Maustekakku - Finnish Spice Cake

Maustekakku, aka Finnish spice cake, is a traditional dessert that is particularly popular at Christmas time, but it's so good that you can and want to eat it all year round. It is characterised by its rich blend of spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and ginger, which give the cake a warm, aromatic flavour. The cake is particularly aromatic, tender and moist, thanks to the use of sour cream and applesauce. This cake is often served plain, but can also be dusted with icing sugar or coated with a glaze - perfect for cosy winter days or anyday when you crave for something sweet and comforting.

250 g Plain flour
50 g Ground walnuts
2 tsp Cocoa powder
2 tsp Baking soda
2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 tsp Ginger powder
1/2 tsp Cloves powder
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
A large pinch of nutmeg

3 Medium eggs, at room temperature
220 g Erythritol or white sugar
140 g Butter, melted and cooled
140 g Sour cream (or full fat Greek yoghurt)
140 g Applesauce
Zest of one orange
Powdered sugar to dust, optional
White chocolate to glaze, optional
Berries to serve, optional

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Butter and flour 6 mini bundt pans or one standard sized bundt pan. Shake off the extra flour.
Mix the flour, ground walnuts, baking soda and spices together in a bowl. Set aside.
Beat the eggs and erythritol or sugar in another bowl until frothy, then add the butter and sour cream or Greek yoghurt.
Mix half of the dry ingredients together with the applesauce and orange zest into the liquid mixture, then add the remaining dry ingredients and fold until you have a creamy batter.
Divide the batter into prepared bundt pans. Bake the cake in the middle of hot oven for 25-28 minutes if using small bundt pans, 45-50 minutes if using one pan.
Remove and let the cake cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out onto a platter. Dust with icing sugar or glaze with melted white chocolate and serve with berries.

11 comments:

Lola Martínez 8/12/25 13:29: Cómo deben oler esos pasteles, ummmm ... Preciosos y riquísimos.
eileeninmd 8/12/25 13:47: Hello Angie,
Your Spice cakes look tasty and pretty!
Take care, have a wonderful week ahead.
Tom 8/12/25 13:48: ...Angie, these are works of art!!!
My name is Erika. 8/12/25 14:07: This sounds delicious and I'm adding this to my holiday baking list. Thanks for sharing Angie.
Granny Sue 8/12/25 14:17: I am also adding this to my baking list. It sounds delicious!
DEZMOND 8/12/25 15:02: So pretty, love the molds that you used and cannot believe you have frisch berren in the middle of winter LOL
Kathylorraine 8/12/25 15:44: Recipe sounds delicious-beautiful cakes
Happy new week
Judee 8/12/25 16:17: What a beautiful looking cake especially the ones with the icing.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen 8/12/25 16:32: I’m somewhat familiar with Finnish cuisine, but these cakes are new to me - they look fantastic, Angie.
Pantherka 8/12/25 16:35: Well, that's a feast for the eyes, beautiful.
Federica Simoni 8/12/25 16:56: bellissime e golose!