Runebergintorttu (Runeberg torte)
Photo: Picture: Ville KoistinenModified by -Majestic- · CC BY 2.5

History

The Runeberg torte is tied to Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Finland's national poet, who lived in Porvoo; his wife Fredrika is credited with the recipe. Flavoured with almond, gingerbread crumbs and a dose of rum or arrack, the cake appears in Helsinki bakeries from January until Runeberg Day on 5 February. Porvoo, an easy day trip, is its spiritual home.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Nuts

Make it at home

Yield 8Hands-on 30 minTotal 55 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 100g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 100g ground almonds
  • 80g crushed gingerbread or digestive biscuits
  • 75g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 tablespoons rum or arrack
  • For finishing: raspberry jam, 100g icing sugar with a little water

Method

  1. Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg.
  2. Fold in the almonds, crushed biscuits, flour and baking powder, then stir in the rum to a thick batter.
  3. Spoon into greased cylindrical moulds (or muffin tins) two-thirds full.
  4. Bake at 175C for about 20 minutes until risen and firm; cool in the moulds.
  5. Pipe a ring of icing on top of each and fill the centre of the ring with a dot of raspberry jam.

Tip from the editors. Brush the warm cakes with a little extra rum syrup for the moist, boozy crumb the bakeries are known for.

Where to eat runebergintorttu (runeberg torte)

Runebergintorttu (Runeberg torte) in Helsinki

Karl Fazer Café ★ 4.5

35.90 euros per adultCaféGrand cafe weekend brunchKluuvi

The Karl Fazer Café on Kluuvikatu, Karl Fazer's 1891 confectionery, lays on a weekend brunch buffet of Finnish breakfast plates, salmon and house cakes.

OrderThe weekend brunch buffet with Fazer breads and cakes from the house patisserie

TipBrunch runs Saturday 09:00 to 15:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 15:00; book ahead, walk-ins wait for a table when the quota is full.

Directions

Konditoria Hopia ★ 4.2

BakeryTraditional Finnish patisserieTooloWalk-in only

Konditoria Hopia in Töölö is an old-time patisserie baking Karelian pies and cinnamon buns to a recipe brought from Sortavala nearly 70 years ago.

Worth the queueKarelian pie (karjalanpiirakka)

TipCome for the karjalanpiirakka rye-and-rice pies, baked daily to the original Karelian recipe. A Töölö neighbourhood fixture.

Directions

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