This Swedish saffron cake (saffranskaka) makes any amazing adornment for any Christmas celebration table.
Saffron is used a lot in Swedish baking at Christmas time. Festivities get underway first with Lussekatter and then all the way up to Christmas, saffron is found in a multitude of baking recipes from cookies, to bread, through to cakes.
Up until I moved to Sweden, I’d never used saffron. I certainly hadn’t baked with it. I’d lived and worked in Turkey for a couple of years so knew of the spice and was pretty taken by its gorgeous colour, but other than that, had little experience of it.
Last year I got all saffron crazy. I cracked out overnight saffron and white chocolate buns and saffron skorpor (Sweden’s answer to biscotti) and this time, it’s a cake.
Saffron adds a stunning colour to baked food. I mean really beautiful. I expected this but I was a little surprised at how delicious it was. Take care though, you only need a pinch as the flavour would overpower otherwise. God job, too, seeing as how expensive it is.
This cake is gluten free and made with a ready mixed blend, along with ground almonds, and there’s something special about the mixture of almonds and saffron; other-worldly, almost.
The cake is so soft and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness, and a taste which lingers in your mouth long after you’ve eaten it. The only downside of being less sweet is that you could snaffle down half a cake in one sitting and not even notice.
I made a small cake (this one is 18cm) but you could easily double the recipe to make a larger one.
Recipe was adapted from Hembakat
- 80g (1/3 cup) butter
- 0.25g saffron
- 1 egg
- 135g (2/3 cup) sugar
- 75ml (1/3 cup) milk
- 1 teaspoon ground psyllium husk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 35g (1/4 cup) almond meal/ground almonds
- 135g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) gluten free flour blend
- Icing sugar (for sprinkling)
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Pre-heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a small springform pan (mine was 6 inches/18cm)
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Melt the butter, then stir in the saffron and let it sit for a while.
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Beat the egg and sugar together then add the saffron butter along with the milk.
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In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together then add to the wet. Mix until just combined.
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Pour into the prepared pan and bake for around 35-40 minutes (if you feel the top is browning too much, cover it over with a piece of foil)
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The cake is ready when it is slightly springy to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
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Let the cake cool, sprinkle with plenty of icing sugar and serve either as it is or with a little cream by the side if you fancy it. Enjoy!
