This Swedish Visiting Cake is the perfect dessert to whip up when friends drop by or for afternoon tea. With its crispy almond-studded top and chewy, cookie-like interior, this dense, buttery almond cake comes together in minutes and is always a crowd-pleaser.
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This almond vanilla cake is a treasured recipe that’s earned its place as my most-requested dessert.
Years ago, a dear friend came over for dinner and brought this Swedish visiting cake which I fell in love with. When I requested the recipe, she told me that she got it from a friend who got it from another friend!
There’s something special about recipes passed between friends; they carry not only the ingredients and instructions but also stories.
This recipe is also known as a Scandinavian welcome cake. True to its name, this easy almond cake is the perfect treat for impromptu visits and casual gatherings. I make this recipe at least once a month!
I have also made another version of this recipe from Dorie Greenspan that uses melted butter, but I find that recipe tends to be slightly greasier than this Swedish visiting cake recipe, which uses softened butter (room temperature).
But it’s a great option when you haven’t softened your butter and need a cake pronto!
The dense, chewy texture sets it apart from typical coffee cakes, landing somewhere between a traditional cake and a giant cookie, with a perfectly crisp, almond-scattered top contrasting perfectly from the chewy interior.
It’s the kind of dessert that feels special and comfortable – sophisticated enough for a dinner party yet homey enough for a quiet afternoon treat, perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
➡ If you’re looking for other dessert recipes from scratch, try Coca-Cola cake, pear cake, sour cream coffee cake with pecans, or cardamom cookies. They’re all family favorites!
Ingredients and Tips
🧂 Ingredients You’ll Need for this Almond Vanilla Tea Cake
💡 Ingredient and Recipe Tips
🧈 Butter: Room-temperature unsalted butter (Kerrygold or Land O Lakes are my favorite brands). To make Dorie Greenspan’s original recipe for Swedish Visiting cake, use melted butter. Whisk the eggs and sugar, then the extracts, flour and salt, and finally fold in the melted butter.
🌾 Flour: King Arthur all-purpose recommended. Spoon into measuring cup – don’t scoop directly.
🍰 Cake Pan: Use a 9-inch springform cake pan or cast iron skillet.
🔄 Mixing: Use a handheld mixer, stand mixer with paddle, or whisk.
✨ Tips for Success: Use room temperature ingredients, cream butter and sugar until airy, spoon-measure the flour, and avoid overmixing.
🍋 Lemon: Add the grated zest of a lemon to the sugar for a different twist!
♨️ How To Make Swedish Almond Cake
- Preheat the oven. Use a mixer to beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg, almond and vanilla extracts. Add the flour and beat until combined.
- Evenly pour the batter into the cake pan. Sprinkle almonds over the batter. Bake the cake until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool on rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn cake out of pan and cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
Full instructions below in the recipe card.
Swedish Visting Cake – Scandinavian Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoon butter unsalted – 1½ sticks,
6 oz. (170 grams), room temperature
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
- Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and grease and flour the sides of the pan.
- Mix together flour and salt with a whisk and set aside.
- Use a handheld mixer to beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl using a silicone spatula periodically.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium speed until combined. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- Add the flour and mix until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically to incorporate all ingredients.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Use a spatula to gently even out the batter. The batter will be quite thick. Sprinkle sliced almonds evenly over the batter.
- Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out without wetness and just a few crumbs.
- Transfer the cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Turn the cake out onto a cake rack and allow it to cool completely.
- Once completely cool, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
- This recipe was originally published with melted butter, but I find that softened butter is better. To make it with melted butter, whisk together the sugar and eggs, stir in the extracts, stir in the flour, and finally fold in the melted butter. Bake as per the recipe instructions.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips, including some pro tips for success!
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Claire says
Made this last night – so simple and easy! It was a bit sweet for my taste so next time I might cut the sugar to 1 cup. I used raw almonds to top the cake thinking they would toast in the oven, but only the almonds on the side did – the flavor on the toasted ones was so much better so I’ll probably toast them lightly next time. Subbing orange zest for the lemon zest would also be delicious. Thanks for this recipe!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thanks Claire! I love this recipe because I can make it at the last minute without bringing butter to room temperature!
