The test group tasted nine runeberg tarts from the store.
In Iltalehti’s traditional runeberg cake test, the jury consisting of the delivery got to taste nine classic pastries found in the grocery stores in the center of Helsinki. Torts were bought on the test morning from S-market, Lidl and K-Supermarket.
Every Makuratian in IL’s test said that eating a runeberg tart is part of the traditions of the beginning of February. Among the testers was also a superfan who might eat his first runeberg tarts already at the turn of the year. He both bakes them himself and buys them from cafes and bakeries. This year’s surprise was a vegan runeberg cake at Cafe Saurahuone in Käpylä, Helsinki.
– It was immensely gratifying in its taste, which was not at all cloying or sugary, but melt-in-the-mouth wonderful. Its humidity was also excellent.
Iltalehti makuraad’s opinions were sharply divided for a few manufacturers, because their pastries tasted like citrus fruit or bitter almond oil, respectively.
Some thought that orange peel is suitable for a runeberg tart, while others thought that it has nothing to do with a traditional runeberg tart. Some were too alienated by the bitter almond taste, some liked it.
Jokioinen leivä’s runeberg tart was the winner, second was Perheleipurit Salonen and third was Kannisto’s bakery, which has the most expensive runeberg tarts in the test.
Instead, the winner, as well as Lidl’s Deluxe, were the cheapest runeberg tarts in the test.
Grades were given in school grades 4-10.
1. The bread of riversiders
Grade: 9
Price: €3.49
Comments:
– Weak jam. The smell is strong and attractive, but the taste is not as good.
– Very good. A balanced whole, where the mouthfeel, taste and moisture are just right. Could be less sweet.
– The dough is really moist, juicy, a bit raw dough-like. Really sweet.
– Bitter almond oil dominates too much. Soft and even texture.
– The wonderfully moist dough and the flavors are nicely balanced: just the right amount of sweet, and there is no need for special features or anything too much.
– The texture is soft, no hard almond pieces or anything else, it literally melts in your mouth. The jam is good, not too sweet. The appearance is pretty, light dough.
2. Family bakers Salonen
Grade: 9 –
Price: €4.49
Comments:
– It tastes just like dry cake. Too much cardamom. The jam was good.
– Lovely cardamom flavor. Soft, really juicy and moist. Perfect jam, tastes like raspberry. I don’t like bitter taste, so I liked this.
– This seemed to melt in the mouth. again good taste, just the right amount of moisture and a wonderful velvety mouthfeel.
– Strong cardamom, bad jam. Pretty nice though.
– The dough is nicely soft and suitably airy. The cardamom flavor is strong – it may be too much for some, but a lovely surprise for cardamom lovers.
– The whole works well, I could buy it.
3. Kannisto’s bakery
Grade: 8½
Price: €7.95
Comments:
– This was a good attempt. I liked the ground almonds. Unfortunately, it was a bit tasteless and the jam was tough.
– Christmas spices, fairly disintegrating composition, ground almonds in the dough.
– Good taste, but the tart would require a structural posture. Now it fell apart a little. Almond grits feel nice when chewing.
– Great jam, the tart base doesn’t do the talking. Good almonds.
– The cake reminds me of Christmas, which has dragged on too far into winter. In other words, the taste is too Christmassy and sweet.
– The tart’s jam and sugar glaze are too sweet. The dough lumpy and grainy, I didn’t like it.
4. Phaser
Grade: 8
Price: €5.55
Comments:
– Floury and tasted only of bitter almond oil. I did not like.
– A decent burst of almond flavor. Quite dry, jam and sugar coating saved.
– Pretty good. Again, the almond meal brought a good mouthfeel. A little too sweet. A bit impersonal.
– Nice real almond. Beautiful jam. Pleasant, but not great.
– This was the tart with the best taste of essence in the test, from the frosting to the dough. Industrial atmosphere and the dough is dry. However, the tasty sugar coating helped a little!
5. Lidl Deluxe
Grade: 8-
Price: €3.49
Comments:
– There’s apple in the jam, it’s not suitable, Hailu taste.
– This is also too dry. And the mouthfeel is not pleasant, it feels like there are coconut flakes in the cake (not the taste, but the feeling). Mediocre.
– A big plus from the jam heart. Even a little too humid. The dough doesn’t taste like anything. The jam is juicy. the sugar coating tastes good.
– The composition was really good and the jam inside the tart was nice. The coincidences tasted like oatmeal.
– Attractive on the outside: tall, beautifully symmetrical with decorations, pale, attractive-looking dough.
– In this tart, the jam and toppings are especially good: the jam has a nice mouthfeel, because it melts softly in the mouth. The sugar coating is especially delicious.
– The dough should be more airy, now it was too dense and a bit dense, maybe a pinch of cardamom would have saved this tart.
6. Elonen
The appearance of this tart suffered during transport. Mikko Huisko
Grade: 7
Price: €4.79
Comments:
– Not good at all.
– Great mouthfeel. Immediately pleasant in the mouth. Moisture distributed unevenly.
– Wonderful sugary dough. Spring moist composition with a cheerful taste, good jam and sugar coating.
– Tastes like lemon cake, down to jam. Haven’t even seen a runeberg tart. Good taste as a lemon cake.
– Unique taste and atmosphere. There is way too much lemon injected into this tart, it doesn’t appeal to me, because it reminds me of lemon-flavored muffins.
– The jam is nice and fresh and brightens up the taste world (or maybe works as a lemon’s friend).
7. Rust
Grade: 7-
Price: €4.79
Comments:
– Lots of citrus, which is not a good thing here. Dry and bad taste.
– Too dry, would require more moisture. The taste is also unspeakable.
– Dry cake-like, bitter taste, quite traditional.
– A good shop’s runeberg tart. There could have been more rum or bitter almond oil flavor.
– This tart is quite a beauty from the outside: symmetrical and tempting to grab. However, the taste is disappointing because it is lacking: the dough is tasteless and dense, downright floury.
– It leaves a nasty floury feeling in the mouth. Expectations are high, but the experience is boring.
8. Fairytale
Grade: 6½
Price: €5.09
Comments:
– A worthless entity. Where’s the raspberry in the jam?
– In an unpleasant way, it reminds me of store lemon muffins. A bad feeling is left on the palate.
– Pretty tasteless. Sugary, moist, but the texture is disintegrating. Jam saves the grade a bit.
– Gummy and strange taste. The jam didn’t really taste like anything.
– Compared to the previous ones, the dough has significantly more “crunch”. The almond flavor is strong – although a good and fresh tart as a whole.
– If you like almond and grainy dough, this is a good choice. I don’t care that much myself.
9. You
Grade: 6
Price: €4.29
Comments:
– Special. Some artificial sweetener tastes good. Runeberg tart doesn’t come to mind.
– Looks cute, but doesn’t taste like a runeberg tart. The bitter almond is missing, really sweet.
– Too sweet. Because of the small size, there is enough jam and icing sugar for each piece of wood.
– The pink frosting is cute. No bitter almond. Although the taste is ok, it doesn’t taste like a runeberg tart.
– This tart is quite a beauty from the outside: symmetrical and tempting to grab. However, the taste is disappointing because it is lacking: the dough is tasteless and lumpy, downright floury. It leaves a nasty floury feeling in the mouth
– High expectations, but the experience did not meet them.