Kronans Kaka/ Swedish Potato & Almond Cake

They were all squashed up together in the class room- on benches, chairs- even tables. A good thirty of eleven year old kids singing with all their heart to celebrate that I turned one year older.

Fifteen minutes earlier I had been lead out to the hallway- being entertained by two kids trying to keep me occupied and unknown of what was going to happen. Suddenly the door opened and I heard bunch of kids singing the Norwegian birthday song. I was handed a beautiful silver crown of card board (exactly as I wished for) and being met with a room full of balloons and incredibly happy kids- smiling and cheering.

That feeling you get while having thirty kids singing for you- while running towards you to grasp what they can of a hug- is nothing but touching. Standing there with a shiny card board crown and a bunch of balloons and flowers in my hand, I didn’t exactly feel twenty seven- I guess the inner child in me will always be there- and now thanks to them, it will.

For my birthday I got a much longed for book; The Nordic Cook Book by Magnus Nilsson. Reading it with the same passion book worms do when they read a good novel- I found a intreguing Swedish cake recipe made of potato & almonds. They call this Kronans Kaka. I just had to try it, adapt it and embrace it to my own with a touch of Aquavit, lemon cream cheese frosting and a bunch of roasted walnuts- and hazelnuts. The combination was impeccable. The Nordic Cook Book claims that Kronans Kaka recipe has its origins from the Swedish army and should be served with a lemon sauce.

Baked with cold cooked potatoes and almond flour this Kronans Kaka is supposed to be rather dense- as I prefer a more fluffy cake texture I decided to whip the eggs into a fluffy mixture as well as adding a teaspoon of baking soda.

Perhaps a good idea for thanksgiving and christmas?

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Kronans Kaka

Author Therese Elstad

Ingredients

Cake

2 floury potatoes

75 g butter, room temperatured

125 g sugar

2 eggs

2 bitter almonds/ 0,5 tsp almond essence

110 g almond flour

1 tsp baking powder

Glaze

2 dl powdered sugar

1 egg white

Topping

1 dl walnuts

50 g dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes until tender and preheat the oven to 175 degrees celcius.
2. Finely grate the bitter almonds and set aside for now.
3. Peel the potato skin and grate them on a box grater. Set aside.
4. Whip butter and sugar until white and fluffy.
5. Beat in one egg at a time, making sure one egg is fully incorporated before adding the next.
6. Add the bitter almonds, almond flour and baking powder and gently fold it in the mixture.
7. Add the batter to a prepeared round, loaf pan and smooth the surface.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until cooked through. Leave to cool.
9. Mix powdered sugar together with egg whites. Adjust the powdered sugar until thick and slightly runny.
10. Roughly chop the walnuts.
11. Pour over the glaze and spread it all over the cake.
12. Decorate with walnuts and grated chocolate.

Notes

The egg whites will make sure that the glaze gets hard and stiffens up.

Courses Dessert

Cuisine Nordic