A recipe for Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake)! This easy cake comes together with simply a bowl and springform pan.

A slice of Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake) on a plate with cream and raspberries.

Kladdkaka is a Swedish cake similar in consistency to a fudgy brownie or chocolate mud cake and a perfect treat for Fika. The top is crisp and lightly cracked, while the interior is incredibly dense and moist.

This is a very easy cake to make with minimal prep work. Just take care to not overmix the batter and bake just until set.

Simply whisk together melted butter, sugar, eggs, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, flour, and salt to create a thick batter.

Pour into a greased or parchment-lined 8 inch (23 centimeter) springform pan and bake just until the center is set with cracks starting to appear on the top. A toothpick inserted in the edge of the cake will come out clean, but it should still be covered in chocolate when inserted in the center.

Allow to cool slightly in the pan before serving warm with a dusting of powdered sugar, whipped cream, and fresh raspberries if desired. For even more decadence, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

A Few Tips

Aerial view of Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake) on a piece of parchment next to raspberries.

This cake is best made in an 8 inch (20 centimeter) springform pan. Any larger and the cake will be too thin to get that notable texture.

I personally prefer to line the springform with parchment for easy removal. As the name suggests, the Kladdkaka is a bit sticky. If not using parchment, grease well with butter.

The batter is best mixed by hand with a spatula or wooden spoon. You want to bring together the ingredients just until combined.

The cookbook, Fika, makes a gluten-free version of this cake by swapping the all-purpose flour for ground almonds.

Notable Ingredients

Vanilla sugar adds a wonderful light vanilla flavor to the Kladdkaka. You can buy small packets of vanilla sugar in the European section of many larger supermarkets, but it is easy to make at home.

Scrape out the seeds of one vanilla bean and mix well with 2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar. Store in an airtight container with the scraped out vanilla beans.

If you do not have vanilla sugar available, swap for 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

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A slice of Kladdkaka (Swedish Chocolate Sticky Cake) on a plate with raspberries and cream with more cake in the background.

This recipe was originally posted in February 2014 and updated in March 2023.