Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
This book shows you lots of enticing baked goods from Norway. Try the yummy Tosca Cake, which is actually Swedish. The recipe directs you to use a clever technique, where you bake it for 20 minutes, pour the glaze on top of the hot cake, and bake some more. Next on my list: pretzels, horns with herby pea pesto, and another cake, called the world’s best!
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Recipe excerpted with permission from Norwegian Baking Through the Seasons by Nevada Berg (Prestel)
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Tosca Cake
Tosca cake is a Scandinavian favorite, thought to be named after the Italian composer Puccini’s opera, Tosca, which is based on the French play, La Tosca, and premiered in 1900. It had its Swedish premier at the Royal Opera House in Stockholm in 1904 and was referenced frequently in the culture of that time. By the 1930s, recipes for tosca cake started appearing in Swedish cookbooks and it was mentioned in Norwegian newspapers by the 1940s. It’s a delicate yet dense sponge cake, encrusted with a caramelized almond topping—the “tosca”—that gives the cake its distinctive character. It’s luscious and a true classic that remains as steadfast as the opera that inspired it.
Serves 8 to 10
❖ FOR THE CAKE
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (112 g) lightly salted butter,
melted and cooled
¼ cup (60 ml) milk
1 ¼ cups (150 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
❖ FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup (100 g) sliced almonds
½ cup (112 g) lightly salted butter
⅓ cup (65 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
For the cake, preheat the oven to 345°F (175 °C). Butter a 9 ½ inch (24 cm) springform cake pan.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the eggs and sugar on medium-high for 5 minutes, or until stiff and light in color. Add the melted butter and milk and whip until blended. Sift the flour and baking powder over the batter and use a spatula to gently fold until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake until golden and mostly set, about 20 minutes.
While the cake is baking, make the glaze: In a large saucepan over low heat, combine the almonds, butter, sugar, milk, and flour and cook, stirring, just until the ingredients are blended and the sugar has dissolved.
Once the cake has baked for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven, and spread the glaze on top. Place the cake back in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan before serving. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tracey Zabar's Chocolate Chip Sweets: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes is available here.
A delectable collection of innovative chocolate chip recipes by world-renowned chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers
Tracey Zabar's One Sweet Cookie Cookbook is available here.
A delicious collection of cookie recipes from extraordinary chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers. A great gift sure to delight anyone who loves to bake.
Lori Zabar's Zabar's A Family Story, With Recipes is available here.
