Runeberg’s cakes
Recipe yields about 20 medium sized cakes depending on your muffin cup size.
2 eggs
3 dl (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar
2 dl (0. 85 cups) cream (or whole milk, we used half&half in the US)
200 g (a little less than 2 sticks of) butter
(Few drops of almond extract - only FEW!)
Dry mix:
1 dl (0.4 cups) almonds, finely chopped (or almond powder if you find it)
4 dl (1 2/3 cups) bread crumbs (out of which about fourth is gingerbread cookie crumbs or cinnamon-spice cookies crushed (LU Le Bastogne))
4 dl (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
Moistening
Water, sugar to taste, Amaretto or Brandy.
Decoration:
Raspberry jam
1 dl (0.4 cups) powdered sugar
1-2 tsp water (or lemon juice)
Muffin/cupcake paper cups
Pre-heat oven to 200 C (390 F)
Chop the almonds finely, if they aren't yet, melt the butter.
Mix eggs and sugar until light.
Mix all the dry ingredients together.
Mix butter and cream and the dry ingredients to the eggs-sugar mixture, taking turns in pouring in liquids and dry ingredients. Mix well with fork or some such. The batter should be fairly stiff.
Spoon the batter into paper cups you have arranged nicely on a cookie tray (no greasing needed). Do not overfill! Bake 15 minutes or until the cakes are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Make the frosting for the cakes. Mix powdered sugar and a teeny bit of water (add water drop by drop until the consistency is good - It can be fairly thick. Spoon the mixture into a clean plastic bag, cut out a corner and you have a method for adding the frosting easily.
Let cool, and moisten with sugar syrup (add amaretto/brandy according to taste).
Add an 'eye' of raspberry jam on top of each, and add a circle of the frosting around the jam.
Enjoy!
