KLADDKAKA FOR BIRTHDAY – A LETTER TO JULIA

Kladdkaka for birthday – a letter to Julia is a post dedicated to my eldest daughter. She just turned 10 years old and this is her request for a birthday cake. Kladdkaka is indeed the perfect choice for a chocolate lover like my birthday girl!

I wrote Julia a post five years ago for her fifth birthday, sharing a recipe for my wholesome Carrot Cupcakes with  cashew cream frosting along with the letter. The words came straight from my heart, and I still remember writing them. My oh my how things have changed since then. This is going to be a very different letter.

My dear Birthday girl

You are now 10 years old! I can’t believe five years have passed since my last letter. You are not a little girl anymore, but I’m so glad to still see the twinkle in your eyes when you smile. And the dimples, they are still there too, although I know you don’t like them anymore. (But let me assure you, they are beautiful!)

You are getting so tall, and it’s always a surprise to me you don’t need my help when reaching for something from the upper shelf. You don’t need my help anymore when brushing your teeth or washing your hair. But when you sometimes ask me to braid your hair, it brings me so much joy.

You don’t ask me to build a Lego house or go to the playground with you, you don’t need my company anymore. But sometimes you want it. When you ask me to play a board game or watch a movie with you, it makes me so happy.

You don’t need my help in any technology related issues. You figure these things out so fast it amazes me. You laughed so much when I asked how to get the Disney Princess filter on TikTok or when I took iphone photos and couldn’t get the flash off. You always kindly help me, but somehow you are surprised that I’m asking…like you are astonished to know more about a subject than I do.

Most of the time you think I’m pretty lame and my jokes are bad. You think I wear either a) uncool clothes which are too big – but they are comfortable! – like your father’s warm winter jackets or b) cool clothes which I’m not supposed to wear because I’m too old – like my Blohsh beanie or Billie Eilish shirts.

Oh and shall we talk about Billie Eilish for a while? She’s the first singer we BOTH love and I think this makes you both embarrassed (I’m too old to like Billie Eilish) and also a bit proud that we share a similar taste in music. We’ve found many other singers and bands we both like and I love to think you kind of think of me as a COOL mom because I know what music is trending right now.

But most of the time you don’t think I’m cool, especially when we go outside. You either want to walk a few meters behind me or a few meters in front of me. This makes me laugh (but not out loud, because you hate it when I LOL in public and make this weird flapping thing with my hands stumping my feet at the same time). You also hate it when I say LOL. Then again you also don’t like it when I don’t understand your weird abbreviated words. You say idc a lot nowadays, and luckily this is an abbreviation I do understand because even if YOU don’t, I still do – care that is.

I care so much. So much that I’ve cried a thousand tears but I’ve also laughed more than a thousand times with tears of happiness in my eyes. With you I’ve experienced a hundred emotions and more. ALL emotions are allowed, they are a blessing, and I will support you now and forever to learn to live with them, and even enjoy them.

You are a sensitive soul like I am, you are funny and kind. You are creative too, a wild and curious introvert with a heart of gold. You have taught me SO much about myself too, and because of you I am in fact more myself than I was before.

My letter to you five years ago was about cooking and baking. Food – now that’s an interesting subject. But not to you. You kind of hate that my work is about vegan food. You are not vegan and I’m not forcing you to be. You have many sensory issues when it comes to food, and I don’t want to force you to eat something you really can’t eat.

But it makes me so happy you LOVE the vegan treats I make. You have even more elaborate and sensitive taste buds than you did five years ago and you are one of my best taste testers because of this special trait. If you don’t like something I make, I won’t post it on the blog.

A week ago I asked would you like a cake for your birthday. You said yes, but only a store bought Kladdkaka would do.

Challenge accepted.

So this is a cake you actually have not tasted before it hits the blog, but I am 100% sure you will love it.

Happy Birthday,

ILYSM

♥ Äiti

Kladdkaka recipe

Kladdkaka is a chocolate cake made with only a few ingredients. It is also called Mud Cake or Swedish Sticky Cake and it’s supposed to be super sticky with a gooey center, much like the Molten Chocolate Cake.

The special thing about Kladdkaka is that no baking powder or baking soda is used in the recipe. The cake is not fluffy, it is flat and supposed to be thick and gooey. The center especially should be sticky.

The cake is traditionally flavored with just cocoa powder, but I like to make it extra chocolatey with some chocolate chips.

I love to combine chocolate cake with berries and Kladdkaka is simply perfect with vegan whipped cream and raspberries. I know my daughter will love this plain, without any cream nor berries, to let the rich flavors shine through.

This recipe is adapted from the amazing Lindas bakskola and you can find her original recipe here (in Swedish).

Ingredients

• 115 grams or 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 150 grams or 3/4 cup sugar
• 130 grams or 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 25 grams or 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp or 150 ml oat-based cooking cream or other neutral vegan cream (also coconut cream could work,  but I haven’t yet tried it)
• 1/4 tsp salt

To add extra flavor:

• 40 grams or 1/4 cups chocolate chips
• To decorate the cake: powdered sugar, raspberries, vegan whipped cream, vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C or 360 F. Prepare a springform pan by setting a parchment paper on the bottom and greasing the edges (I do this with coconut oil).
2. Melt the vegan butter and let cool.
3. Pour the butter to a bowl and whisk in all the other ingredients except the chocolate chips.
4. Mix until fully incorporated and pour the batter to the prepared pan.
5. Bake in the oven for about 22 minutes. The middle of the cake should still be a little wobbly (but not liquid). Keep in the oven for a minute or 2 longer if needed. The edges of the cake should be a bit crispy when it’s ready.
6. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and let them melt on the warm cake.
7. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes.
8. The cake can be eaten right away when it’s still super gooey or you can store it well covered in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. The cake becomes more fugdy in the refrigerator, especially when stored overnight.
9. Sprinkle a thin layer of powdered sugar on top when you’re ready to eat the cake.
10. Enjoy the cake plain or with vegan whipped cream, vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream and raspberries.

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