Name: Swedish Almond Cake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup vanilla sugar; 1 lemon (zested); 2 large eggs; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted); 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds; 1 Tablespoon coarse sugar (pearl sugar)

Paired with a cup of coffee and shared with a friend, Swedish Almond Cake makes any occasion sweeter! Dense cake with sweet almond topping.

Love almonds? These sweet Almond Bars are a favorite, for the holidays and all year long! For a chewy bar, try baking a batch of Coconut Almond Bars!

Slice of almond cake on a white plate with striped blue linen, remaining cake on a white cake platter.

Why this Cake Recipe is Best

I love a perfect cake to go with my afternoon coffee. This friends, is that perfect cake. It’s super moist, dense, and has a hint of lemon and almond.

In Sweden, there’s a custom I love called “Fika.” It translates to “have coffee” but means a little more than that.

The practice of Fika involves sitting down with a friend to chat over a cup of coffee and a snack. It’s considered an essential part of each day; don’t you love that?

I think we could all do with taking more time out of our busy lives to enjoy uninterrupted time with our friends–especially if cake is involved!

A slice of this Swedish Almond Cake or a plate of Swedish Heirloom Cookies are ideal accompaniments to that afternoon coffee and conversation.

While our cream cheese coffee cake recipe is airy with a crumb topping, Swedish Almond Cake is closer to a cookie in texture and crusted with sugared almonds.
The moist dense texture and not-too-sweet almond flavor make it a delightful afternoon pick-me-up or tea party treat.

I’ve even been known to sneak a slice or two with my morning coffee for breakfast! Best of all, this tasty almond cake recipe is one of the least complicated cakes to make. There’s no messing with frosting or toppings, just mix the batter, bake and enjoy.

Vanilla Sugar – Secret Ingredient

This Swedish Almond Cake gets its great flavor from vanilla sugar and almond extract. Lemon zest brightens everything up while using melted butter in the batter is key for achieving the texture that makes this cake irresistible.

If you’ve never baked with vanilla sugar before, you’re in for a treat. Vanilla sugar is sugar infused with vanilla beans.

NOTE: Vanilla sugar is NOT just sugar mixed with vanilla extract! Vanilla sugar brings a light vanilla taste and aroma to the cake in a way that vanilla extract can’t quite acheive.

How to Make Swedish Almond Cake

My almond cake recipe comes together in just three steps.

Make the cake batter. In a mixer, blend vanilla sugar with zest from one lemon (get our tips on how to zest a lemon). Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add in salt and almond extract then mix in the flour and melted butter.

Top with Almonds. Pour the cake batter into a greased and floured 9 inch cake pan (You can also use my homemade cake release for the pans).

Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar and sliced almonds. You can get fancy with a pattern here or just sprinkle free form. Either way the cake will look elegant and taste wonderful.

Bake. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool several minutes before turning out of pan.

Swedish Almond Cake can be enjoyed warm or cooled to room temperature. I love it served both ways!

Almond cake on a white cake platter with a slice removed.

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