Mustikkapiirakka
Finnish wild blueberry pie with a soft butter crust and sour-cream custard
In late July and August, Finns head into the forests with buckets and come home with purple fingers, and the first thing many make is mustikkapiirakka. Finnish wild blueberries (mustikka) are small and blue right through, far more intense than cultivated ones. This is the version from Savo and central Finland: a soft, cakey shortcrust pressed into a tin, a deep layer of berries and a just-set topping of sour cream, egg and sugar. It is eaten at summer cottages (mökki) with coffee, warm or cool, often with vanilla sauce. Frozen wild blueberries from the freezer aisle work all year. Chef's tip: toss the berries with potato starch before they go into the crust; it catches the juice so the slices hold together instead of running purple.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3 ½ oz unsalted buttersoft
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 7 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
For the filling
- 14 oz blueberrieswild if possible; frozen are fine, unthawed
- 1 tbsp potato starchor cornflour
For the topping
- ¾ cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugaror ½ tsp vanilla extract
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What you'll need
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Beat 3 ½ oz unsalted butter and 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in 1 egg.
Step 2: Mix 7 oz plain flour and 1 tsp baking powder and work them into the butter to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. No need to chill it.
Step 3: Press the dough into a 24–26 cm pie dish or springform tin with floured fingers, covering the base and pushing it about 3 cm up the sides in an even layer.
Step 4: Toss 14 oz blueberries with 1 tbsp potato starch and spread them over the crust.
Step 5: Whisk ¾ cup sour cream, 1 egg, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla sugar until smooth and pour over the berries.
Step 6: Bake on the lowest shelf for 30–35 minutes, until the crust edge is golden brown and the topping is set with only a slight wobble in the centre and purple juice bubbling at the edges. Taking it out too early is the common mistake: the base stays doughy under the berries.
35 minStep 7: Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting so the filling sets. Serve warm or at room temperature, with vanilla sauce or ice cream if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mustikkapiirakka take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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