Finnish spice bundt cake-Maustekakku

This is a Finnish-style spice bundt cake. It tastes like gingerbread cookies since it has a self-mixed gingerbread spice mix. The cake keeps for a week and is even better with time.

This is a very traditional spice cake in Finland. We love it fresh or frozen at home and to have a slice with a cup of coffee. This is also perfect to have in the freezer when some unexpected guests show up.

This maustekakku-spice cake has traditional spices. To make it easier for you, I made a mixed spice mix that you can use for this cake. You can use the same spice mix to make Scandinavian-style gingerbread cookies or just sprinkle some on drinks like coffee with whipped cream or hot chocolate.

Special about Scandinavian-style spice cakes is that they are not usually served with frosting. This spice cake is only topped with some powdered sugar on top. Of course, you can serve it with frosting to make it even more delicious.

Ingredients

• Breadcrumbs. These are used for the cake pan, but you can manage even without.
• All-purpose flour. Normal or even more fine ground wheat flour works for this cake.
• Sugar. Even brown sugar can be used. -it gives a more deep flavor.
• Baking soda. If you don't have it at home, replace it with double the amount of baking powder.
• Gingerbread spice mix-use a store-bought one or make your own to get this taste really Finnish. See here the recipe and details.
• Yogurt- Plain yogurt that is quite runny is what we normally use, or piimä-sour milk. You can replace the yogurt with sour cream, but add 1-2 tbs of water to it so you get the right consistency.
• Eggs
• Butter. Replace with margarine or oil.
• Vanilla extract. Vanilla powder works also. ( vaniljajauhe)

What spices are in the gingerbread spice mix?

• Cinnamon
• Ground dried ginger
• Dried cloves
• Nutmeg
• Cardamom

This mixture might be a bit different than an American gingerbread spice blend. This mix does not have any allspice, nor does it have anise or coriander. So, the taste is very different if you use a ready store-bought mix or make your own.

A Finnish store-bought spice mix can be used as it is, since it has just the right flavor. A pumpkin spice blend is the closest you can find in the US flavorwise to this taste.

Milk-free spice bundt cake

You can replace the butter with margarine and the yogurt with soy yogurt.

Instructions

1. Butter your pan and spread some breadcrumbs on it. I used a silicone form. This one was actually a bit too big for the batter amount. The batter is counted for about a 2-liter pan, meaning 8-9 cups in volume.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together; four, sugar, spices, and baking soda.

3. Mix the yogurt and eggs together. A hand whisk will do the job.

4. Add in melted butter and vanilla extract. Don't overheat your butter; microwave it so that it melts. For me, 45 seconds was a good time.

5. Mix in the dry ingredients and make it into an even batter that is quite loose.

6. Pour the batter evenly into your cake pan. Bake your cake at 350F (175C) for around 55 minutes. Try if it is ready with a toothpick. The lower rack is good for baking cakes in a regular oven. You can bake in a convection oven in the middle and lower the temperature just a bit.

Tips

• Don’t overmeasure the flour. This will create a dry and crumbly cake.
• Use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and yogurt. This ensures the cake bakes more evenly.
• Test with a toothpick. Even if the bake time is gone, test with a toothpick anyway. The bake time can vary depending on your oven and the cake pan. The center can look puffed, but it may need a few extra minutes to bake thoroughly.
• Best cake pan. I made mine in silicone form, but the best spice cakes are usually baked in old aluminum forms; they distribute the heat evenly on the cake.

When to serve

We Finns also call this spice cake kahvikakku-coffee cake since we enjoy it mainly with afternoon coffee. It is also served at different parties like funerals, weddings, and family gatherings.

You can even eat it as a snack. This cake is easy to take with you on a picnic since it does not make a mess, apart from the crumbles.

Storing

You can store this cake even at room temperature for some days. But keep it covered, so it does not get dry edges. You can also store it in the fridge in a ziplock bag; this way, you can store your cake for over a week.

The spice cake is also perfect for freezing. You can freeze it for up to 6 months in an airtight container or plastic bag/wrapper.

Other Finnish desserts

• Blueberry pie-mustikkapirakka
• Oven pancake-pannukakku
• Finnish bun dough-pulla
• Spoon cookies-lusikkaleivät
• Brita cake