Snow day and semlor

Semmelkladdkaka is served

For those of  you who haven't had a semla (or fastlagsbulle) this is one of the best and most loved of the Swedish baked goods, which in my humble opinion, are all better than American ones.  The semla is only served in February around Fat Tuesday.  It's a delicious cream bun filled with sweet whipped cream and marzipan - there's a reason they call it Fat Tuesday after all - which some people like to dunk in warm milk.  Last year there was a big brew-ha-ha when bakers came out with the "semla wrap" thereby freeing the semla from its bun.  This year I found the "kladdkaka" semla recipe which I just had to try.
The verdict - amazing!

The semmelkladdkaka batter

So now I must digress one more time, what is kladd-kaka?  Well it literally means "messy cake" and typically is a runny chocolate cake with a big dollop of whipped cream on top.  Sooooo goood! This version is messy too  but it tastes like almonds and cardamon and it's really easy to make.

Snow day!

The recipe below was translated and tested by yours truly based on the Swedish recipe found here. The kids loved it and it was wonderful looking out on the fresh fallen snow with coffee and a plate of this yumminess fresh out of the oven.

The cat kept me company

Semmelkladdkaka Recipe
ingredients:
5.3 oz butter (10 TBPS)
3.5 oz almond paste (1/2 the tube)
2 cardamom kernels, ground (it's better when you grind them yourself)*
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extrakt or vanilla sugar
1 pinch salt

Topping:
almond flakes
fresh whipped cream (I used a half a pint)
confectioner sugar

Steps:
Put oven on 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C
Melt butter. Grate the almond paste (I skipped this step) and grind the cardamon
Stir all ingredients together.  It will make a wet batter, see picture above.
Using a baking tin with a spring that is about 8" wide, take out the bottom and cut a piece of parchment paper to size. Reassemble. Then spray the sides and bottom with cooking spray.
Pour the batter in and bake in the middle of the over for about 20 - 25 minutes.
Let the cake cool (I didn't really do this and the whipped cream got a little runny - still good!)
Add cream and shaved almond flakes which you can lightly brown in a pan first. Add confectioner sugar if desired.

* Cardamon is used a lot in Swedish bake goods and it's always best when you grind it yourself in a mortar.  Whole cardamon can be found in Indian spice aisle or store if your local supermarket doesn't carry it. If you use ground cardamon use more to get the flavor but you'll lose the fragrance.