Swedish Plum Toscakaka (Tosca Cake)
This plum toscakaka is a delicious twist on a Swedish classic, inspired by a recipe from The Little Swedish Kitchen by Rachel Khoo. The tart plums pair beautifully with the soft sponge and caramelised almond topping, creating a dessert that feels both familiar and a little different.
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This recipe for Swedish Plum toscakaka first appeared on my previous blog, The Culinary Jumble. The recipe has been updated to use spelt flour and the images have been edited.
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| Who is Rachel Khoo? |
| Swedish classics and more |
| What is toscakaka? |
| Adapting Rachel’s recipe |
| Final thoughts |
| More Swedish classic recipes |
When I was asked if I’d like a copy of Rachel Khoo’s new book, The Little Swedish Kitchen, the answer was yes. Obviously. I was genuinely curious to see how she’d approached Swedish cooking. After all, while I have a soft spot for Scandinavian flavours, I’ll admit that Swedish food can sometimes lean a little… traditional. Or, let’s be honest, a little beige. It’s hearty and comforting, yes, but not always the most adventurous cuisine out there.
So I was intrigued to see what Rachel had made of it. If I’m honest, I wasn’t expecting to find many recipes I wasn’t already familiar with. I’ve lived here for a while, and let’s just say, I’ve eaten my fair share of meatballs and cinnamon buns.
Who is Rachel Khoo?
If you’re not already familiar with Rachel Khoo, she’s a television chef, food writer, and cookbook author with a charmingly down-to-earth, girl-next-door presence that makes her instantly likeable and easy to watch.
Her cooking style is approachable, creative, and always stylish, but never intimidating. She’s probably best known for shows like The Little Paris Kitchen and A Cook Abroad: Rachel Khoo’s Malaysia, as well as cookbooks like My Little French Kitchen. Now based in Sweden, it makes perfect sense that her latest culinary adventure would take a Nordic turn. And so, The Little Swedish Kitchen was born: her take on the traditional recipes, flavours, and seasonal ingredients of her adopted home country.
Swedish classics and more
Of course I was wrong. Although there are Swedish mainstays like cinnamon buns and kladdkaka, there are also many more inspiring recipes with interesting ingredients. I also like how Rachel has given her own personal twist to Swedish classics.
The book is beautiful to look at, easy to read and cleverly broken down into sections (seasons). I don’t buy many hardback books these days, and it felt luxurious to sit quietly for a minute, turning over page after page full of exquisite food shots and laid back instructions. Sweden and its culture holds fascination for many people. So, if you’ve ever wanted to find out more about the food they eat, you really don’t need to look any further.
It took me forever to decide which recipe I would make first. No prizes for guessing it would be a dessert, though. As I had plums rapidly softening in the fridge, I decided on plum tosca cake, a version of the Scandinavian classic.
What is toscakaka?
Directly translated, toscakaka means tosca cake. The history of toscakaka is as blurred as the cake is delicious. Truth is, nobody seems to really know for sure where it originated or how it got its name. Rumour has it that it was inspired by Puccini’s opera. Very exciting but it just doesn’t fit with Scandinavia. It’s much more likely to pay homage to the almond cakes found in Tuscany (Toscana in Italian).
Tosca cake is an irresistible combo of soft buttery sponge and crunchy almond topping. Over time, variations have become more popular, especially with fruits like apple, pear, or rhubarb, which pair well with the nutty tosca topping and are more commonly seen in modern adaptations.
Plum isn’t a standard or widely used addition, but it’s definitely not unheard of either. It works beautifully in a toscakaka, offering a lovely tart-sweet contrast to the rich almond topping, so it’s more of a creative twist than a common variation. That said, if you served someone a plum toscakaka in Sweden, it likely wouldn’t raise eyebrows, just a pleasant surprise.
Adapting Rachel’s recipe
I pretty much followed Rachel’s recipe to the letter, with just a couple of small tweaks. I used spelt flour instead of regular flour, as I usually do, and halved the quantities, since I didn’t need a full-sized cake. I baked it in a smaller springform pan (18cm / 7”), which worked perfectly.
The texture and flavour still came through beautifully, and the smaller size made it ideal for a weekend treat without too many leftovers lingering around to tempt me.
Final thoughts
The plums complement the cake exceptionally well, adding a tart, juicy contrast to the soft sponge and rich, nutty topping. I can honestly say I’ve never tried anything quite like it—it’s a lovely twist on a classic that still feels comfortingly familiar. The slight sharpness of the fruit cuts through the sweetness just enough to keep each bite interesting.
It’s also a great example of what Rachel Khoo does so well in The Little Swedish Kitchen—bringing fresh ideas to traditional recipes without losing their charm. If you’re looking for something a little different but still rooted in classic flavours, this would be a perfect choice. It’s the kind of cake that feels special without trying too hard.
Swedish Plum Toscakaka (Tosca Cake)
Ingredients
Sponge:
- 75g (⅓ cup) sugar
- 50g (3½ tbsp) butter (softened)
- 2 eggs (small)
- ½ tsp vanilla essence
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 125g (1 cup) spelt flour (see note 1)
Topping:
- 5 plums (halved and stoned)
- 25g (1¾ tbsp) butter
- 25g (2 tbsp) sugar
- 50g (½ cup) flaked almonds
- 1 tbsp spelt flour (see note 1)
- 1½ tbsp cream
Instructions
Sponge:
- Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC (320ºF).
- Prepare a small spring-form pan (mine is 7" / 18cm) by greasing or lining with baking paper.
- Whisk the sugar and butter together until it is pale and fluffy.
- Add in one egg at a time and the vanilla extract, and continue to whisk until everything is well mixed.
- In a separate bowl, mix the baking powder and flour together.
- Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Pour the thick batter into the prepared tin, and give it a little shake to level if off.
- Place the plums skin side down in the batter and bake for around 30 minutes. Because the cake will be put back into the oven with the topping, aim for a centre that is still a little soft.
Topping:
- While the cake is baking, prepare the topping: First, melt the butter in a small pan.
- Remove from the heat, and add the other ingredients. Stir until everything is well combined.
- When ready, remove the cake from the oven and set the temperature to 180ºC / 350ºF.
- Sprinkle the topping over the cake and spread it carefully, so that there is an even coverage.
- Return the cake to the oven and bake for a further 20-25 minutes, until the top is nice and golden. Serve warm with cream or custard. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
I received a free copy of The Little Swedish Kitchen, and was kindly given permission to re-create this recipe.
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