Esterházy torte
This cake was first prepared in Budapest in the 19th century to honour Prince Paul III Anton Esterházy de Galántha. It is one of the most classic dessert heritages of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and there are certain rules to abide by when baking an Esterházy torte: 4-5 layers of meringue, a cooked buttercream filling, and a feathered design on the top represent the trademarks of this elegant dessert. Today, many versions exist and the cake can be prepared using either walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. In addition, the buttercream may be flavoured with cognac, brandy or rum. Originally, the glaze on the top consists of poured fondant, however as this method requires a high level of technical skills many bakers use melted white and dark chocolate or sugar icing instead.
Cake size: ⌀ 22 cm
Serves: 16
Ingredients
For 5 meringue layers:
10 egg whites
230 g sugar
230 g ground walnuts
40 g flour
pinch of cinnamon
For the buttercream:
400 ml milk
50 ml cognac or brandy
180 g butter, softened
150 g sugar
45 g corn starch
4 egg yolks
For the glaze:
70 g icing sugar
15 g egg whites (about 1/2)
30 g dark chocolate, melted
apricot jam
Decoration:
200 ml heavy cream
walnuts, coarsely ground
walnuts, halved
Instructions
Baking the meringues:
Start by mixing all the dry ingredients. It is highly recommended to use a stand mixer for the next step. Whisk the egg whites until frothy on low-medium speed and start adding the sugar gradually. Switch to medium-high speed, and whisk the egg whites until you have reached a stiff meringue consistency. Gently fold in the dry ingredients with a cream spatula. Draw 23 cm diameter circles on 5 pieces of parchment paper. Divide and spread the whipped meringue evenly on the 5 sheets of parchment. In a preheated oven, bake the meringues at 180 C (165 C for fan oven) for approximately 10 minutes. If you have a fan oven, it is recommended to bake multiple meringues simultaneously. While the meringues are still warm, use a 22 cm cake ring to cut out perfectly round circles, and peel off the parchment paper. Let the meringue layers cool completely before assembling the cake.
Making the buttercream:
Whisk together the egg yolks with the sugar, corn starch and a bit of milk until there are no lumps. Start heating the remaining milk on medium-low heat. Once boiling, add the egg mixture and stir continuously until the cream has thickened and resembles pudding. Finally, mix in the cognac. Cover with foil and let this mixture cool down to room temperature before moving onto the next step. Whisk the softened butter until fluffy and add the pudding-like cream until it is all combined.
Filling and assembling:
Set aside a small amount of the cream for covering the side of the cake. Divide the remaining cream into 4 equal parts and fill the cake by sandwiching the meringues with cream. Remember to flip the top meringue upside down so that the top of the cake is nice and even. Cover the side of the cake with the leftover buttercream. Wrap in foil and place a cake ring tightly around the assembled cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or let it the cake sit in the fridge overnight.
Glaze:
Spread a thin layer of apricot jam evenly on the top of the cake - this will serve as a barrier between the meringue and the glaze. Melt the dark chocolate and pour it into a piping bag. Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl and add the egg white. Whisk for 3-4 minutes until you get a thick, white glaze. Pour onto the cake and even out. While the white glaze is still wet, pipe the melted dark chocolate in a spiral using circular motions and use a toothpick to achieve a feathering effect. Place in the fridge for 30 min.
Decoration:
Cover the side of the cake with coarsely ground walnuts. Whip the heavy cream and decorate the cake by piping with a star-shaped piping nozzle. Place walnut halves on the piped cream and voilá! Cake done! Refrigerate until served, slice with a knife dipped in hot water.
Nutrition
Per serving: 444 kcal
C: 41.5 g
F: 28.8 g
P: 7.5 g
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