TN: Too much sugar

Some tidbits of Finnish culture!

We have a thing called Runebergintorttu (Runeberg’s torte) here in Finland. It’s a tall, cylindrical pastry that is typically flavored with almonds and arrack or rum and has a dollop of raspberry jam on top of it, encircled by sugar icing. This pastry is named after Finland’s national poet. Johan Ludvig Runeberg and they have been around here for close to two centuries now.

Normally they are eaten on Runeberg’s birthday (February 5th), but they start to appear in cafés, bakeries and grocery stores somewhere in January. Usually people have their own trusted place where they get their own tortes, but many Runebergintorttu-enthusiasts also try to taste as many different tortes as they can, since there is great variation with the recipes - in some pastries the dough is smooth and homogenous, in others there are lots of almond chunks; the pastry might not be flavored just with arrack, punsch or rum, but with bitter almond oil (to boost the almond flavor); the quality, sweetness and texture of the raspberry jam varies from one place to another; and so on.

So, this year a friend of mine decided to have a Runebergintorttu-tasting. He bought a bunch of tortes from eight different bakeries in Helsinki and invited people over to taste them comparatively. The only requirement was to bring a bottle of wine that would go well with the tortes.

Naturally the tasting devolved into a heated argument which tortes were the best and which were the worst - there didn’t seem to be any kind of consensus whatsoever on what constitutes a good Runebergingtorttu! For some unbelievable reason, the crowd favorite was a torte that (to me) didn’t taste like it was only flavored with bitter almond oil - it tasted like the whole torte was dipped in the stuff! While I’m not a person who finds bitter almond oil as repulsive (I actually like the aroma and the taste), I still found that particular torte just tasting one-dimensionally of just bitter almond oil.

However, I’m not a big fan of almonds, so I preferred tortes that had a smooth, homogeneous bundt cake texture - which made several people call me a heretic, since they thought a Runeberg’s torte should naturally have lots of almond chunks.


Two Runeberg’s tortes composed of eight quarters of different tortes.

So, all in all, a fun and - most of all - a very serious tasting. Also a rather taxing one, in the end - having eaten and drunk this much sugar over four or five hours, almost everybody started feeling quite unwell towards the end of the tasting. I guess too much sugar is just too much. Sometimes.

I probably still have the final results of the votes on the best tortes somewhere, but couldn’t find them now. However, here are my notes on the wines we had with the tortes:

  • NV Piollot Champagne Cuvée de Réserve Demi-sec - France, Champagne (5.2.2024)
    Typically a blend of Pinot Noir (2/3) and Chardonnay (1/3). 12% alcohol.

    Somewhat evolved lemon-yellow color. The nose feels sweetish and somewhat evolved with layered aromas of lemon marmalade, some almond paste tones, a little bit of ripe nectarine, light stony mineral notes, a leesy hint of yeast and a touch of mealy yellow apple. The wine feels fresh, somewhat evolved and medium-dry-ish on the palate with a medium body, a sparse, light mousse and flavors of ripe red apples and sweet citrus fruits, some nutty almond tones, a little bit of peachy stone fruit, evolved toffee nuances, a hint of leesy creaminess and a touch of stony minerality. The rather high acidity helps to keep the sweetness from the residual sugar down. The finish is rich, long and nuanced with a medium-dry to medium-sweet aftertaste of juicy red apple and ripe citrus fruits, some sweet almond paste tones, a little bit of peachy stone fruit, light stony mineral notes, a hint of leesy creaminess and a touch of toffee.

    I have no idea how old this bottle was, but it had some age on it - and it really helped to bridge the residual sugar sweetness with the nuanced, slightly evolved fruit flavors. Although the wine has some certain sense of sweetness, it doesn't feel that apparent - thanks to the bright acidity and a cool mineral undertone. I'd never confuse this wine for a Brut when tasting blind, but if someone would say it was Sec, I wouldn't have hard time believing it. A very solid, well-crafted non-dry Champagne with good sense of depth and nuance.
    (92 points)

  • 2020 Ainoa Winery Vaapukka - Finland, Päijänne Tavastia, Hollola (5.2.2024)
    A raspberry wine, made with crushing the fruit and macerating the berries in the must. Aged on the lees in stainless steel tanks for at least 4 months. Bottled after a filtration. 12,5% alcohol, 130 g/l residual sugar and 11 g/l acidity.

