Linzer Torte

the oldest cake in the world for which a dated recipe survives: a rich, spiced pastry of ground almonds, cinnamon, and clove, filled with raspberry jam and finished with the famous lattice, baked golden in the Austrian city of Linz

Origin: Linz, Austria

From the journey of Raspberry.

The Linzer torte takes its name from the Austrian city of Linz, and it carries a remarkable distinction: a written recipe for it survives in a Verona manuscript of 1653, which makes it a strong claimant to the title of the oldest cake in the world for which a dated recipe exists. It is not a cake in the light, airy sense but a rich, short, spiced pastry tart: the dough is made short and fragrant with ground almonds (or hazelnuts), cinnamon, clove, and lemon zest, pressed into a tin, filled with a thick layer of raspberry jam (redcurrant is the other classic filling further east), and finished with the strips of pastry laid in a lattice that is the cake's signature. Baked until deep golden, the pastry turns nutty and crumbling, its warm spice and toasted almond playing against the sharp, sweet fruit. The Linzer torte is a fixture of the Austrian and Central European coffee house and the Christmas table, and it keeps and even improves over several days as the jam softens into the pastry. Its almond-rich pastry is the very reason it belongs as much to the story of the almond as to that of the raspberry, the two ingredients equal partners in one of Europe's oldest recorded sweets.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 200 g plain flour
  • 150 g ground almonds
  • 150 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 120 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 lemon, zest finely grated
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch fine salt

Filling

  • 350 g good raspberry jam

To Finish

  • 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
  • 2 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar, to dust

Method

  1. Rub the cold butter into the flour, ground almonds, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, lemon zest, and salt until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg yolks and bring together to a soft dough. Shape into two discs (one slightly larger), wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Press the larger disc of dough evenly over the base and slightly up the sides of a 23 cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Spread the raspberry jam evenly over the base.
  3. Roll out the second disc between two sheets of baking paper and cut into strips about 1.5 cm wide. Lay them over the jam in a lattice, pressing the ends to the edge to seal. Brush the lattice with beaten egg and scatter with flaked almonds if using.
  4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown and the jam is bubbling. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
  5. Dust with icing sugar and cut into wedges. The torte is best left for a day before eating.

Notes

Ground hazelnuts may be used in place of, or alongside, the almonds for a nuttier, more rustic flavour; many Austrian versions use hazelnuts. Redcurrant jelly is the classic filling in parts of Central Europe and gives a sharper result; a thick, good-quality raspberry jam is the most common and, for many, the finest. Because the dough is so rich in nuts and butter, weigh the spices carefully: the cinnamon and clove should be warm and present but not overpowering. The torte travels and keeps well, which is one reason it became a favourite of the Christmas post.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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