Patty says
I haven’t tried this cake yet, but will be trying it this coming weekend. I like almonds but I’m not that fond of the flavor or almond extract. Can I eliminate this and use the vanilla and lemon only?
Thanks,
Patty
Paint the Kitchen Red says
You can use any extract; let me know what you think! Cardamom would be nice, I think.
Sara says
I haven’t tried this yet but wondering if i could add cardamom to the cake? I adore cardamom.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sara – that sounds like a fabulous idea. I love cardamom too and I have no idea why I never thought of that. Let me know how it goes. Let me warn you that this cake is meant to be a dense cake – it’s not fluffy. Super tasty, but I wanted to give you a heads-up!
audrey says
I love this cake and have made it many times. Have you ever added berries to the batter?
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Audrey – thank you for commenting on that recipe. Since I mostly post Instant Pot recipes, my other recipes don’t get a lot of love 🙂 I love this recipe too, and berries sound like an intriguing idea. What do you think would go well with almond flavor? I am not sure if they would sink to the bottom?
Dana says
My friend makes this at my request for my birthday. I was amazing!!! You must eat this.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Aww, thank you Dana! You have nice friends 🙂 I love this cake so much too – especially because it’s so easy!
Dana-Lynn Hilton says
I made it again for my 40th this year but this time I made 2!!!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Happy 40th birthday!
Priscilla Wilson says
I love almond cakes. I made this exactly as directed, but it was definitely not cooked enough. I put it back in for 10 minutes. Hours later I put it back in for 30 minutes because it was just wet dough except for the very edges. The flavor is great. The picture looks brownish on the outside. Mine stayed completely light.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Priscilla, I’m sorry the cake didn’t meet your expectations. Just to clarify: this cake is not a fluffy cake. It’s quite dense and has a brownie-like consistency. But it shouldn’t be wet either. It should be quite crusty on the outside. Anyway, thanks for trying it out.
Lynn says
Oops commenting again so I can rate this great recipe. Simple, honest food is the best!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Awesome! It’s one of my favorites – especially because I don’t have to plan ahead, like getting eggs or butter to room temperature. Perfect for a late-minute dessert. Works great in a cast iron pan, to give it a rustic feel, and when you’re really down to last-minute and don’t want to remove from pan and let cool before serving…..
Lynn says
This was such a hit I had to come back and share. This is one we will make again and again. My kids fought over the last piece ?
Dhanya says
Hi Neena,
I just realized that there is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe!! Is that right?
I am really looking forward to trying it this weekend..Will let you know how it goes!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Hi Dhanya – that’s right. It’s a dense cake, not fluffy. I’ve never tried it with baking powder – might be interesting to try that!
Mary says
I know this is *really* late, but concerning butter/serving to thise with lactose intolerance:
For a very similar recipe (basically the same recipe, but without the vanilla and lemon), tbe author had had trouble getting the cake out of the pan untact. They trouble-shot, and found that using margarine solved their problem. There are some good vegan margarines on the market, which my vegan cousins tell me work well in baking (such as Earth Balance), so that would work.
Happy baking!
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you Mary – that was kind of you to take the time to respond. It might help others who have the question.
Cecelia says
If I don’t have butter only margarine will the cake still work
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Cecilia, I’m not sure about using margarine in this recipe because I’ve never done that. Sorry!
Debbie says
I’m planning to make this today, as I’m taking dessert to a friend’s house for dinner. One question, though – she’s lactose intolerant (I’d have to shoot myself if I were allergic to dairy) but do you think I can substitute ghee for the butter? That would make it a truly cross-cultural dish 🙂
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Sorry Debbie – my answer is probably too late! Did you try with ghee? My instinct would be that it wouldn’t have enough structure with the ghee.
Debbie Stone says
Not too late at all — as it turns out, another friend wanted to bring dessert, so I brought a roasted cauliflower dish that I’ve made in the past. Looking forward to trying your recently-posted Indian Roasted Cauliflower, though.
And I wondered about the effect ghee would have on the Almond Cake – you probably do need the milk solids in a cake. I’ll stick with real butter when making the Almond Cake for my non-lactose intolerant friends.
Lindsay says
Love the video. Super cool. This recipe is a must for this Swedish-American woman.
Paint the Kitchen Red says
Thank you!