Friday, January 22, 2010

Time for cake: Lingonberry Cake with Crispy Tosca topping

LIngonberry Tosca cake / Toskakattega pohlakook

What's a weekend without a cake? I know that fresh lingonberries aren't available at the moment - the season only lasts from July till September, but luckily lingonberries freeze beautifully. I suggest you take them out from your fridge (or if you failed picking your own last summer, then buy a punnet from the nearest shop) and bake this Tosca cake. Tosca cake, ever so popular in Sweden and elsewhere, is a rich pound cake with a crispy almond topping. Adding a generous layer of tart lingonberries between the cake and the topping makes this popular cake even nicer, and there are some spices in the cake batter to make it even more heartwarming during the cold winter season.

Lingonberry Cake with Crispy Tosca Topping
(Toskakattega pohlakook)
15 to 20 pieces

Lingonberry Tosca cake / Toskakook pohladega

125 g butter, melted
3 large eggs
170 g caster sugar (200 ml)
220 g plain flour (400 ml)
1.5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
0.25 tsp ground cloves
100 ml milk
200 g fresh or frozen lingonberries (400 ml)

Tosca-topping:
75 g butter
125 g caster sugar (150 ml)
2 Tbsp plain flour
50 ml milk (4 Tbsp)
100 g flaked almonds

Make the sponge cake first.
Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and thick. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves, then fold into the egg mixture alongside melted butter and milk.
Line a smaller baking sheet (30x40 cm) with parchment paper, then pour the batter onto the tray. Scatter the lingonberries on top, then bake in a pre-heated 175 C oven for about 25 minutes.
To make the crispy Tosca topping, measure all ingredients into a small saucepan. Heat on a low heat, stirring regularly, until butter has melted and everything is combined.
Spoon the Tosca mixture onto a partially baked cake. Return immediately to the oven and bake in a slightly hotter oven ( 200 C) for another 15 minutes, until the Tosca topping is nice and golden brown.
Cool, then cut into small squares.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

looks so soft and sweet, I'd like to pamper me with a slice of it!

710 East Myrtle Avenue said...

Your lingonberry cake brought back happy memories from my childhood in Finland. I'll try the recipe this weekend with cranberries. Many thanks for your lovely blog.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Such pretty styling for a delicious cake - it looks very tender, Pille!

natural selection said...

Your killing me over here!another extra hour of fitness!

looks fantastic I love lingonberry anything!

Cheers
J

Cheeky Spouse said...

Your cake looks lovely, I really must try making it myself. I wonder whether it would work with other types of fruit, maybe raspberries or even blackcurrants, perhaps?

Jeanne @ Cooksister said...

What a gorgeous colour lingonberries have! The closest we get here is the lingonberry juice from IKEA ;-) Gorgeous cake!

Hedgehog said...

Tried this on Tuesday night - thanks for another great recipe idea!!

nakedbeet said...

I'm currently obsessed with lingonberry jam and am saving this one for when I can get some more.

Pille said...

Matteo - well, you need to bake this cake then :)

710 East Myrtle Avenue - happy to hear that I've brought back happy memories :)

Cheeky Spouse - Tosca cakes are lovely with most berries. Considering the spices in this one, however, I'd go with blackcurrants instead of raspberries.

Jeanne- I've got plenty of lingonberries waiting for you here in Estonia ;)

Hedgehog - so glad you liked it! And at least you don't have any troubles sourcing the berries..

NakedBeet, Patricia, Alanna, Natural Selection - thank you!