Adam Liaw’s Swedish almond loaf cake with butterscotch topping

Name: Adam Liaw’s Swedish almond loaf cake with butterscotch topping
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 8-10
Cuisine: Scandinavian
Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ tsp flake salt; 2 cups caster sugar; 2 eggs; 2 tsp almond extract; 300ml milk; 200g unsalted butter, melted; sour cream, to serve*

Adam Liaw

July 18, 2025

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:8-10

A combination of two classic Swedish cakes – toscakaka and mandelkaka – this almond-scented loaf comes complete with a moreish butterscotch almond topping.

Ingredients

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp flake salt
2 cups caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp almond extract
300ml milk
200g unsalted butter, melted
sour cream, to serve*

Butterscotch almond topping

1 cup sliced almonds
100g unsalted butter
100g dark brown sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp flake salt

Method

Step 1
Heat your oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
Step 2
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 3
In a separate bowl combine the sugar, eggs
and almond extract and mix to combine.
Add the milk and melted butter and mix
well.
Step 4
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then transfer the batter to a lined 1.2-litre loaf tin and bake for 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Step 5
While the cake is baking, make the topping. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and dry-toast the almonds until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from the saucepan and add the butter, brown sugar and vanilla and bring to a boil. Stir the almonds and salt through the butterscotch mixture.
Step 6
Remove the cake from the oven and pour the almond mixture over the cake, then return it to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Step 7
Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 20 minutes, then remove from the tin and cool completely.
Step 8
Slice the cake and serve with a good dollop of sour cream and a black coffee.

*Tip: Thick sour cream is a great accompaniment for cakes. It requires no whipping and the sour taste often complements sweet cakes better than
whipped cream does.

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