SPICED COFFEE CAKE

GRANDMA

Terttu

COUNTRY

Finland

ORIGIN

Hartola

INGREDIENTS

• 1 coffee cup melted butter/margarine
• 2 coffee cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 1 coffee cup cream
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2½ coffee cups wheat flour

HISTORY

The first Finnish cakes were coffee cakes, baked for festive occasions in 17th and 18th century mansions. At the time, raising ingredients such as baking soda and baking powder were unknown. People started baking more coffee cakes in the 1930s, as invitations to  coffee became more common. Such cakes traditionally accompany coffee on festive occasions, alongside buns, cookies and filled cakes. Coffee cakes are made of leavened sponge or shortcrust pastry. Usually, coffee cakes are baked in a ring-shaped baking tin. The result is an easily sliced cake which takes its distinctive flavour from spices.The range of coffee cakes is broad; their characteristic flavour comes from spices, cocoa or dried fruit. Spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cloves, bitter orange peel and cardamom are characteristic of the maustekakku coffee cake. In addition to butter, sugar, flour and eggs, it usually contains a little liquid: cream, milk or sour milk. Spiced coffee cake tastes similar to gingerbread, which spread to the Nordic countries from European monasteries in the Middle Ages.