    Translucent, slightly evolved and moderately pale yet luminous reddish-orange color. The nose feels powerful, unctuous and somewhat cloying with a huge whack of raspberry juice, some strawberry jam, light candied marmaladey tones and a hint of cooked gooseberries. The wine feels rich, unctuous and noticeably sweet on the palate with intense flavors of raspberry juice, some strawberry jam notes, a little bit of apple sauce and candied hints of red-fruited marmalade. The acidity feels moderately high - maybe not high enough to keep the wine from coming across as somewhat cloying. The finish is rich, sweet and slightly cloying with a moderately long aftertaste of raspberry jam, some strawberry juice, a little bit of apple sauce and a hint of almost overripe blackberry.

    An impressively rich and heady dessert wine with a huge, concentrated raspberry taste. However, the wine feels a bit too sweet - the taste is both too rich and too one-dimensional to make the wine pair effortlessly with most desserts, and on its own, the wine is just too cloyingly sweet; it starts to taste quite tiring rather quickly. Even though the acidity is remarkably high from the technical point of view, it still doesn't feel high enough for this much sweetness and concentration. Maybe if the level of residual sugar was a tiny bit lower, the wine would come better together? All in all, this is a good wine, but maybe lacking a bit in balance. It feels slightly overpriced for the quality at 25,50€ for a 0,375-liter bottle.
    (86 points)

  • 2020 Château Tirecul La Gravière Monbazillac Sélection de Grains Nobles - France, Southwest France, Dordogne, Monbazillac (5.2.2024)
    A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, harvested with heavy botrytis influence. Fermented spontaneously, aged in old French oak barriques. 12,5% alcohol.

    Rather deep golden yellow color. The nose feels sweet, floral and attractive with rich aromas of lemon marmalade, some vanilla custard, light musky floral tones, a little bit of bitter almond oil and a hint of caramel. The wine feels sweet, oily and a bit sticky on the palate with a full body and rather luscious flavors of honey and vanilla custard, some sweet grapey fruit notes, a little bit of peach marmalade, light pineapple tones, a hint of floral spice and a touch of sweet oak spice. The medium acidity feels slightly inadequate to keep the sweetness at bay, making the wine feel a bit blowzy and heavy. The finish is rich, long and a bit sticky with a sweet aftertaste of honey and overripe pineapple, some peach jam, light sweet grapey tones, a little bit of apple jam, light caramel nuances and a hint of vanilla custard.

    A youthful, rich and very tasty Monbazillac made in a style that emphasizes sweetness and vibrant fruit over freshness and structure. The nose is especially wonderful, but the wine shows also great sense of vibrancy and nuance on the palate as well. However, due to the somewhat modest level of acidity, the overall feel is quite luscious and sticky, lacking in sense of energy and precision. Stylistically this is quite identical to a Sauternes, but maybe even a bit sweeter and more fruity than your typical Sauternais dessert wine. Enjoyable stuff, but I wish it had a bit more acidity. Maybe the wine might lose some of that youthful baby fat as it ages a bit more?
    (88 points)

  • 2002 Château Carsin Cadillac - France, Bordeaux, Entre-Deux-Mers, Cadillac (5.2.2024)
    100% Sémillon. Fermented and aged in old French oak barriques. 13% alcohol.

    Dark, moderately translucent syrupy-brown color with a golden-yellow rim. The nose feels aged and moderately tertiary with aromas of caramel, some evolved toasty notes, a little bit of burnt sugar, light fragrant notes of Seville orange zest and a hint of orange marmalade. The wine feels rich, sweet and viscous on the palate with a full body and tertiary, somewhat oxidative flavors of roasted nuts, some caramel, a little bit of bruised apple, light orange marmalade tones, hints of Seville orange zest and baking spices and a touch of burnt sugar bitterness. The moderately high acidity keeps the wine more or less in balance. The finish is rich, juicy and quite tertiary with a long aftertaste of bruised apples, some botrytized orange marmalade tones, a little bit of Seville orange rind, light raisiny notes of Sultanas, an oxidative hint of chopped and roasted nuts and a touch of burnt sugar bitterness.

