Inspired by Fika desserts! This recipe is from The Little Book of Fika: The Uplifting Daily Ritual of the Swedish Coffee Break by Lynda Balslev.

Fika derives from the 19th-century slang word for coffee: kaffi (Invert the word kaffi, and you get fika), and it is often translated as “a coffee and cake break”. I learnt of this concept from my bf who showed me this Fika teatime inspired ink by Sailor. Essentially fika is “the simple art of taking a break―sometimes twice a day―to enjoy a warm beverage and sweet treat with friends. Some may even consider it a ritual, and emphasizes the importance to make time to stop and socialise: to take a pause, refresh the brain and strengthen relationships. What you eat doesn’t matter, but it should ideally be homemade, and many Swedes consider it important to regularly bake something at home to take into work for fika. It makes good business sense as well – there is a belief that firms have better teams and are more productive where fika is institutionalised.

This is a simple chocolate cake recipe called Kladdkaka. It is a slightly underbaked chocolate cake with a firm top that cracks open, exposing its gooey center. When the cake is removed from the oven, it will still be slightly runny. After it is allowed to cool for around 1hr, the center will firm up to a perfect sticky chocolatey texture. It can be nicely served warm, or cold!

 

Makes 1 7-inch cake

Sticky Chocolate Cake (Kladdkaka) from The Little Book of Fika   1 cup all purpose flour 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/8 teaspoon sea salt 2 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Butter and line the round cake pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt in a small bowl. Whisk eggs and sugar in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy, around 2 minutes. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until crisp on top but soft in the center, around 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. Once cooled, the cake may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To serve, sift icing sugar over the top.