Runeberg torte is named for Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, who wrote Finland’s national anthem-or perhaps more accurately for his wife, Fredrika Runeberg, who is credited with inventing these cakes by creatively using ingredients she had in their home. Traditionally, these are eaten on February 5th, Johan Runeberg’s birthday, but they are available in Finnish bakeries throughout the winter months.
Runeberg tortes are a visually appealing & delicious sweet pastry. The cakes are made with cookie crumbs, ground almonds and heavy cream, all of which work together to make them moist, tender and flavorful. The raspberry jam & icing toppings set off the other flavors of these little cakes perfectly.
Side note: I cannot always decide whether “Runeberg tortes” or “Runeberg’s torte” sounds more correct. They usually both seem wrong. My apologies if I switch back and forth by accident throughout this post.
Tips & FAQ for Runeberg Torte
-I baked mine in this popover pan– the recipe makes 6 tortes in this size pan. Since you won’t easily find Runeberg cake tins in the United States, use a similar size popover pan or mold, or just use muffin tins, though you’ll need to adapt the bake time accordingly!
Can I make these without rum?
Yes- though traditionally, one brushes each finished cake with a rum syrup, a non-alcoholic version is easily made with an orange juice or lemon juice sugar syrup. In fact, this is how I make mine, and I’ve included the instructions for both versions below. You can also omit the syrup entirely and just top the cakes as is, but I personally think the syrup adds quite a bit to both the texture & taste of the finished product.
How should I serve and store Runeberg tortes?
These are best the day they’re baked but can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple days.
Tools & Equipment for Runeberg’s torte
- Runeberg pans, a muffin pan or a popover pan
- Large mixing bowl
- Handheld electric mixer OR stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Kitchen scale (optional)
- Piping bag
Ingredients for this Runeberg torte Recipe
- Unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Heavy cream
- Almond flour/ground blanched almonds
- Cookie crumbs: I used these classic gingerbread cookies in mine, but you can use others as well- other gingerbread cookies or speculoos cookies would work well!
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
For the syrup:
- Water
- Rum OR lemon juice/orange juice
- Sugar
For the toppings:
- Raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar
- Water
The process: how to make Runeberg torte
If not done yet, crush your cookies into crumbs- either in a food processor, or just put them in a Ziploc bag and wack them with something heavy!
Butter your popover pan (or muffin tray or pan of choice) and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment OR a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well again until well combined, and then drizzle in the cream, mixing until just combined.
Add the almond flour, cookie crumbs and dry ingredients mixture and mix on low speed until well combined. Use a large scoop to even spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan, filling each spot about 3/4 full to leave some room for the tortes to rise.
Bake in the preheated oven- mine take 20 minutes. This may vary based on your pan of choice- bake until your cakes are golden brown and set in the middle.
Top the tortes
Toward the end of the bake time, whisk together the syrup ingredients in a small bowl.
Let the tortes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack. You may want to add a piece of parchment paper underneath the wire rack to catch syrup runoff.
Brush the syrup onto the cakes with a pastry brush while they are still warm, then leave them to cool completely to room temperature before topping them.
When the cakes are totally cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and water in a small bowl with a fork until smooth. Put the frosting in a piping bag.
Scoop a spoonful of your favorite raspberry jam onto the top of the cakes. Trim the end off your piping bag and pipe a circle of icing around the scoop of jam.
Enjoy! As with so many beloved Finnish baked goods, I highly recommend serving with a cup of coffee!
Runeberg Torte Recipe (Runebergintorttu)
Moist gingerbread & almond flavored cakes, topped with raspberry jam and a little white icing
Ingredients
- 10 Tbsp unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 2/3 cup (134 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (60g) almond flour
- about 3/4 cup (80 g) cookie crumbs, preferably gingerbread-see notes
- 3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch sea salt
- For the syrup:
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) hot water
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon or orange juice OR rum
- 1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- For the topping:
- about 1/4 cup of your favorite raspberry jam
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
- If not done yet, crush your cookies into crumbs- either in a food processor, or just put them in a Ziploc bag and wack them with something heavy!
- Butter your popover pan (or muffin tray or pan of choice) and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit.
- In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment OR a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well again until well combined, and then drizzle in the cream, mixing until just combined.
- Add the almond flour, cookie crumbs and dry ingredients mixture and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Use a large scoop to evenly spoon the cake batter into the prepared pan, filling each spot about 3/4 full to leave some room for the tortes to rise.
- Bake in the preheated oven- mine take 20 minutes. This may vary based on your pan of choice- bake until your cakes are golden brown and set in the middle.
- Toward the end of the bake time, whisk together the syrup ingredients in a small bowl.
- Let the tortes cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning them out onto a wire rack. You may want to add a piece of parchment paper underneath the wire rack to catch syrup runoff.
- Brush the syrup onto the cakes with a pastry brush while they are still warm, then leave them to cool completely to room temperature before topping them.
- When the cakes are totally cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and water in a small bowl with a fork until smooth. Put the frosting in a piping bag.
- Scoop a spoonful of your favorite raspberry jam onto the top of the cakes. Trim the end off your piping bag and pipe a circle of icing around the scoop of jam.
- Serve!
Notes
Rum is the traditional choice for the syrup for these cakes, but a non-alcoholic version is easily made by substituting lemon juice.
What Should I Make Next?
Try these other Finnish seasonal delights:
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Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went in the comments! If you share on Instagram, please tag me at @sisuhomemaker. And I always love to hear from you- send questions, comments, concerns, etc to carol@sisuhomemaker.com!
I’ve been wanting to make these! Thank you for the recipe, I’m off to order the pan:)
That is so great! Hope they turn out beautifully!