Skúffukaka – Icelandic Brownies

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When I was looking for a recipe to bake for Iceland I stumbled upon this dish, Skúffukaka, the name alone was enough for me to bring a smile to my face. Then to read that they were kind of an Icelandic version of a brownie I was determined to try it out. According to Wikipedia Skúffukaka, basically is a single-layer chocolate cake baked in a roasting pan, covered with chocolate glaze and sprinkled with ground coconut. I found a recipe on Andromeda’s Kitchen which I adapted, I read that every Icelandic family has their own little twist to the Skúffukaka and this is mine. One of the things I added was some Skyr, which is a typical Icelandic type of yogurt. The batter turned out a little stiffer versus my Bad, Bad Brownie batter but after baking the taste was still awesome.

I might go back and make some more tweaks to this recipe at a later date but I had to share this basic version with you guys now.

These are the ingredients needed for the cake. Flour, milk, Skyr, sugar, melted butter, melted chocolate, eggs, cocoa powder, warm coffee, cinnamon, vanilla sugar and baking powder.

In a bowl add flour.

Baking powder.

Cinnamon.

And cocoa powder.

Grab a whisk and mix it up good, till all is combined. And set aside.

In another bowl, add sugar and vanilla sugar. I know you can barely see it in the photo, but trust me, it’s sugar I’m throwing in here….

Add your eggs.

And mix it up good, till it’s all nice, fluffy and creamy.

Now it’s time to slow down your mixer and pour in your liquids, starting with milk.

Melted butter.

Melted chocolate.

And warm coffee. Try not to spill your coffee like I did…

Next add your flour, don’t add it too slow cause you don’t want to over mix it.

Next add your Skyr and give it another 10 seconds to mix in the Skyr and your batter is done.

Pour the batter into your baking tray.

And divide evenly. Put it in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. once baked let it cool down in the baking tray for a few minutes before you transfer it onto a wire rack and let it cool down completely.

While your cake is cooling down you can go ahead and make the topping.  You’ll need confectioners’ sugar, melted butter which has cooled down, cold coffee, coconut flakes, vanilla sugar and cocoa powder.

Add the sugar in to a bowl.

Add the vanilla sugar.

Cocoa powder.

Melted butter.

And last but not least the coffee. Mix it thoroughly until combined and a smooth silky cream.

Pour your creamy topping over the cooled down cake. Make sure the cake is cooled down properly or your topping will melt. Spread the topping evenly over the cake.

Sprinkle with coconut flakes and let the topping set. I usually put mine in the fridge for a few minutes to speed up the process. You want the butter to get firm again so you can cut it easily.

Cut into squares, serve and enjoy! 🙂

This Skúffukaka is great with a cup of coffee or tea. I can only vouch for the tea part though, cause I don’t drink coffee. 😀

I made this recipe as part of my “Baking Around the World” challenge. Check out the “Baking Around the World” page for more recipes from around the globe.

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Skúffukaka - Icelandic Brownies

These Icelandic Brownies are delicious, a little chocolate delight that'll vanish quickly at any party.

Votes: 45
Rating: 3.82
You:

Rate this recipe!

Type	Squares and Bars

Cuisine

Icelandic

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Servings

squares

Ingredients

Batter

• 3 cups all-purpose flour 500 g sifted
• 3 tsp baking powder 15 g
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 30 g
• 1 1/2 cup sugar 300 g
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar 10 g
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk 150 ml
• 1 1/3 stick butter 150 g - melted
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate 50 g (78%, melted)
• 1/3 cup coffee 80 ml - warm
• 1/2 cup Skyr 150 g - or Greek yogurt

Frosting

• 1 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar 200 g
• 1/2 cup butter 50 g melted, cooled down
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder 10 g
• 4 tbsp coffee 50 ml - cooled down
• 2 tsp vanilla sugar 10 g
• coconut flakes to taste

Type Squares and Bars Cuisine Icelandic Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Servings squares Ingredients Batter 3 cups all-purpose flour 500 g sifted 3 tsp baking powder 15 g 1/2 tsp cinnamon ground 1/4 cup cocoa powder 30 g 1 1/2 cup sugar 300 g 2 tsp vanilla sugar 10 g 2 eggs 2/3 cup milk 150 ml 1 1/3 stick butter 150 g - melted 1/3 cup dark chocolate 50 g (78%, melted) 1/3 cup coffee 80 ml - warm 1/2 cup Skyr 150 g - or Greek yogurt Frosting 1 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar 200 g 1/2 cup butter 50 g melted, cooled down 1 tbsp cocoa powder 10 g 4 tbsp coffee 50 ml - cooled down 2 tsp vanilla sugar 10 g coconut flakes to taste

Votes: 45 Rating: 3.82 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F.
2. Grease and line a 35cmx25cm / 14 inch x10 inch bakingtray.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cocoa.
4. In another bowl, cream sugar, vanilla sugar and eggs till fluffy.
5. Add milk, butter, chocolate and coffee.
6. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Don't overmix the batter.
7. Add Skyr and give it a short mix till just combined.
8. Pour the batter into the baking tray and divide evenly. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
9. Let the cake cool on a wire rack before adding the frosting.

Topping

1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until the vanilla sugar is dissolved and you have a smooth frosting.
2. Pour the frosting over the cooled down cake and spread evenly. Top with coconut flakes to taste.

Recipe Notes

Please note that the cup measurements in this recipe are approximate. I have added cups for those that prefer using cups. The recipe is most accurate using weights measurements.

• You can substitute the vanilla sugar with 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
• You can substitue Skyr with Greek yogurt.
• To help the frosting set quicker you can put the cake in the fridge for a few minutes after it's frosted.