Runebergintorttu

Runebergintorttu (Finnish Runeberg Torte)

A traditional Finnish almond-and-rum cake baked in individual moulds, named after the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg. The cakes are soaked in raspberry jam and a sweet rum or punch syrup, then topped with a pink ring of frosting.

Prep

25 min

Cook

22 min

Total

47 min

Serves

8

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •150 g (5¼ oz) wheat flour, standard plain wheat flour; traditional Finnish wheat flour works fine
• •100 g (3½ oz) fine breadcrumbs, or almond meal for a more traditional nutty texture
• •120 g (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened
• •120 g (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
• •2 whole large eggs
• •75 g (¼ cup) almond paste (marzipan), crumbled
• •120 ml (½ cup) milk
• •1 tsp baking powder
• •1 tsp ground cardamom, essential for the Finnish flavour
• •ground ginger, ½
• •1 pinch salt
• •80 g (¼ cup) raspberry jam, seedless preferred; for soaking the tops
• •60 ml (¼ cup) rum or arrack, traditional Finnish arrack (punssi) is closest; dark rum is the common home substitute
• •60 ml (¼ cup) water, for the syrup
• •40 g (3 tbsp) sugar, for the syrup
• •200 g (7 oz) powdered sugar, for the icing ring
• •2 tbsp water or lemon juice, for the icing
• •red food colouring or raspberry juice, a few, optional, for the traditional pink ring

Steps

1. 1 Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Butter and flour eight individual cylindrical moulds or muffin tins (about 8 cm / 3 in wide). Traditional Runeberg moulds are taller than muffins.
2. 2 In a small saucepan, heat the 40 g sugar with 60 ml water until dissolved, then add the rum/arrack. Set the syrup aside to cool.
3. 3 Cream the softened butter and 120 g sugar together until pale and fluffy, 3–4 minutes by hand or with a mixer.
4. 4 Crumble in the almond paste and beat until fully incorporated.
5. 5 Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
6. 6 In a separate bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, breadcrumbs, baking powder, cardamom, ginger and salt.
7. 7 Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry mix. Stir gently until just combined — do not overmix.
8. 8 Spoon the batter into the prepared moulds, filling each about three-quarters full. Level the tops.
9. 9 Bake on the middle rack for 20–22 minutes, until a wooden skewer inserted in the centre comes out with only a few moist crumbs. Internal temperature should read around 96 °C / 205 °F.
10. 10 Leave the cakes in the moulds for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack.
11. 11 While still warm, spoon 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam onto the top centre of each cake so it sinks in slightly. Then brush or spoon 1–2 tablespoons of the cooled rum syrup generously over each cake. Let them absorb fully — this step is essential to the traditional flavour and keeping quality.
12. 12 Mix the powdered sugar with water or lemon juice to a thick, pipeable icing. Tint half of it pink with raspberry juice or a drop of red colouring. Keep the other half white.
13. 13 Pipe a ring of white icing around the top edge of each cake and fill the outer half with the pink icing, leaving the raspberry-jam centre exposed — this two-tone ring is the classic Runebergintorttu look.
14. 14 Let the icing set for 15–20 minutes before serving. Runebergintorttu is traditionally eaten with a strong cup of coffee.