Experience the delight of these Swedish Visiting Cake Bars. A soft almond cake with toasted almond-meringue topping. They’re quick to make and taste absolutely divine!
Swedish Visiting Cake Bars are a simple yet elegant treat inspired by the traditional Swedish almond cake. These bars feature a tender, buttery base with a delicate almond flavor, topped with a crackly, golden crust of sliced almonds and a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Lightly chewy around the edges and soft in the center, they strike a perfect balance of texture and sweetness.
I love a light airy almond treat, for more recipes similar to this one you have to check out my Joyful Almond Bars, Almond Poppy Seed Bread, and Almond Coconut Smoothie.
Table of Contents
Baking for a Cause
Today’s post is extra special because I’m baking for a cause. I’m partnering on behalf of OXO for Kids’ Cancer Challenge. We’re providing you with delicious recipes (like these Swedish Visiting Cake Bars) in hopes that they will inspire you to host your very own cookies for kids’ cancer bake sale for a targeted source of funding for pediatric cancer treatments.
This non-profit organization was founded by two OXO employees who were inspired by their son’s battle with pediatric cancer. Like always, OXO is donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, and the proceeds for each blog post dedicated to this campaign during the first week of September, which happens to be Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. How cool is that?
What is Visiting Cake?
Swedish Visiting Cake is meant to be shared with friends and visitors over a cup of tea. The idea is that it’s so quick and easy to make, you can start making it as the visitors are pulling up the driveway, and it will be ready to enjoy by the time they sit down to enjoy a cup of tea!
Chef-supporters like Dorie Greenspan, a renowned baker and cookbook author, add her unique twist to this classic cake. She combines the traditional Swedish Visiting Cake with an almond-meringue topping that she usually uses on fruit tarts.
Dorie says, “These are a mash-up of two recipes I love: almond-meringue topping, which I usually use on fruit tarts, and (a variation of the) Swedish Visiting Cake, which is usually unadorned. I can no longer remember when or why I married these two, but once I did, the knot was tied for life — the crisp almonds and chewy cake make a perfect couple. The cake is supremely satisfying and the topping is unusual in that it bakes to a meringue finish, but there’s no whipping involved. You just mix egg whites and confectioners’ sugar together — I do it with my fingers — swish sliced almonds around in the mix and spread it over the batter. The oven does all the work.”
Of course, this version differs slightly because I cut it into bars, but it’s still a quick and easy treat perfect for entertaining company.
Recipe Ingredients
Confectioners’ Sugar – Sift before using to prevent clumping and create an ultra-smooth coating on the almonds.
Egg Whites – Use fresh egg whites for the best volume and structure. Avoid any trace of yolk to achieve a topping that crisps up properly.
Unsalted Butter – Allow the melted butter to cool slightly before adding for a smooth batter.
For a full list of ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below.
Variations
Almond Meal – Substitute ¼ cup of the all-purpose flour with an almond meal to intensify the almond flavor and give the bars a slightly denser, softer texture.
Toppings – For extra flavor, go with lemon zest, a dusting of cinnamon sugar, a touch of brown sugar, toasted coconut, or a sprinkle of sea salt.
How to Make Swedish Visiting Cake Bars
Step 1: Center a baking rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
Step 2: To make the topping, put the sugar in a medium bowl and pour over the egg whites. Using your fingers or a fork, mix until the sugar is moistened. If there are lumps, ignore them. Toss in the almonds and stir them around until they’re coated with the sugared whites. Set aside while you make the batter.
Step 3: Working in a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, and salt together until the mixture lightens in color and thickens a little, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour. When the flour is fully incorporated, gradually fold in the melted butter. You’ll have a thick batter with a lovely sheen. Scrape it into the pan and use the spatula to work the batter into the corners. The layer will be very thin.
Step 4: Give the topping another stir, or a run-through with your fingers, and turn it out onto the batter. Use a spatula or your fingers to spread the almonds evenly over the mixture, making sure to get nuts into the corners too.
Step 5: Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs stuck to it. The meringue topping will be pale golden brown. If you’d like a deeper color on the topping, run it under the broiler until you get the shade of gold you like best.
