My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender.......

Next weekend sees the yearly extravaganza that is the Eurovision Song Contest. Love it or hate, you can't escape it. Personally, I love it. It is my absolute guilty pleasure and every year nothing will stop me from settling down in front of the television and giving up 3 hours of my life to revel in both its weird and wonderfulness. I even find all the cheeky block voting that goes on (regardless of how rubbish the song), and hardly anyone voting for the UK entry anymore, quite amusing.

You might well be wondering what place Eurovision has on a baking blog. Well, I will tell you. Eventually. 

It is 40 years since the Swedish group Abba won the competition with 'Waterloo'. On the the 6th April 1974, in Brighton, to be exact.

I can't believe that it was that long ago that, in shiny flares and platforms, they entered our consciousness. I was only small at the time and I suspect my knowledge of Eurovision was non-existent. However, a couple of years later, while living abroad, the power of the BBC World Service was such that I soon became aware of this Supergroup, and I have been a fan ever since. Can I add though, that in my opinion, Mamma Mia (the film version, that is) was shocking, and I wish I'd known that all of the best bits were in the trailer before I got excited and paid good money to see it.  

To celebrate this anniversary, I wanted to revisit 'The Nordic Bakery' book, (by Miisa Mink) and whip up a cake that caught my eye. Here is the classic Swedish cake, 'Tosca Cake', or, in Swedish, 'Tosca Kaka'. I actually hadn't heard of it before but when I saw it in the book I knew that one day I would bake it. It is a whisked vanilla sponge with a caramel and almond topping and is absolutely my kind of cake. Simple, not showy, but with a little added interest. A lot like my favourite clothes, in fact.

This cake definitely goes under the header of 'new favourite', and one to be made again and again. Light, moist, buttery, with a hint of vanilla. The nutty caramel topping adds crunch, and is very, very moreish.

I cut myself a slice while it was still slightly warm, and poured over some cream (only because I had some leftover, and I hate waste you understand!). It was so good. If you were to add some berries, and Scandinavians do love a berry or two, it would make a delicious pudding. 

Or, just have it cold. Either way you won't be disappointed.

For the cake

4 medium eggs
170g caster sugar (I used my preferred golden caster sugar)
200ml double cream
100g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
260g plain flour 

Tosca topping
75g unsalted butter
75 g caster sugar (again, I used golden)
50ml double cream
3 tbsp plain flour 
75g flaked almonds, toasted

29cm/11inch springform cake tin greased, and  base lined (I used a 25cm/10inch tin because that is what I have)

Serves 6 - 8

Preheat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6

1. Put the eggs and sugar into a large mixing bowl and whisk with a handheld electric whisk until the mixture is very thick, pale, doubled in size, and there is a trail in the mixture when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. This should take about 10 - 15 minutes. Do not rush this part, however bored you may become. It is imperative that the mixture is whisked for this long because it is the air that gives the cake its lightness.
2. Add the cream, melted butter and vanilla extract and fold in gently using a metal spoon.
3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour and baking powder together then fold into the egg mixture with a metal spoon again. Do this gently so that you don't knock out the air that you took so long to whisk in.
4. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the pre-heated oven in middle of the oven for 30 - 35 minutes.
5. While the cake is cooking make the Tosca topping. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring all the time.
6. Remove the baked cake from the oven, spread the Tosca topping evenly over the top and 
return it to the hot oven for a further 10 - 15 minutes or until the topping is golden and slightly caramelised.
7. Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes before turning out and leaving to cool completely.