Visting Cake Recipes

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Make simple, yummy visiting cake recipes, including Swedish visiting cake, quick German visiting cake, and New York-style crumb cake recipe using pantry ingredients for a quick cake to serve.

As we segue into the holiday season and new year, it’s good for body and soul to connect with family and friends. Yet the sheer “busyness” of the holidays can make it seem overwhelming to have folks over.
That’s where these visiting cake recipes come in. The name itself says “Welcome to our home” or “Let’s take a bit of time to catch up.”

A square or wedge of cake paired with a mug of steaming coffee, herbal tea, or even a glass of chilled milk allows us to slow down, take a breath, and be grateful for the many blessings that accompany each day. Visiting cakes aren’t fancy, multi-layered tiers of wonder. They’re what their names imply: simple, yummy cakes using pantry ingredients. And visiting cakes are good keepers, so you never have to worry about preparing a treat at the last minute. The visiting cakes I’m sharing are ones that I make during the holidays.

Swedish almond visiting cake is a classic, moist, buttery cake with an unusual crunchy and sweet almond topping.

Blitzkuchen means “quick cake” and is one of the first coffee cakes I made when venturing into baking. The recipe I’m sharing is from a well-worn, thin paperback German-Viennese cookbook my mom bought for me from a second-hand store many years ago. Every time I bake this cake, I’m reminded of my beautiful, kind mom.

For those of you who love New York-style crumb cake, I’ve got a good one. The butter crumb cake is “all that.” Lots of buttery, sweet, bumpy crumbs top a moist yellow cake. The topping is thicker than the cake.

I hope that these visiting cake recipes make your holidays memorable and happy!

Swedish Almond Visiting Cake Recipe

Cake Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1-1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

Topping Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites
• 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
• 1-1/4 cups slivered, sliced, or finely chopped almonds
• More confectioner’s sugar for dusting after baking

1. Cake Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Butter a 9” cast-iron skillet or 9” cake pan on bottom and sides.
3. Either by hand or with mixer, beat sugar, eggs, and extracts until mixture is opaque in color and looks a bit fluffy.
4. Mix the salt, flour, and baking soda together, then stir into the egg mixture until smooth.
5. Pour in cooled butter and blend well.
6. Pour batter into prepared pan, and smooth into an even layer. Mixture won’t be really thick.
7. Topping Instructions: Whip egg whites until well-blended and bubbly.
8. Whisk in sugar, then stir in almonds.
9. Spoon over batter, starting at outside edges, smoothing topping very gently as you go.
10. Topping may not cover entire cake.
11. Bake 25 minutes or so. A toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. Don’t overbake. Cake will still be somewhat soft.
12. Let cool in the pan a bit, dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

Yield: Depending upon how you slice it, 10 to 12 servings.
Tip: Make ahead and freeze up to three months.
Change It Up: Leave out almond extract, increase vanilla to 2 teaspoons, and swap in finely chopped walnuts or pecans for almonds.

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Blitzkuchen (Quick German Visiting Cake)

Topping Ingredients

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts,
• almonds, or pecans
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

Cake Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk ­— I use whole milk

1. Topping Instructions: Mix all ingredients. It will be sandy. Set aside while mixing cake.
2. Cake Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
3. Spray or butter an 8” pan.
4. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
5. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork.
6. Whisk egg and milk together.
7. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, then pour milk mixture in. Stir until blended, pour into prepared pan. Spread evenly.
8. Sprinkle topping over surface, starting at outside edges. Gently pat down with spatula.
9. Bake 20 minutes or so, until toothpick inserted in the the center comes out clean.
10. Don’t overbake.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
Tip: This cake freezes well, up to three months.

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New York-Style Crumb Cake

Crumb Topping Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups (12 tablespoons) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

Cake Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons milk — I used whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Garnish: Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

1. Topping Instructions: Whisk together butter, both sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
2. Stir in flour until mixture is golden brown.
3. Press evenly into bottom of bowl, then set aside. This allows topping to firm up so that when you sprinkle it on, it stays “bumpy.”
4. Cake Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Butter or spray 8” or 9” baking pan.
6. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
7. Beat in egg, sour cream, milk, and vanilla.
8. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
9. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until blended, but don’t overmix.
10. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top.
11. Crumb Topping Instructions: Break up crumbs into big and little pieces, then sprinkle evenly over batter, starting at outside edges.
12. Bake 30 minutes or so, until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
13. Let cool before dusting with
14. confectioner’s sugar.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Tips:
Make it ahead and freeze up to three months.
To freeze, bake the cake, but don’t dust it with confectioner’s sugar.
Dust with confectioner’s sugar right before serving.

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Rita Heikenfeld comes from a family of wise women in tune with nature. She’s a certified modern herbalist, culinary educator, author, and national media personality. Most importantly, she’s a wife, mom, and grandma. Rita lives on a little patch of heaven overlooking the East Fork River in Clermont County, Ohio. She’s a former adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati, where she developed a comprehensive herbal course. Abouteating.com column: Rita@CommunityPress.com

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Originally published in the December 2024/January 2025 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.