Looking to explore traditional Norwegian recipes? This is a GREAT starter recipe! This delicious almond cake is easy to make and crowd-pleasing. I top mine with a simple glaze and sliced almonds. This is untraditional, but makes the cake even more delicious. You will need a special pan (link below).

Norwegian Almond Cake: One of my favorite cakes, hands down. Click through for recipe.

If you love trying out Norwegian/Scandinavian recipes, I’ve got a treat for you: Norwegian almond cake.

This cake is one of my favorites – Scandinavian or not.

It’s light in texture, has a subtle almond flavor, and thanks to the corrugated ridges in the pan, the cake slices are essentially pre-portioned.

It’s made from simple ingredients you probably have on hand right now, and is budget-friendly.

Every time I make this, I think, “I need to make this more often!

Almond cake variation: You can use this special pan to make this variation: Cranberry almond cake, a great choice for Christmas or Thanksgiving!

Cranberry almond cake with candied cranberries: Click through for recipe.

Do I Need A Special Pan To Make This Cake?

A specialty Scandinavian almond cake pan is the preferred pan to make this cake in. I purchased mine at a Scandinavian gift shop in Walker, Minnesota.

BUY ALMOND CAKE PAN ONLINE:  You can also purchase this pan on Amazon: Almond Cake Pan

However, I suspect that a standard loaf pan would also work, like the kind you’d use to make banana bread. The cake would not have ridges, obviously, but the flavor and general shape would be the same.

If you try using a loaf pan, watch the bake time closely to avoid burning.

Norwegian Almond Cake: Learn how to make this classic Scandinavian recipe.

Almond Cake Recipe Tips

  • The icing and almond slices on the cake are optional. (I definitely prefer this cake with these toppings!)
  • If you don’t like icing, you could serve this cake with whipped cream and berries.
  • I used the recipe that came with the pan, but I used less sugar than what was originally called for. The cake is plenty sweet with 1 cup of sugar (as opposed to 1 1/4 cups).

More Norwegian Recipes

I LOVE making traditional Norwegian recipes. It’s my favorite way to explore my Scandinavian roots. Here are some other recipes you can try:

Norwegian sweets/dessert recipes:

Traditional Norwegian/Scandinavian recipes – savory:

A special cake pan is needed to make Norwegian almond cake. But I have a work-around if you don't have this specialty pan.

Norwegian Almond Cake: One of my favorite cakes, hands down. Click through for recipe.

Norwegian Almond Cake

Yield: 18 small slices
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

For Cake:

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 stick melted butter

For Icing:

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • A drop or two of almond extract
  • Sliced almonds, for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a Scandinavian almond cake pan generously with non-stick cooking spray, and flour the pan.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, egg, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Add flour and baking powder. Stream in melted butter and beat until incorporated.
  3. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until cake is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely.
  4. Make icing: In a large mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar, cream, and almond extract. Mix until smooth.
  5. To serve, drizzle icing over cake and sprinkle with almonds. Cut cake along ridges

Notes

Please note: The recipe attached to the pan says to bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes. However, my cake was done after 30 minutes. Be sure to check the cake starting at 25-30 minutes to avoid over-baking.

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