Flavors · Porvoo

runebergintorttu

A small cylindrical cake made with almond and cookie crumbs, moistened with rum or punch and topped with a ring of icing with raspberry jam in the center. It is named after the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, who lived in Porvoo.

Traditional sweet from Porvoo, Uusimaa

Also known as: Runebergin torttu, Runebergstårta, runebergintortut

Updated November 2026

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runebergintorttu — Porvoo, Finland — runebergintorttu

runebergintorttu — Porvoo, Finland

The runebergintorttu is a small, tall, cylindrical cake. The batter includes flour, butter, sugar, eggs, almond and cookie crumbs or gingerbread crumbs, and its distinctive flavor comes from bitter almond. After baking, the cake is moistened with rum or punch (punssi, an arrack-based liqueur) and finished with a ring of white icing topped with a spoonful of raspberry jam in the center.

The pastry honors Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877), regarded as Finland’s national poet and the author of the country’s anthem lyrics. Runeberg wrote in Swedish and lived in Porvoo from 1837; his family home there is now a museum. The Finnish embassy relates, as a legend, that the creation is by his wife, Fredrika Runeberg, a writer and journalist, and that the poet ate the cake with punch for breakfast. The same source presents the pastry as a product of Fredrika’s household economy, reusing what was in the pantry. A cookbook of hers from the 1850s contains the recipe, which historians consider a variation of a sweet by the Porvoo confectioner Lars Astenius.

February 5, Runeberg’s birthday, is a flag day in Finland. Bakeries and markets across the country sell runebergintorttu from January up to that date. In Porvoo it’s different: some cafés in the town sell it year-round, especially near the old town and the poet’s house-museum.

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Where it comes from

Porvoo , Uusimaa
Porvoo is Runeberg’s city: the poet lived there from 1837, and some cafés sell the cake all year.

Ingredients

Wheat flour, butter, sugar, eggs, almond and cookie crumbs or gingerbread crumbs. Rum or punch to moisten. Sugar icing and raspberry jam on top.

How it is eaten

Whole, eaten with a dessert fork or by hand, served with coffee or tea.

When it is eaten

Runeberg’s Day, February 5, and the weeks preceding it, from January onward. In Porvoo, year-round.

Your questions

Questions about runebergintorttu

What is runebergintorttu?

A cylindrical almond and cookie-crumb cake, moistened with rum or punch, topped with a ring of icing and raspberry jam. It is named after the national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg.

When is runebergintorttu eaten in Finland?

From January until February 5, Runeberg’s birthday. In Porvoo, where the poet lived, some cafés sell it year-round.

Who invented runebergintorttu?

Tradition attributes the pastry to Fredrika Runeberg, the poet’s wife and a writer. A recipe of hers from the 1850s is cited as a variation on a sweet by Porvoo confectioner Lars Astenius.

What to see in Porvoo related to Runeberg?

The house where the Runeberg family lived, now a museum near the center. The visit pairs well with the old town and a runebergintorttu at one of the cafés.

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