Scandinavian Jam Cakes (or jam tarts) with video!

These raspberry jam cakes (a.k.a. jam tarts) wow! And there's a NUTELLA version too! They turned out to be one of the best cookie cups I ever made! Crumbly and sweet, it's like a filled shortbread baked in muffin tins.

The images and text were updated to serve you better. The recipe remains the same. Originally posted in June 2018.

I know they are called cakes, but that's the Scandinavian name in all the books I have. I say cookies (or jam tarts) because it really is a cookie dough (insert a 'what can I do' emoji here) pressed onto muffin cups to form little tarts.

So yes, the name has multiple options. Choose your own adventure.

So delicious, they are like the best vanilla sugar cookie filled with raspberry jam. You should try them immediately; not trying to be bossy here, but you really should. Really!

They race head-to-head with my favorite non-traditional shortbread ever, the Hungarian Shortbread. And that is saying a lot.

Why it works

• Easy to make: the dough is very simple as long as you have room t° butter. I make it with a spatula or wooden spoon, so you get the idea.
• Filling: they can be filled with almost any type of jam, paste, spread you like. There is a Nutella version further down. Just saying.
• Make-ahead: as with most cookie doughs, it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days or frozen for a month.
• No refrigeration: the dough needs no refrigeration. You pat it in the muffin cups directly. Fill it and into the oven it goes!

Simple steps 

1. Butter: have it at room t° and use a large bow (image above, left).
2. Flavorings: the lemon zest and vanilla are a perfect match for just about any filling you use (image above, right).
3. Dry ingredients: Add the flour, cornstarch, and rest of the ingredients and start mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will seem like a lot of flour but it's not.
4. Combine: aid yourself with the spatula and mix the ingredients, sort of 'scraping' the mixture towards you. You will see that it comes together with every movement (image below, left).
5. Fill pan: put a tablespoon of dough in each muffin cup and spread with your hands to form a cookie cup that fills only half the mold (image below, right).

Fillings & toppings

• Fillings:

Since they are Scandinavian, using raspberry jam (a premium one or homemade) is a no-brainer.

But, for the sake of research, we made a batch with Nutella. Ufff, they are fabulous! I tried them once with dulce de leche and they are amazing too.

I recommend jams that have an acid undertone like raspberries (image below, left), blackberries, apricots, sour cherries, plum. Besides that, use any spread you love. I think cookie butter would be a wonderful holiday filling.

• Toppings:

Sliced almonds (image below, right) are the default topping, as they add a great touch and provide a crunch when you bite unlike any other.

I once added chopped hazelnuts to the Nutella cakes and it works really well.

They make me think of adjectives like dainty, pretty, sophisticated and all those pink words I love when it comes to cookies, filled or otherwise.

Scandinavian baking is not something I know much about.

But I started buying a few books, all really good ones because I love their use of spices like cardamom and cinnamon, their yeasted sweet breads (remember the most wonderful Finnish pulla ever?) and all those stories about the meaning of fika and hygge. I'm totally crushing on this type of baking guys!

But, crushes aside, this recipe is amazing. And the fillings versatile as I mentioned before.

A look at the Nutella version (image below) of these mini cakes, which we are calling Nutella cookie cups, and you get the idea of just how many versions you can make with one dough.

Top tips 

• Dough: it comes together easily if you have the butter at room temperature. It doesn't include an egg. If for any reason the mixture is too crumbly, add a teaspoon of water to bind it together. I made it a few times and never needed it, but just in case.
• Make-ahead: make the dough ahead and have it ready in the fridge. If you freeze it remember to defrost it in the refrigerator rather than at room t°. You can also freeze the dough in the pan, already patted.
• Flavorings: the lemon zest and vanilla are perfect, but you might want to change the flavor of the dough depending on the filling. Maybe orange zest and blackberry jam? Or some ground cardamom?
• Almonds: In my opinion, there is nothing like sliced almonds for that thin crunch that is hard to achieve with any other nut or if they are chopped. So, I highly suggest them.
• Keeping: they keep very well at room t° for a day. You can freeze them already baked, well wrapped. Defrost at room t° uncovered and warm for a few minutes in a medium oven.
• Muffin pans: you can bake them directly in regular unbuttered muffin pans (jam version), use paper liners or use the ridged version (image below) which is what I used for the Nutella version.

You can leave them unadorned too, I guess. The layer of jam will solidify, and though they won't be like the pictures here, they will probably be great too, like a wonderful raspberry jam thumbprint cookie.

• Vanilla paste: I'm very partial to vanilla paste, which I think flavors better than regular liquid vanilla. And it has those little specks from the vanilla beans that I just love!

Either way, you need to make them!

Any way you fill them, they will end up sweet, crunchy but soft and prove to be a crowd-pleaser.

Take my word.

Other recipes you might like:
Pulla - Cardamom Sweet Bread
Strawberry Almond Danish Braid
Citrus Coconut Shortbread
Hungarian Shortbread
Old-fashioned Raisin Shortbread
Pistachio Butter Cookies

Let me know if you make this recipe! I’d love to hear what you think about it.
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Adapted from ScandiKitchen

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