    A sophisticated and very tertiary Cadillac that is maybe a bit too old for its own good but still manages to retain enough sense of balance and complexity to come across as fully enjoyable. I can imagine this has been more vibrant and energetic some years back and is now losing some of its freshness to the effects of oxidation. Still a lovely drop. High time to drink up.
    (89 points)

  • 1998 Château de Malle - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes (5.2.2024)
    A blend of Sémillion (69%), Sauvignon Blanc (28%) and Muscadelle (3%). Aged in French oak barrels (typically 1/3 new). 14,5% alcohol.

    Evolved, medium-deep coppery color with a deep golden-yellow rim. The nose feels quite evolved and nutty with aromas of caramel and burnt sugar, some bruised apple tones, a little bit of woody oak spice, light honeyed tones, a fragrant hint of saffron and a creamy touch of custard character. The wine feels sweet, spicy and moderately evolved on the palate with a full body and intense flavors caramel and roasted spices, some bruised apple tones, a little bit of saffron, light toasty notes of developed nuttiness, a hint of burnt sugar bitterness and a touch of beeswax. The moderately high acidity keeps the wine nicely in balance, lending it good sense of structure. The finish is long, rich and juicy with a sweet aftertaste of acacia honey and caramel, some saffron tones, a little bit of orange marmalade, light woody nuances, a hint of burnt sugar bitterness and a touch of cooked cream. The high alcohol lends a tiny bit of warmth to the aftertaste.

    The rather dark color was a bit worrisome at first, but this turned out to be a terrific, harmonious and quite enjoyably balanced Sauternes. Although the wine shows quite elevated ripeness and rather high alcohol for a 1990's Sauternes, the wine doesn't come across as too ripe or hot - there's a firm backbone of acidity and the rich fruit carries the alcohol surprisingly well, not letting the heat come to the fore. Although the wine probably will keep just fine for a good number years more, I feel that the wine might be on its plateau of maturity now and won't benefit from additional aging. Good stuff.
    (92 points)

  • 2012 Müller-Catoir Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Auslese - Germany, Pfalz (5.2.2024)
    10o% Rieslaner from Haardter Herzog, harvested very late. Fermentation halted at around 100-120 g/l RS. 10% alcohol.

    Medium-deep honey-yellow color. The nose feels fragrant and still remarkably youthful with aromas of honeyed ripeness, some sweet grapey fruit, light yuzu-driven citrus fruit notes, a little bit of lemon marmalade, a hint of freshly pressed apple juice and a touch of stony minerality. The wine feels sweet, focused and balanced on the palate with a medium body and intense flavors of yuzu and lemon marmalade, some honeyed tones, a little bit of sweet grapey fruit, light stony mineral notes, a hint of apple juice and a touch of Muscat-like floral character. The high acidity lends good sense of freshness and structure to the wine. The finish is sweet yet quite fresh and precise with a rather long aftertaste of lemon marmalade, some grapey tones, a little bit of apple juice, light stony mineral notes, a hint of yuzu and a perfumed touch of florals.

    A very nice, balanced and tasty Auslese that is still super youthful and energetic, not really showing any signs at all. The wine is maybe a bit linear, showing good intensity and nuance, but maybe not that much complexity - it is just the same things in the nose, in the taste and in the finish. However, seeing as the wine is still so youthful at almost dozen years of age, I can imagine it will develop some additional complexity as it ages. Good, enjoyable stuff with some upside.
    (90 points)

  • 2012 Esterházy Wein Schilfwein - Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee (5.2.2024)
    Made with 100% Muscat dried on straw mats. 10,5% alcohol.

