Estonia 100 jubilee cake (recipe in English)

For ten years now, Nami-Nami has hosted a cake contest in February to mark the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, founded on 24 February 1918. We've had hundreds of wonderful entries during the first nine years.

This year the event took place a bit earlier, and on a somewhat grander scale. Nami-Nami retseptikogu teamed up with the Estonia 100 and the Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia, to look for that special jubilee cake that could decorate all the festive tables in Estonia, as well as be served as the official dessert at the reception of the President Kersti Kaljulaid to be held in Tartu on 24 February 2018. 

The search for the cake was launched in mid-November (see the TV clip here). We had 66 entries and the jury, headed by chef Taigo Lepik from of the Office of the President, chose 10 of them based on the recipes for the semi-finals, so to say. The taste jury met just before Christmas and after delightful tasting and careful discussion picked three cakes for the finals. 

The winning cake was chosen by the people on the Freedom Square on the New Year's Eve, where over hundred people tried all three cakes and the event was broadcast on the ERR, the national broadcaster. 

Marju Männik, who works as the pastry chef at Rukis, won the contest with her cloudberry and cottage cheese cake. 

Here's the recipe for you to try. Note that no baking is necessary. Note that I've offered the version that uses ready-made cloudberry jam, as it's probably rather difficult to find fresh or frozen cloudberries where you are based. 

Base:

50 g Digestive cookies
50 g unsalted butter, melted
50 g peanut butter or hazelnut paste
50 g Estonian rye bread crumbs
50 g dark chocolate, melted
30 g caster sugar

Cloudberry layer:

400 g cloudberry jam (I like Küllus, but IKEA jam will do)
4 gelatine sheets
30 g water (2 Tbsp)
20 g Estonian caraway liqueur "Kristallkümmel"

Cottage cheese layer:

4 gelatine sheets
120 g milk, heated
200 g white chocolate, chopped
150 g cottage cheese
200 g whipping cream
20 g Estonian caraway liqueur "Kristallkümmel"

Decoration:

reindeer moss, caramelised (optional)
fresh or frozen whole cloudberries
caramelised dark rye bread crumbs

Make the cake:

If you are using the reindeer lichen decoration, then heat 100 g of caster sugar and 100 g of water until dissolved and lightly caramelised (add a dash of citric acid, if you prefer some lemony flavour). Dip the lichen into the syrup, then leave to dry overnight.

For the base melt the chocolate, combine with melted butter, peanut butter, biscuit crumbs, rye bread crumbs and sugar. Stir until combined, then press onto the base of a 20 cm springform tin. Put into the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

For the cloudberry layer first soften the gelatine in cold water for about 5 minutes, then squeeze until dry. Heat the cloudberry jam in a small saucepan, add the 2 Tbsp of water and the softened gelatine leaves. Stir until combined, then stir in the caraway liqueur and spread over the cooled chocolate and rye bread base. Return into the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

For the white layer  chop the chocolate into small pieces and place into a heat-proof bowl. Soften the gelatine leaves in a cold water for about 5 minutes, then squeeze until dry. Heat the milk until almost boiling (do not boil!), then add the softened gelatine and stir until combined. Pour over the finely chopped white chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. 

Stir in the cottage cheese, then fold in the whipped cream that has been whipped to the stage where soft peaks form. Finally, add the caraway liqueur. Pour gently over the cloudberry layer, then let settle in the fridge overnight. 

Before serving decorate the cake with cloudberries, caramelised rye bread crumbs and reindeer lichen dipped into syrup.

Notes:

• Kristallkümmel is an Estonian caraway liqueur that dates back to 1870 and that was very popular in Estonia during the first half of the last century. It's alcohol content is 45%, so it's quite strong and being a caraway liqueur, it's obviously an acquired taste. However, it's lovely with cloudberries!   

Where to get the cake?

• You can head to the Café Rukis in Tallinn Old Town and order a slice or a whole cake. It's been a real hit with the customers!
• In February you can order the cake also at Ammende Villa in Pärnu. Read more here.
• Pagaripoisid have created a more affordable version of the cake. Read more here. This cake should be available in most large supermarkets across Estonia. 

See also:

• Watch the ERR video about making the Estonia 100 jubilee cake

Photos: Lauri Laan/Nami-Nami retseptikogu, Kairit Leibold/ERR