Swedish Visiting Cake Bars – Bake a Difference with OXO for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer

Thanks to the generous folks at OXO who are sponsoring this post, I am sharing this wonderful recipe for Swedish Visiting Cake Bars by Dorie Greenspan to help spread the word about Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a charity to raise funds for research to develop new, improved and less toxic treatments for pediatric cancer.

This is my second year participating in Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. OXO is partnering with food bloggers, like me, who are providing recipes we hope will inspire people to have their own Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sales. This recipe for Swedish Visiting Cake Bars is the perfect bake sale treat. Classier than the typical cookies, these Swedish Visiting Cake Bars are scrumptious and super easy to make!

Join in the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer challenge by having a bake sale. Register your event online. When registering, mark that you were inspired by OXO and OXO will generously match proceeds from your bake sale up to their annual commitment. No bake sale is too small! Since 2008, the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer program has funded 100 childhood research grants leading to 37 promising new treatments and clinical trials available to children fighting cancer today.

You can also help by donating directly to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Because childhood cancer is not a single disease, you have the option to select the type of childhood cancer your donation supports. THANK YOU for Being a Good Cookie^™.

Notes on the Swedish Visiting Cake Bars Recipe, Tips and Tricks

As the name suggests, these cake bars are delectable treats to serve to visiting family and friends. They’re so easy to make; you can whip up everything, bake and serve to your guests during their visit. Having not had these before, I must confess, I really love these Swedish Visiting Cake Bars. The almond meringue topped cake is buttery with delicious crunch and texture. It’s similar to coffee cake but with more nutty goodness!

Start by melting the butter as it takes a bit of time to cool. I use the Soften/Melt Butter function on my microwave and it took about 45 seconds. Alternatively, microwave the butter until it’s mostly melted and then combine together. The heat will melt the remaining butter. There’s no need to get the melted butter boiling hot as it should be at room temperature when adding into the batter.

This recipe is very forgiving and you can use cup measurements. I like to weigh the ingredients so I can share recipe cards in both imperial and metric measurements. If using a cup or bowl to hold the food item, don’t forget to tare or reset to zero any bowl or cup.

I love the OXO 5lb Food Scale with Pull Out Display. It accurately weighs small quantities and the best feature is the easy-to-read display pulls out if you’re using large plates or bowls. Genius!

Butter the OXO 9 inch Square Non-stick Pro Cake Pan and cover with parchment paper. After the cake is baked, you’ll be able to just lift it right out of the pan. No sticky messy and clean-up is a breeze!

The OXO 11 inch Balloon Whisk makes the task of combining eggs and sugar fast and easy. Once the eggs and sugar are combined, the mixture should be a lighter yellow.

It’s tantalizing waiting for a cake to cool when it looks this amazing! Use the OXO Non-Stick Cooling and Baking Rack to speed up the process. With two-layer PFOA-free coating, this rack allows for quick and even cooling. I could hardly wait to try this cake and let it cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into it for a sample. 🙂

OXO makes it simpler, easier and better to bake. As you may have guessed, I am a big OXO fan and have been for many years. Check out this post I shared recently on my go-to kitchen tool the OXO Salad Spinner: My Top 5 Uses for a Salad Spinner (and It’s Not Just for Salad!)

Swedish Visiting Cake Bars

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Swedish Visiting Cake Bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, International, Swedish

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 18

Calories: 193 kcal

Author: Trang

Moist, buttery cake is layered with a meringue almond topping in this simple yet decadent dessert. So easy to make, this wonderful sweet treat can be prepared, baked and served to visiting guests in no time at all. Welcome your guests by serving them this delicious homemade treat!

*Adapted from recipe by Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

Topping

• 1 cup confectioners' (powdered) sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

Cake Bars

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• confectioners' (powdered) sugar, for dusting

Standard - Metric

Instructions

1. Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).

2. Lightly butter a 9-inch square baking pan and line it with parchment paper.

   

Making the Topping

1. Transfer the confectioners' sugar into a medium bowl. Pour the egg whites over the sugar. Using a fork, mix until the sugar is moistened. (Lumps are normal and just leave them as they are.)

   

2. Add the sliced almonds and stir until they're coated with the sugared whites. Set aside for now.

   

Making the Cake Bars

1. In a large bowl, add the sugar, eggs and salt. Using a whisk, combine until the mixture lightens in color and thickens a bit, about 2 minutes.

   

2. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and whisk together.

3. Gradually add the all-purpose flour. Use a flexible spatula and gently combine together until the flour is incorporated.

   

4. Add the melted butter slowly to the batter while whisking gently. Combine until fully incorporated. (The batter should have a lovely sheen.)

   

5. Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to spread the batter evenly into the pan making sure to push the batter into the corners. (The layer will be thin.)

   

6. Using a fork or your fingers, gently stir the topping one more time. Spread the topping evenly over the batter, making sure to cover the corners.

   

7. Transfer into the oven and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

   

8. Set the oven to broil (500 F / 260 C) and bake for 3-4 minutes or until the top is a golden brown. (Leave the pan in the center rack position when broiling.)

9. Remove the cake pan from the oven and let rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

   

10. Holding onto the parchment paper, carefully lift the cake from the pan and set down on the cooling rack. 

11. Place another cooling rack on top of the cake and invert. Remove the parchment paper. Invert the cake onto the first cooling rack again. Let cool for 15-20 minutes.

    

12. Transfer the cake onto a cutting board. Using a long, thin knife, cut into nine 3-inch squares. Cut each square into 2 triangles for a total of 18 cake bars.

    

13. Before serving, dust the Swedish Visiting Cake Bars with confectioners' sugar.

    

14. Store the cake bars in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 4-5 days.

Notes, Tips & Tricks

• Reduce the sweetness of this cake by cutting back the confectioners' sugar to 3/4 cup and the sugar to 1/2 cup.
• Add orange zest to the topping and orange extract to the batter for a citrus flavor variation.
• Once the cake is done baking, the meringue topping will have a light gold color. Broil the cake if you'd like a deeper color and a crunchier topping.

Nutrition Facts

Swedish Visiting Cake Bars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 193 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Cholesterol 34mg11%

Sodium 52mg2%

Potassium 83mg2%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 185IU4%

Calcium 27mg3%

Iron 0.7mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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**This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of OXO.