    Pale, reddish tea color with an almost colorless rim. The nose feels fragrant and somewhat floral with aromas of dusty exotic spices, some peachy tones, a little bit of rosewater, light evolved notes of raisiny Sultana character, herby hints of dried dill and oregano and a touch of canned pineapple. The wine feels sweet, somewhat sticky and still pretty balanced on the palate with a full body and quite intense flavors of honeyed richness and raisiny notes of Sultanas, some canned pineapple character, a little bit of apricot jam, light evolved nuances of meaty umami, herby hints of dried dill and oregano and a touch of nuttiness. The moderately high acidity lends enough balance and freshness to the wine so that it stays pretty harmonious throughout. The finish is sweet, long and slightly sticky with a rather intense aftertaste of raisiny Sultanas, some floral Muscat notes, a little bit of dried oregano, light peach marmalade tones, a hint of acacia honey and a touch of dill.

    A balanced, enjoyable evolved and characterful dessert wine that combines a sweet Muscat dessert wine and a more evolved, somewhat more savory and herby white wine into one. The end result is quite peculiar, but in a good way - I can't think of a sweet Muscat that had this pronounced dill and oregano overtones! The wine isn't young anymore (unlike the 2012 Müller-Catoir Herzog Rieslaner Auslese, which we had at the same time), but the wine isn't in a decline in any way, either. Most likely this won't evolve any further from here nor is it going to fall apart anytime soon. A fun, somewhat idiosyncratic dessert wine. Drink or keep.
    (91 points)

  • 2002 Steindorfer Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese Burgenland - Austria, Burgenland (5.2.2024)
    100% Scheurebe, made with completely botrytized grapes. Fermented, macerated with the skins for some hours and aged for 12 months in stainless steel. 9% alcohol.

    Dark, very deep and even somewhat opaque syrupy-brown color. The nose feels concentrated and moderately evolved yet not that sweet with complex aromas of raisiny dark fruits and dried Bing cherries, some evolved notes of meat stew, a little bit of orange marmalade, light maple syrupy tones, a hint of overripe tangerine, a touch of apple jam and a whiff of autumnal leaves. The wine feels evolved, sweet and oily on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of dried dark fruits and blackcurrant jam, some blueberry marmalade tones, a little bit of raisiny dark fruit, light orange marmalade notes of botrytis, a hint of dried dates and a touch of apple jam. The modest acidity feels somewhat insufficient for such a sweet wine, making it feel rather ponderous and a bit cloying with its almost overbearing sweetness. The finish is rich, sweet and borderline cloying with a moderately long aftertaste of apple jam and raisiny dark fruits, some extracted bitter tones, a little bit of dried dates, light orange marmalade nuances, a savory hint of meatiness and a touch of blackcurrant jam.

    An impressively rich and concentrated TBA that shows great sense of developed complexity. However, as the wine is so sweet, it suffers quite badly from its modest acidity - or who knows, maybe the wine is high in acidity, but all the sweetness just overwhelms it completely? The overall feel is almost cloyingly sweet, oily in its viscosity and lacking all freshness and sense of structure. This is enjoyable for a sip or a few, but gets quite tiring rather quickly. Needs to be paired with something very sweet to tone down the wine's own sweetness.
    (87 points)

  • 1996 Parcé Frères Rivesaltes 14 Ans d'Élevage en Barrique - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Rivesaltes (5.2.2024)
    Bottled in October 2012, after having been aged for 14 years in a barrique. 18% alcohol.

    Luminous, deep burnished golden yellow color with an amber-orange core. The nose feels sweet, characterful and very attractive with complex and quite concentrated aromas of Sultana raisins, oxidative nuttiness and arrack, some dried dates, a little bit of caramel apple, light vanilla custard tones, sweet hints of rowanberry jam and orange marmalade, a touch of overripe strawberry and a lifted whiff of nail polish VA. The wine feels sweet, slightly viscous and still relatively airy on the palate with a full body and intense flavors of syrupy molasses and caramel apple, some nutty notes of chopped hazelnuts, a little bit of rowanberry jam, light orange marmalade nuances, hints of arrack and vanilla custard and a touch of Sultana raisins. The high alcohol lends some obvious heat to the palate while the medium-plus acidity manages to keep the wine more or less in balance with a subtle streak of freshness. The finish is long, complex and a bit hot with an intense, layered aftertaste of dried dates and Sultana raisins, some maple syrup, light orange marmalade tones, a little bit of nutty oxidation, hints of arrack and vanilla custard and a lifted touch of VA.