Step 6: Transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and unmold it onto the rack. Very gently peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack to cool to room temperature.
Step 7: Transfer the cake to a cutting board and, using a long, thin knife, slice it into nine 3-inch squares. For smaller portions, cut each square into two triangles. If you’d like, you can dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar just before you serve them.
FAQs
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown and a little crisp on the outside. Let cool for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edges to loosen it.
For the best results, use a non-stick pro cake pan. This ensures even baking and easy release, preventing the cake from sticking and making cleanup a breeze.
Storage Info
To STORE these Swedish Cake Bars, let the bars cool first. Then, place them in an airtight container at room temperature, where they will stay fresh for up to 4-5 days. To FREEZE, just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and foil. You can freeze the bars for up to two months.
To REHEAT, thaw at room temperature and warm in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 10 minutes.
More Similar Recipes to Try
Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 1 c. confectioners’ sugar
- 3 large egg whites
- 1½ cups sliced almonds - blanched or unblanched
For the Bars
- 3/4 c. granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs - at room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 stick unsalted butter - melted and cooled
- Confectioners’ sugar - for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Center a baking rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.
- To make the topping, put the sugar in a medium bowl and pour over the egg whites. Using your fingers or a fork, mix until the sugar is moistened. If there are lumps, ignore them. Toss in the almonds and stir them around until they’re coated with the sugared whites. Set aside while you make the batter.
- Working in a large bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, and salt together until the mixture lightens in color and thickens a little, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and almond extracts. Switch to a flexible spatula and gently stir in the flour. When the flour is fully incorporated, gradually fold in the melted butter. You’ll have a thick batter with a lovely sheen. Scrape it into the pan and use the spatula to work the batter into the corners. The layer will be very thin.
- Give the topping another stir, or a run-through with your fingers, and turn it out onto the batter. Use a spatula or your fingers to spread the almonds evenly over the mixture, making sure to get nuts into the corners too.
- Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with only a few crumbs stuck to it. The meringue topping will be pale golden brown. If you’d like a deeper color on the topping, run it under the broiler until you get the shade of gold you like best.
- Transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cake and unmold it onto the rack. Very gently peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the cake to a cutting board and, using a long, thin knife, slice it into nine 3-inch squares. For smaller portions, cut each square into two triangles. If you’d like, you can dust the bars with confectioners’ sugar just before you serve them.
I absolutely love this recipe. It’s so delishious and has a unique flavor. Tastes like something grandma would make.
Great flavor, but came out wet and gooey on the bottom after 35 minutes, even after the tester came out clean. Returned to the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, after it had already cooled for 10 minutes. I didn’t know about the goo situation, until after the ‘cooling period’ and removal from the baking pan… so, back into the oven it went. Newbie bakers would be crying in a corner at this point, especially since this was for a Mother’s Day event… After 10 additional minutes (for a total of 1 hour), it seems edible and non-gooey.
In conclusion, I think the parchment paper allowed the meringue to flow to the sides/bottom of the pan- resulting in soggy sides and bottom. I used a 9×9″ metal baking pan, and buttered the sides and bottom. I didn’t freelance with the ingredients. Eggs were at room temp. After 1 hour, the meringue on top was a blond wood color, which seemed to be the goal- and it appeared completely cooked.
Super delicious! Next time I make it I will add more almond extract as I would like the cake to have a bit more almond flavor. I needed to bake it for much longer than 30 minutes- I ended up baking for 50 minutes in the 9” pan. Not sure if the pan size should increase or the bake time should increase. Would highly recommend!!!
This recipe will be added to my recipe box for sure! Been wanting to try it for a long time and finally did this weekend. We cut them into 1″ squares and they were perfect size when we wanted to try all the desserts there.
These sound and look so lovely. I’ve just finished baking them and can’t wait to taste. I followed the recipe precisely, but I’ve had a problem with baking time. At 30 minutes I checked it and the middle was still very gooey. So I kept adding time in 3 minute increments, and it took an extra 15 to fully bake. I wonder why the cooking time didn’t work for me? Could it be that we are at very different altitudes, I’m at 1581ft? Or maybe that it’s -8F out (I don’t know if these kinds of things make a difference)?