As you might have noticed from previous articles, I am a huge fan of sweet treats.
The aromatic scent of melting butter, the smooth taste of whipped cream or – finally – the tantalizing smell of a freshly baked cake flowing out of the oven right into the nose…
… who could resist?
It’s because of this passion that I’m incredibly keen on trying new flavors and getting to know baking traditions from other countries.
Let’s take a journey to Sweden, where a wonderful almond tart is on the menu.
It’s interesting not only that Sweden’s famous tart is made with nuts, but that specialty desserts from other countries use similar basic ingredients. Spain and Italy both feature a similar type of almond tart.
This recipe is a traditional Scandinavian treat. The yellow color makes it a popular dish during Easter holidays, although you might be familiar with it because the international Swedish furniture store with the four-letter name sells a version, too.
So what makes this tårta so special?
The bottom is made of ground almonds and stiff egg whites only. Therefore, the cake is gluten free and can be enjoyed by anyone with a wheat allergy or gluten intolerance.
This totally nutty base is then topped with a rich egg cream that includes sugar and cream. Topped with sliced almonds, it has this rustic, homemade look that I really love.
What else should you look out for?
When it comes to preparation, you have to be careful for the egg mixture to thicken properly.
Have some patience when beating the butter and eggs. Just keep on whisking, and in the end your cream will become wonderfully spreadable.
The Recipe
- 2/3 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 cup granulated Sugar
- 6 eggs separated
- 1/2 cup Powdered sugar
- 2 cups ground almonds
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- In a saucepan, bring the cream and granulated sugar to a boil. Then take off the stove and gently stir in the egg yolks.
- Return to low heat, and stir for a few minutes until the mixture gets thick and creamy. Do not return to a boil and take off the stove as soon as the mixture has thickened. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to cool.
- Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold in the powdered sugar. Gently stir in the ground almonds and pour the mixture into a 10 inch springform baking tin.
- Bake at 150°C/300°F for approximately 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- Whisk the butter until creamy and add the egg cream a spoonful at a time, until all of it has been incorporated. It takes some time for the cream to become smooth and spreadable, so an electric whisk will be the best choice here.
- Spread the cream on top of the cooled base and sprinkle with the almond slices.
Tip: If you like the cream soft, serve right away. If you prefer it hardened, chill in the fridge before serving.
In case you prefer a more extravagant version:
Prepare 1.5 times more dough (or even double the amount), cut the bottom lengthwise, and spread the cream between the layers and on top.
Smaklig måltid!
Photos by Nina-Kristin Isensee, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Nina-Kristin Isensee
Nina lives in Iserlohn, Germany and holds an MA in Art History (Medieval and Renaissance Studies). She is currently working as a freelance writer in various fields. She enjoys travel, photography, cooking, and baking. Nina tries to cook from scratch every day when she has the time and enjoys trying out new spices and ingredients, as well as surprising her family with new cake creations.
I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to make this or to taste this, however the base looks really healthy and sturdy and I guess it can be used for other cakes. I have to admit I am a chocolate fan and it would make a good base for a cake with layers of a creamy chocolate as an alternative.
Don’t worry it is not too difficult. Indeed, you can use the base for other cake varieties, too. I like your idea with some chocolate cream on top. I can imagine this would fit the nutty bottom really well!
I’ve been lucky enough to try the “blue and yellow store” version and found it was delicious! It does seem rather tricky to make but I have a feeling that the end result will be worth it!
It is just important that you don’t boil the egg-cream so that it won’t coagulate. I can tell you that the result is really wonderful. I’m sure you will have success when trying it, good luck 🙂
I have a sweet tooth myself, but I just don’t think I have the skill for baking. (sigh). Nevertheless, I always enjoy looking at dessert recipes such as this. I truly appreciate that FOODAL often include recipes from other countries, especially European ones. So yeah, a huge gratitude for that.
Thanks, I always enjoy trying out (especially) cakes and goodies from other countries. And Europe has some interesting cuisines that are so versatile, so there is a lot to discover. Keep enjoying the recipes – just by reading or preparing 😉
This sounds absolutely delicious! I love finding simple and tasty gluten-free recipes, especially for dessert. My sweet-tooth cannot be tamed. I can’t wait to try this one. Do you think it’s okay to use other nuts like hazelnuts or cashews? Or should I stick with almonds?
Sure, you can use other ground nuts, too, if you’re not so much into almonds. That would be the classic choice, but ground hazelnuts or cashews will be equal substitutes. Enjoy!
This made my day! I’m a huge fan of desserts and I love to discover different culinary traditions from all around the world. This dessert looks absolutely fantastic, I love almonds and nuts in general so I can’t wait to taste it. This is a really good recipe, since the bottom is made only out of almonds and egg whites, I can make it when I have gluten intolerant friends over for dinner. It sounds really versatile too, I’ll enjoy experimenting with different kinds of nuts. Thank you!
Happy to hear that! I agree with you about the bottom layer, whose ingredients make it a great choice for gluten sensitive friends or family. As I try not to eat wheat every day too, this is a delicious and easy alternative from time to time. Enjoy experimenting 🙂
I’m not even the biggest fan of almonds but this dessert looks extremely tasty and it’s even easy to make, you just have to follow the instructions without too much of a hassle! Thank you for sharing this, I have to try it out!
Oh yeah, it is! 🙂 With some patience and not giving up until the cream has the right texture, it is not too difficult to make. And in case you would like to replace the almonds, why not try ground hazelnuts for the bottom?
My husband is allergic to most tree nuts, but luckily for me, doesn’t seem to have a problem with almonds. That means I can try making this really interesting looking dish. In the article it stated that the cake is yellow in color, but in the pictures that coloring isn’t coming out. On second glance though, perhaps the article meant a ‘pale’ yellow? At any rate, the color doesn’t matter too much. What matters is flavor and presentation and this looks great.
The day I took the photos, the sun was shining directly into the kitchen. This influenced the color nuances in the pictures, but it also depends on the eggs, I think. Free range yolks can have different shades, so sometimes the color is strong or kind of “pale”, like you say.
But you’re right in the end, I hope you and your husband will like its flavor and the creamy topping.
This looks so delicious. I bet it is.
I have never tried a Scandinavian cake before but this is something that would not be that difficult to make.
Next time I have friends over I will try to make it and surprise them.
That’s a mouthwatering dessert. It looks just yummy. This is something that my daughter would really like. She’s not big on typical cakes, so this is something I could make for her birthday instead of a cake (and I’m always looking for something different to try for her, so this is cool).
We enjoy almonds as well as other nuts, so I really think the whole family would like it. I like the way it looks too, like you mentioned. Thanks for sharing this. It’s another great one to add to my list.
Thank you, it is indeed some different type of cake. It’s worth to try, the creamy topping and the nutty base go so well together. If you decide on making this for your daughter’s birthday, I wish you success and hope everyone will enjoy this treat.
Made this for a dinner party. It was well received. Be aware that the recipe says 4 servings, but they would be HUGE servings. I tripled the recipe for 12 people and made it in a half sheet pan. Even doubling the recipe would have made more than we needed.