    A beautiful, delicious and wonderfully complex Rivesaltes that might not be that high in acidity, yet managing to come across as a very balanced and harmonious fortified wine. Somewhat similar to a Tawny Port, but maybe both a bit lighter in body and slightly more complex in taste than, say, a Colheita at similar age. The wine isn't going to improve with additional aging, but it isn't going to fall apart anytime soon, either. Drink or keep. At 18€ this has been a real bargain.
    (94 points)

  • NV Ramos Pinto Porto 10 Year Old Tawny Quinta de Ervamoira - Portugal, Douro, Porto (5.2.2024)
    A blend of oxidatively aged Port wines made with Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca from Quinta de Ervamoira, a 220-hectare quinta in Douro Superior. The different vintages are blended to create a wine that is in average a 10-year old blend. Bottled in 2022. 20% alcohol.

    Luminous, translucent and still surprisingly youthful cherry-red color with a slightly evolved pomegranate hue. The nose feels rich, sweet and quite red-toned with aromas of overripe strawberries, some wizened red plums and figs, a little bit of cherry marmalade, light reductive rubbery notes, an oxidative hint of meaty character and a touch of raspberry jam. The overall feel is still very fruity and more like a Ruby rather than a Tawny. The wine feels sweet, silky and slightly spirituous on the palate with a full body and lush flavors of cherry marmalade and overripe strawberry, some wizened plummy fruit, a little bit of dried dates and figs, light tart notes of cranberries, a hint of peppery spice and a boozy touch of aguardente. The wine is only medium in acidity, but there's a tiny bit of tannic grip to lend a hint of firmness to the mouthfeel. The finish is rich, sweet and quite red-toned with a long aftertaste of overripe strawberries and dried dates, some cherry marmalade tones, a little bit of red prune, light oxidative notes of meaty umami, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of cranberry juice. The wine ends on a rather hot and very slightly grippy note.

    For a 10-yo Tawny, this felt surprisingly red-toned and youthful in style, not really coming across as a Tawny at all - not in color, nor in taste. I was honestly a bit disappointed in the wine - I was expecting it to be a classic Tawny - sure, a 10-yo Tawny can still show some red-toned qualities - but this felt more like a simple Ruby Port (or a Ruby Reserve) that was just too old for its own good. If I want to drink a Ruby Port, I want it to be fresh and vibrant with those bold Douro fruit flavors; if I want to drink a Tawny, I want it to be complex, oxidative and nutty with layered flavors of caramel and dried fruits. This wine, on the other hand, managed to combine the worst of those two worlds - combining wizened red-fruit flavors and lack of energy with only slightly oxidative flavors that came across as more meaty than nutty. Nevertheless, the wine was still clean, quite intensively flavored and pretty tasty in its own right. Not really what I'd call my ideal 10 yo Tawny, but not a catastrophe, either. Just a very weird and atypically youthful expression of the style.
    (88 points)

  • NV Penfolds Father Grand Tawny - Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley (5.2.2024)
    A blend of mainly Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cabernet Sauvignon, but contains smaller amounts of many other varieties. The base wines are fortified and then aged in small old oak barrels, from which the final wine is blended. In the case of Father, the average age of the blend is 10 years. 18% alcohol. Lot L1237.

    Deep, luminous and fully translucent maple syrupy color with a reddish core. The nose doesn't feel that open or expressive, but very attractive nonetheless with nuanced, layered aromas of caramel and raspberry jam, some dried dates, a little bit of sweet raisiny fruit, light maple syrup tones, an oxidative hint of curry spice, a touch of wizened red plums and a faint, smoky whiff of charred meat. The wine feels sweet, silky and quite mouth-filling on the palate with a full body and quite intense flavors of dried dates and maple syrup, some caramel tones, a little bit of oxidative nuttiness, light pruney notes, a hint of vanilla custard and a touch of curry spice. The high alcohol lends some obvious heat to the palate and the medium acidity doesn't help much in the way of freshness, but the wine still manages to come across as thoroughly pleasant and balanced. The finish is long, somewhat warm and slightly sticky with a sweet, complex aftertaste of maple syrup, some oxidative nuttiness, a little bit of raisiny dark fruit, light notes of dried dates, a hint of raspberry jam and a touch of wizened apricot.

