamom to their baked goods. If you’re also a fan of cardamom, you absolutely need to make this Swedish cardamom cake. It’s simple and quick to make and super moist. It’s hard to capture how tasty this is in photos but I can assure you it’s so good – and everyone I’ve made this for agrees.

I’ve shared my cardamom cake recipe here.

Tosca cake

Tosca cake is a light sponge cake with a crispy caramelized almond topping. I’ve also heard this almond cake referred to as Swedish visiting cake, perhaps because it’s so quick and easy to make if you get visitors. You can have a tosca cake ready to eat in under an hour. The ingredients are also quite basic so you might already have them in your pantry.

I’ve shared my tosca cake recipe here.

Tiger Cake

Tiger cake is a fluffy sponge cake made from vanilla and chocolate batter marbled together, or layered in “tiger stripes.” It’s an easy cake to make, but the tiger pattern and combination of flavors makes it quite special as well. Though to be honest, this cake would be special even if it were all chocolate or all vanilla, because it’s so, so tasty. It’s the perfect amount of moist and flavorful and sweet but not too sweet.

I’ve shared my tiger cake recipe here.

Småland Ostkaka (Swedish Cheesecake)

Ostkaka, also called curd cake, originally comes from Småland. Traditionally Småländsk ostkaka is made with raw milk and cheese rennet, however these days most people simply use cottage cheese instead, which is much faster and gives the same flavor and texture. Ostkaka is an eggy, crustless cake with cottage cheese, ground almonds, and lemon zest, usually served with whipped cream and jam.

In fact one of my favorite things about Swedish cheesecake is how easy it is to make. You can have the cake batter mixed up and in the oven in under five minutes! I’ve shared my Swedish cheesecake recipe here.