Kärleksmums...

Love is always in the air in Sweden during the summer. There are usually many weddings to attend and many wedding pictures to look over! It's a fun time of year!

This year I have several wedding cakes/cupcakes lined up so it's pretty exciting! A few weeks ago I made a delivery for a cute couple that live close to me and wanted to have cupcakes for their wedding and a little cake as well. They have a great company that works with events and catering, you can check their homepage out here. They wanted pink polka dot cupcake holders with a "kärleksmums" cupcake..which is a chocolatey cake with a delicous icing. "Kärlek" means love in Swedish, so it kind of suits a wedding, don't you think? They also wanted fresh strawberries to decorate the cupcakes. For the cake: they wanted a pink cake, a "princesstårta" which is also a Swedish classic, with chiffon cake layered with a vanilla cream. On the same day of their wedding, I was attending some of my dear friend's wedding, so I was only able to deliver the cake and cupcakes and not set it up at the location, which I usually like to do. But they promised to send photos of what it looked like on the day. I'll keep you posted!

This is how they turned out:

Heaven in a bite...

If you have been to Sweden you most probably know what "kladdkaka" is. Even if you haven't been here but have Swedish friends you have probably tasted this Swedish classic. It is AMAZING!!!

If you have been to Sweden you most probably know what "kladdkaka" is. Even if you haven't been here but have Swedish friends you have probably tasted this Swedish classic. It is AMAZING!!!

For those you have not yet had the privilege of tasting this delicious "cake", here is the recipe...so get to your kitchen and try it out, because, yes...it IS so good. The closest that South Africans come to this is chocolate mud pie, which kind of explains what the "kladdkaka" is all about. Directly translated it means "sticky cake". And that's what it is. Sticky, gooey, chocolatey, amazing cake.

The number one secret with getting a perfect "kladdkaka" is not to mix the ingredients too much and not to have it in the oven for too long. It almost still needs to be jiggly in the middle when you take it out.

This "kladdkaka" is usually made in a round pie form, but I also like to make them as cupcakes. The one's in the pictures are topped with a nougat and raspberries. Absolute bliss!

Enough talking...here's the recipe:

Makes about 6-8 portions (if you are a chocolate lover like me, make that 2-4 portions ;-) )

2 eggs
1 cup (2 1/2 dl) sugar
4 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla essence
100g melted butter/margarine
100 ml (1 dl) flour
1 pinch of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Mix the egg and sugar by hand for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and fold then carefully in.
4. Pour the batter into an oiled pie form.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye on your cake as each oven varies slightly in strength.
6. Serve either warm or cold, together with ice cream and cream.

Happy eating!

Love,
Heidi