Mandeltarta Recipe

Mandeltårta is one of the beloved cakes of Swedish cuisine. I’m not very familiar with Ikea’s food selection, and I’m not sure if it’s available in every country, but this cake is also sold at Ikea. The only difference is that Ikea’s version is coated in chocolate. If you didn’t recognize it at first glance, that’s probably the reason. The original version is topped with sliced almonds like this. Ikea most likely opted for a chocolate coating either to extend its shelf life or to meet consumer preferences. If you enjoy Ikea’s cake and want to replicate it exactly, you can coat it with melted chocolate mixed with ground almonds instead of sliced almonds.

I made a small change to the original recipe. Normally, whole almonds with skins are ground and used. This way, the almond flour and therefore the cake turn out darker in color. Since I had ready-made almond flour on hand, I used that instead. Naturally, my cake turned out lighter. This doesn’t affect the taste or texture. You can use whichever option is more convenient for you.

For the cream, a type of buttercream is used. Although there are many different ways to make buttercream, it’s typically prepared by whipping only butter and powdered sugar together. In this recipe, however, an egg-yolk-based, flourless custard is prepared first and cooled. Then the custard is whipped together with butter. The generous use of egg yolks will probably raise the familiar question:

Does the cream taste eggy?

I get this question in every recipe that uses more than two eggs. My answer is always the same: a recipe doesn’t smell like eggs, eggs themselves do. If the eggs you’re using are stale, or if the hens’ diet gave them an unpleasant odor, whatever you add them to will also smell. Even if you simply fry them, they’ll smell off.

Another reason for an “eggy” smell in your desserts is not whisking the eggs well or not cooking them properly. For example, in this recipe, if you pour the hot cream all at once into the egg yolks without whisking quickly and thoroughly, the yolks will cook as yolks—and naturally smell like cooked egg. In sponge cakes or other egg-heavy recipes, the point is to blend the eggs with other ingredients to create a new, original flavor. In this recipe, the eggs serve that exact purpose, resulting in a delicate aroma with a hint of vanilla. So if your desserts end up smelling eggy, it’s not the recipe—it’s either the eggs you used or something you did (or didn’t do) in the process.

By the way, you may not have noticed, but this cake is naturally gluten-free. With its sponge base, it also reminded me a bit of the Budapestrulle.

Needless to say, the cake should be stored in the refrigerator once prepared. If you’d like to keep it longer, you can freeze it in an airtight container for up to three months.

Enjoy...

Bon appétit...