Runebergin torttu

Shell I be 100% honest with you? Shell I? I NEVER ate Runebergin torttu in Finland :D. Never.
I just didn't like the icing ring on top, besides, I never bought factory made cakes or torts (except the frozen goodies to bake them home..)
And I guess I just missed the detail that Runeberg ate them accompanied with punsch, not to mention they are soaked in punsch ahahahahaaaa, you see, they immediately started to look sooo much more attractive :D.

Now, far away from home, hehe, I thought I should definitely make some Runeberg's tort for Sunday to celebrate Runeberg's päivä coming on 5th February.
Just need not to forget to buy some ingredients for a punch. I might even skip the torts (which have to be 100% alcohol free, *sigh*), leave them to the family, and stick to the punch.. This is why I love cooking/baking: is full of possibilities ;).

The cake is better if has some time to mature together with the rum/punch, and the jam has time to develop "skin".
The recipe comes from Kinuskikissa.

Ingredients (12-16 pieces, depends on your muffin form size)
Batter
100 g piparkakku groats (gingerbread groats if no piparkakku available)
IF you used gingerbread groats, like I did, add to the batter 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 flat tsp minced cloves
2 1/2 dl almond flour (100 g)
300 ml whole wheat flour (180 g)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder (original recipe says 2 tsp, but I felt the taste in the cake, so I reduced the amount a little for you)
1 tsp minced cardamom seeds
1 tsp vanilla sugar
250 gr butter
300 ml sugar
4 eggs
2 dl cream, or half-half, can be replaced with 2 dl orange zest, 1.5 dl lemon zest, 2 dl apple juice or half punsch-half some juice
couple of almond essence drops (optional)

For soaking (optional)
1 dl water
1 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp punsch, rum, or almond liqueur
OR 2 tbsp lemon/orange zest (non-alcoholic version)

Top
raspberry jam
icing: 1.5 dl icing sugar, 2 tsp lemon zest,  2 tbsp water (you can add a bit, like 1/4 tsp, of corn starch to dry faster..)

Grind the piparkakku (gingerbread) in a fine groats.
Mix the piparkakku groats, whole wheat flour, baking powder, almond flour, vanilla sugar, and cardamom seeds (as well as the cloves and cinnamon).
Whisk the butter with the sugar until spumy, add the eggs one by one, mixing continuously, add the cream (or lemon/orange zest) and mix in the flour mix. I made it with both orange zest and half/half, and I liked more the one with orange zest.
Preheat the oven at 200 g (400 F).
Scoop the batter in silicon muffin forms, and bake them for 20-25 min.
Let them cool for ~10 min, remove them from the forms.
Cut the raised top of the muffins to make it even as it's going to be the bottom of the torts.
Meanwhile prepare the soaking mix from water, sugar, and  almond liqueur (or lemon zest) or punch.
Warm up the water, add the sugar until well dissolved. Let it cool. Add the liqueur.

Dip the top of the torts in the liqueur mix, keep them for ~5 seconds, turn them with bottom down on plates. (If you want dip the bottom as well, I thought the top is enough for me, it will moist the bottom as well anyway.)
Scoop a tiny bit out of the middle of the top, (to make more space for the raspberry jam, but is optional, you can just scoop some jam on top) and start decorating.
Scoop ~1/2 tsp raspberry jam in the middle hole.
Mix the lemon zest with the icing sugar until is firm enough like a typical icing. Use a pipping bag with a small hole in the corner and make small rings around the raspberry jam.
Enjoy further soaked with punch, this time directly from a mug :D.

PS.
If you choose to bake a whole tort, (like I did with half of the batter), bake it at 350 F (175 C) for ~60 min, poking it occasionally with a toothpick. It should fill a 26 cm round baking form.
And of course I couldn't help, I eat some, even without alcohol.. They are actually pretty good, I will make some more for the Saturday's Finnish school as well. This time I'm gonna try with apple juice and lemon zest :).