Marmalade Runeberg Cakes for Mother’s Day
Recipe for a sticky chewy little cakes made with breadcrumbs and almonds. It comes from Finland and is easy to make. These Marmalade runeberg cakes are astonishingly light and very moreish. Perfect for parties and potlucks.
Tada! For my first recipe published on Tin and Thyme, I bring you some non chocolate baking. Runeberg cakes (Runebergin Tortut) are a Finnish celebratory cake that was supposedly invented by the wife of poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg for him to enjoy every morning for breakfast. How kind of Fredrika.
They’re made with an unusual mixture of breadcrumbs and ground almonds instead of flour. It’s a great way to use slightly stale bread. I tried something similar earlier in the year with this rye bread and blackcurrant cake and the results were truly impressive.
Marmalade Runeberg Cakes
When I was browsing through my borrowed copy of Scandinavian Baking by Trine Hahnemann, I noted her recipe for Runeberg cakes and thought they would make an ideal offering for Mother’s Day. My mother is game for anything and likes her cakes to have interest and texture.
For the first time ever this year, she made Seville orange sauce instead of marmalade which she was rather upset about. I am the lucky recipient of a couple of jars of this orange sauce. Well what better way to use it than on these cakes. I thought the sweet and bitter flavour of the marmalade would enhance them. How right I was.
The original recipe, tops the cakes with a spoonful of raspberry jam. I, by contrast, poured some marmalade sauce over the tops prior to baking. I also used freshly ground almonds as they give a better flavour. They also give a more interesting texture.
As I made thirty six mouth sized morsels, there were plenty for us as well as my mother.
The result exceeded all expectations. Crispy outsides make for a nice contrast with the soft and chewy interior. The freshly ground almonds, with their irregular texture gives them real character and lightness too. They had just enough marmalade to make them interesting but not enough to be overwhelming.
CT doesn’t like marmalade, but he really liked these Runeberg Cakes. He reckoned they would have inspired Johan’s muse.
Other Marmalade Cakes You Might Like
- Chocolate, cardamom & marmalade loaf
- Chocolate & marmalade cream cake
- Marmalade cake
- Matcha marmalade cakes
- Nonnettes
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Choclette x
Marmalade Runeberg Cakes. PIN IT.
Marmalade Runeberg Cakes
Ingredients
- 200 g unsalted butter
- 100 g light muscovado sugar
- 100 g golden caster sugar (I used cardamom sugar)
- 1 orange zested
- 1 tsp ground cardamom (I used Holy Lama cardamom oil)
- 2 large eggs (I used duck eggs)
- 150 g ground almonds (I grind my own)
- 150 g wholemeal breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100 g crème fraîche (I used homemade)
- 36 tsp marmalade the runnier the better
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugars together until pale and fluffy.200 g unsalted butter, 100 g light muscovado sugar, 100 g golden caster sugar
- Beat in the orange and cardamom.1 orange, 1 tsp ground cardamom
- Beat in the eggs, one by one.2 large eggs
- Add freshly ground almonds, breadcrumbs and sieve in the baking powder.150 g ground almonds, 150 g wholemeal breadcrumbs, 2 tsp baking powder
- Stir together with the crème fraîche until everything is just mixed.100 g crème fraîche
- Spoon into 36 mini muffin moulds (or in my case into 24, then waited for one batch to be cooked before repeating).
- Top with a teaspoon of runny marmalade, so it dribbles down the sides.36 tsp marmalade
- Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for twenty minutes or until risen and golden.
- Leave in the moulds to cool a little then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sending these marmalade runeberg cakes off to Jac at Tinned Tomatoes for Bookmarked Recipes.
These Finnish cakes also go to Treat Petite with CakeyBoi and the Baking Explorer as the theme this month is Mum.
These look so interesting I must try I love marmalade
The Bookmarked Recipes roundup is live, Thanks for joining in.
Thanks Jac, will be over to check it out as soon as I get a chance.
These look absoloutly delish!!!
Thanks Steph. I was really quite excited by these and will be making them again soon I suspect.
Love the new home! Thanks for entering these into Treat Petite Choclette – they are a new one on me!!
Thanks Stuart 🙂 These little cakes are really good and well worth a try.
what a fabulously frugal idea! We also have oodles of marmalade having slightly over done the preserving a few years ago. Please do add this to this month’s Credit Crunch Munch.
Ah good idea Helen, thanks for reminding me.
Fab little cakes that I am inordinately fond of too! Karen
They were new to me Karen, but I will be making them again for sure.
Thanks for entering them, they sounds delicious Choclette!
Thanks Jac 🙂
Love the new site and great recipe
“Thanks Jo 🙂
I love the light new look C. And I am sold on marmalade and cardamom in cakes too.
Thanks Bintu, glad you like it 🙂 I reckon cardamom and citrus were made for each other.
I’ve never heard of these before but they sound lovely with the mixture of ground almonds and the orange marmalade/sauce. Lovely combination of flavours.
Thanks Corina, they truly are rather delicious.
i’ve never had these but I want them!… I love the idea of orange and cardamom, sounds so gorgeous… and NO Chocolate! Woah! loving the new blog xx
Thank you Dashing Dom. The cakes are gorgeous and I’m so glad you like the site – it seemed like a big step to take.
Loving your new site and really look forward to reading your posts and recipes. Definitely going to give this one a try. The cakes look delicious and I’ve never tried anything from Finland before. x
Hmm, now you come to mention it Brigitte, I’m not sure I’ve ever tried anything from Finland before this either. So glad you like the site and thanks for commenting 🙂
Wow these are different I must check out baking with breadcrumbs. Congrats on your new space.
Thanks Nayna 🙂
What a lovely new site! I think it looks fantastic and I have always been curious what you eat apart from chocolate so look forward to reading it
Haha Joanna – let’s just hope I can find something other than chocolate 😉 Thanks for commenting and so glad you like the site.
I love Runeberg Cakes! I was introduced to them in Porvoo, Finland where JL Runeberg lived most of his life. I was given a recipe there and I managed to get round to baking and blogging them the other week. They are so different and tasty!
They are usually doused in a liquor syrup that makes them super moist, how amazing would these be with a cointreau syrup!
Ah yes, I think I saw them and commented Rachel. Couldn’t quite remember where they were, so now I know I’ll add your link to my post. I was amazed at how light and succulent they were – seriously good.
Ah yes! You’ve changed your name! Thank you so much for adding the link, lets share the Runeberg Torttu love 🙂 xx
I haven’t changed my name, but I have changed the name of my blog Rachel. Yay for the Runeberg!
Corr, they look cripsy on the edges too, delish! Congrats on your new home, it looks fab 🙂
Janie x
Thank you Janie, really appreciate hearing that you like it – and the cakes too 😉