Spiced Lemon-Orange Loaf Mandelkaka (Visiting Cake)
By Charlie
Published Feb. 4, 2026
This loaf cake combines a light lemon flavor with spices and an orange marmalade glaze into a dessert that is not overly sweet. This recipe is a spin on a classic Swedish mandelkaka, or visiting cake, which is designed to be put together at a moment’s notice to welcome an unexpected visitor.
Spiced Lemon-Orange Mandelkaka (Visiting Cake)
Servings: 8
Equipment
- 8 ½-inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (190g)
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon, ground
- ½ tsp cardamom, ground
- ½ tsp ginger, ground
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 lemon (zest of 1 lemon & 3 tbsp lemon juice)
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp butter, melted
Glaze
- ⅓ cup marmalade
- ½ tsp water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare the loaf pan using either parchment paper or butter and flour to coat the sides and bottom of the pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and salt.
- In the stand of an electric mixer (or in a separate bowl, if mixing by hand, rather than with an electric mixer), combine the sugar and lemon zest.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing lightly in between.
- Add the lemon juice, followed by the vanilla extract, greek yogurt, and melted butter and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350F for 70 minutes. After about 30-35 minutes, cover the loaf with a foil hat to prevent the top of the loaf from becoming overly darkened. When the cake is finished baking, a toothpick inserted into the center should emerge cleanly.
- Once finished baking, allow the loaf to cool and remove it from the pan. In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing the marmalade with the water. Use a brush to spread the glaze over the top of the loaf.