    A very sophisticated and harmonious Tawny. Although the wine could sport a bit more acidity, the overall feel is still very balanced and surprisingly serious - I'd say the wine shows a bit more richness and evolved complexity than your typical 10 yo Tawny Port, and I must say that even if this is a sort of generic 10 yo Tawny-style wine from a huge producer, I actually might prefer this over the "real stuff" (ie. Portuguese 10 yo Tawnies). This is a solid example of Australian Port-style wine and great value at 33€. I probably need to check the Grandfather version at some point!
    (92 points)

Posted from CellarTracker

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The perils of such a tasting is indeed the double hit of sugar, from the torte and from the dessert wines that match.

The raspberry wine a clever thing to try, given the raspberry jam topping, but yes other fruit wines are often one-dimensional, in the way that sweet (grape) wines aren’t. There are exceptions, but there is something about grapes!

A fascinating tasting! is the Runebergintorttu always bought from a bakery or do people make it at home?

Dare I say the notes are cloying? :wink:

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Yikes… I would’ve passed out for sure :smiling_face_with_tear:

2012 Esterházy Wein Schilfwein

I got type 2 diabetes just by reading this.

Wow! Who would have guessed? So you like it smooth like halva? And yes, you heretic.

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Even worse is the spread over time - no problem if one just eate the torte quickly with the wine, but instead of enjoying them little by little over 5 hours, one keeps the level of blood sugar at such a high level that one starts to feel unwell at some point. Or at least that would make most sense. We had exactly the same kind of thing with our 2010 Mosel Riesling tasting.

That Ainoa Winery is by far the best “winery” in Finland! Coincidentally, it is also not run by Finns, but by an American-Ecuadorian couple. I’m not a fan of fruit wines, but the people at Ainoa manage to make wonderfully serious and characterful fruit wines.

Normally I think that sweeter fruit wines are more successful than dry ones, but often these sweeter Ainoa wines can be a bit too sweet and one-dimensional, whereas they make quite impressive dry and off-dry fruit wines. Definitely worth checking out if one is interested in fruit wines - they might not offer any real challenge against actual serious wines, but among fruit wines they are easily some of the best I’ve tasted.

I think it was customary to make them yourself in the past - I remember my mum making them a few times when I was a kid. However, if you make them only once a year at most and need a special baking tray with these deep cylindrical holes, it makes it easier to just buy one or two from a bakery or a grocery store when the season is on (although you can also bake them in oven-safe coffee cups, but it might be hard to find one with a correct shape). To me, usually just one torttu a year is more than enough. I’m not even a big fan of them - they are pretty sweet!

If you want to try making them yourself, this seems to be a solid recipe: Traditional Runeberg's Torte | Recipe
(Although I’d skip the crushed almonds and use 1:1 ratio with water and spirit!)

And here we have a textbook example of how Finnish people approach to differences in Runebergintorttu preferences.

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de Malle was the first Sauternes I ever had. I believe it was the 1975. I used to buy it regularly but now it is hard to find in my market. While it never achieves the heights of other more famous Sauternes, I’ve always enjoyed it. Thanks for your tasting notes.

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I’m glad that you are talking about your preference for tortes and not wines

And then we wait untill these guys arrange a tasting pairing Ports and Mämmi. Looking forward on hearing the impressions of the fellow berserkers then :grin:

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Coincidentally, we are having a Port tasting tomorrow!

Unfortunately - and unsurprisingly - no mämmi is involved.

Otto, do you guys do Semla in Finland?

Well I really need to get a hold of a way to partisipate on one of these tastings as I really dig ports. And I get it why there is no Mämmi as it’s no where near easter. Looking forward to see the notes though

I suppose this is the same thing as fastlagsbulle (aka. laskiaispulla in Finnish)?

Yes we do. I like those more than Runeberg’s torte and since they are easier to make, I usually bake them once a year. With a sourdough starter, naturally!

But since I’m not an almond fan, I prefer the version filled with raspberry jam instead of the traditional one with almond paste.

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