My Lingonberry Jam Tart with Cardamom is an easy one bowl Scandinavian inspired shortbread crumble tart with a fabulous flavor combo. I sidetracked my diet for a second slice, and it was worth it!
this lingonberry jam tart is unexpected and fabulous
My shortbread crumble recipes are tried and true, I’ve been making them throughout the years here at the Great Island and I never seem to run out of inspiration to reinvent this amazing dessert. Today’s delicious rendition is made with tart lingonberry jam paired with the warmth and exoticism of cardamom. You will not be disappointed, readers.
The recipe is one bowl, easy, and very tasty. Definitely feel confident making it for family and friends, office mates, book club members, church socials…whenever and wherever you need to feed people. The unexpected flavor combo is a delight, and you WILL get compliments and requests for the recipe!
what you’ll need for this Scandi inspired lingonberry tart
This ingredient list is utterly pantry friendly, just keep a jar of jam handy for repeat performances all fall and winter long.
- lingonberry jam (more about that below)
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- cardamom ~ it’s the distinctive, warm aromatic flavor of cardamom that really sets this tart apart.
- vanilla extract
- salt
- flour
- oats ~ rolled oats give a nice texture to the crumble topping.
cardamom and lingonberry
If you haven’t cooked with cardamom before, this is a great excuse to start. Find it in the spice aisle in any supermarket; it comes in ground or whole form and is used in both sweet and savory recipes. You’ll need ground cardamom for this tart. Cardamom is popular in Middle Eastern and Scandinavian cooking, and has a softer, more nuanced flavor than cinnamon, which it’s often compared to. And don’t worry, you’ll use cardamom for lots of recipes from cookies and crumb cake to meatballs so that jar won’t go to waste.
what are lingonberries?
The lingonberry ~ aka partridgeberry, mountain cranberry or cowberry ~ is the fruit of an evergreen shrub native to the far north and Arctic tundra around the globe. The small berries are a beautiful vibrant red color. Lingonberries are particularly beloved in Nordic cuisine and the jam is traditionally served with Swedish meatballs, for example.
how do you pronounce lingonberries?
Ling-gun-berries
what do lingonberries taste like?
The berries are very tart, and remind me of cranberries and rhubarb in that regard. Because they’re so tart they need to be sweetened before eating. If you’ve been to Ikea you’ve probably had this jam with their famous meatballs.
where to find lingonberry jam
If you live in the northern US or Canada you can find it with the other jams and preserves in large supermarkets or gourmet shops. In other areas it’s more hit or miss, but you can always purchase it online, here. I suggest stocking up with a few jars, you’re going to fall in love with it.
lingonberry jam tart tips and faqs
Yes, just let it cool completely, and then wrap in foil, and then again in plastic. Try to consume it within 3 months.
Use a cranberry jam, or any other tart jam you love. Wild blueberry would be nice with the cardamom.
Yes, add sliced almonds to the topping in place of the oats, or finely chopped walnuts to the dough itself.
The simple answer would be cinnamon, but I highly recommend you buy some cardamom and try it, the flavor is so special.
Yes, that works fine.
No need to refrigerate, just leave out on the counter, loosely tented with foil. It will last for several days. Note: do not cover tightly with plastic wrap or the shortbread can get soft.
more shortbread
Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies
Cranberry Crumble Tart with Cranberry Whipped Cream
Rhubarb Shortbread Crumble Tart
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Lingonberry Jam Tart with Cardamom
Equipment
- 9 inch tart pan with removeable bottom
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp rolled oats. Use regular or quick cooking.
- 1 cup lingonberry jam
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and set a rack in the center positon.
- Cream the butter, sugar, cardamom, salt, and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can also do this by hand, but be sure to cream everything well.
- Gently blend in the flour.
- Mix just until the dough is a coarse crumbly texture, with no dry flour left.
- Take 2/3 of the dough and put it in the bottom of your tart pan.
- Press down with your fingers so it is flat and even. If the dough sticks, lightly flour your fingers. You can use the flat bottom of a measuuring cup to help tamp it down. Note: you are not looking to go up the sides of the tart pan, you are just making a flat bottom crust.
- Dollop your jam evenly over the dough. Then spread it out evenly.
- Using your fingers toss the remaining crumbled dough with the oats, just to combine.
- Crumble the topping over the jam, evenly. It's fine if some of the jam shows through.
- Bake for 35 minutes. If the top seems to be browning too much, cover loosely with foil towards the end of baking. When done the shortbread should still be pale with just a hint of golden color in spots.
- Cool the tart for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges with a knife (in case any jam has stuck) and remove the sides of the pan.
- You can slice while warm, but for sharper cuts, let cool before slicing. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if you like.
Notes
Nutrition
This was soo delicious! I’ve made it several times- with the lingonberry jam and also with raspberry jam when I couldn’t get the lingonberry jam at Publix. I’ve also had to make it in a non-tart pan and we just cut out pieces like brownies and it worked out great.
I’m giving this recipe a shot, it looks great. I’ve already made the shortbread but I’ve run into a slight problem. When I tried to make the crumble I noticed that the shortbread dough was fairly wet and not the consistency to crumble. I measured the flour by weight to 208grams. Should I add more flour to achieve the right texture and if so how much?
Remember you’re going to add the oats to the topping, so that dries it up a bit. If your dough is still wet it’s fine to add a bit more flour. Your ‘crumbles’ will be moist, just gather it with your fingers and drop in small clumps over the top of the tart.
Excited to try this – is the butter supposed to be softened first?
Yes, I’ll clarify that in the recipe.
This tart was a fabulous ending to our Christmas dinner – with whipped cream, of course! Mine leaked butter into my oven, so next time I will wrap the tart pan in foil, as it made quite a mess. Regardless, I would make this again. It’s easy, delicious, and different, as well as festive. Thanks for another great recipe!
I wanted to bake this for a friend who is Celiac since we actually had Ligonberry jam in our pantry. He can’t have gluten free flour so I substituted 2 c of oat flour and 1/2 c of almond meal for the flour and it came out great! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m thrilled the gluten free recipe worked so well, thanks Estelle.
I was intrigued by your Scandinavian recipes. I found dried lingonberries at Rotten Fruit Box so I will see if I can make the recipe dehydrating these.