Swedish Chocolate Cake

This Swedish chocolate cake bakes in a Bundt pan coated with breadcrumbs instead of flour, which creates a thin, toasty crust you won’t get any other way. The crumb is dense and velvety from melted unsweetened chocolate and heavy cream, with a tight, pound cake-like texture that doesn’t need frosting to feel finished.

Creaming the shortening and sugar thoroughly is where the lift comes from. There’s no whipped egg whites or extra leavening doing the work, so that initial creaming stage needs to be light and fluffy before the eggs go in one at a time. Each egg should be fully incorporated before adding the next.

Alternating the dry ingredients and cream mixture keeps the batter smooth and prevents the flour from getting overworked. Start and end with the dry ingredients so the batter absorbs the liquid evenly without curdling.

Chef Tips

• Coat the Bundt pan generously with breadcrumbs. They create a better release and a crunchier exterior than flour
• Melt the chocolate slowly over low heat or in short microwave bursts. Unsweetened chocolate scorches easily
• Cake flour gives a softer, more tender crumb than all-purpose. Don’t substitute if you can avoid it
• Let the cake cool in the pan for just a few minutes. Too long and it steams and sticks

Variations

• Dust the finished cake with powdered sugar for a simple Scandinavian presentation
• Add a teaspoon of instant espresso to the batter to deepen the chocolate flavor
• Drizzle with a thin chocolate ganache if you want something dressier