Runeberg cakes

By: Trine Hahnemann
From: Scandinavian Baking
Makes: 16 cakes
Photographer: Columbus Leth

These cakes got their name from the Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg who, according to legend, enjoyed them every day for breakfast. The story goes that his wife Fredrika, also a poet and a mother of eight (eight!), invented the recipe. Runeberg cakes are very popular in Finland on the poet’s birthday, 5 February.

I sometimes serve these cakes with plum compote instead of the raspberry jam used here. Do make sure that, whatever you use, it has good acidity and is not too sweet.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
200g	butter
100g	soft brown sugar
100g	caster sugar
2	eggs
150g	breadcrumbs
150g	ground almonds
2 teaspoons	baking powder
3 tablespoons	finely grated organic orange zest
1 teaspoon	ground cardamom
100g	creme fraiche

For the raspberry jam

Quantity	Ingredient
200g	frozen raspberries
100g	caster sugar

Method

I sometimes serve these cakes with plum compote instead of the raspberry jam used here. Do make sure that, whatever you use, it has good acidity and is not too sweet.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cream the butter and sugars with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Mix together the breadcrumbs, ground almonds and baking powder and fold into the cake batter with the orange zest, ground cardamom and crème fraîche. Pour half of it into a silicone canelle mould with eight holes, filling each 1cm from the top. Bake for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the raspberries and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for five minutes. Scrape into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. Let the Runeberg cakes cool down a bit before you take them out of the moulds. Place them on a wire rack to become completely cold while you bake the remaining eight cakes in the same way.
Spoon the raspberry jam on the top of the cakes and serve, with whipped cream, if you like.