LINZERTORTE, BEST EVER RECIPE!

Linzertorte

 I have been baking for what seems like my entire life. Having grown up with a mother and two Grandmothers that were always baking something delicious, it would have been impossible for me not to want to jump in and do the same. I can remember the first time I tried to bake a cake without my Mother's help. As you can imagine, it was a disaster. I was about 8 years and my playmate, Claudia and I were playing with one of those toy bake ovens. Salt was the key ingredient....we thought it was sugar. It was of course inedible. I have progressed since then and have been baking the desserts for our restaurant for 33 years. Yup, a long time. Certain things I can practically do blindfolded. One of those is this Linzertorte recipe. It is one of the desserts most requested. It is easy to make and delicious. A couple of years ago, two women came into the restaurant to eat and after, ordered dessert. Linzertorte. They ate it and then told my husband it was the best they had eaten since leaving their home in Austria!!!! That made me happy since my Grandfather was from Vienna and my Grandmother was from Cologne, Germany. This recipe however, is from a cookbook that I bought in the late 70's, called "The Vegetarian Epicure", by Anna Thomas. Love this recipe.  It is much more chewy , less "cake" like, if that makes sense. A real Torte ! Well here is the recipe, along with photos to help . Visuals are always important , especially for visual learners like me .

Tart pan

First thing you will need besides the ingredients, is a tart pan with a removable bottom! The recipe says an 8 inch springform pan , but I have always done this in an 11 inch  tart pan, that is about an inch high. Do whichever suits you. I think it is more tart like in the 11 inch pan and I have been doing it this way for 33 years.

Linzertorte

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 Tbs. grated orange rind 

1 tsp. grated lemon rind 

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking power

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup ground blanched almonds ,( filberts , walnuts or a combination can be used)  I put in a small cusinart and grind away. You can also use ground almond  meal, but I tend to use a bit less then 1 cup. 

1 cup tart fruit preserves ( plum, raspberry, I have been using blackberry ) 

preheat oven at 350 degrees 

Cream butter and sugar, add grated peel and egg yolks. beat well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Stir in nuts. mix well. Chill the dough. I do this when the weather is especially warm , otherwise I don't bother. This recipe says to butter the 8 inch springform pan . I have never bothered to do this since I have always used the tart pan. If you do choose to use the 8 inch springform pan , then you should probably butter it to be on the safe side.                                             

Take 2/3 of the dough and spread it in the bottom of the pan.  

Spread the jam on the top, leaving a one inch margin. 

with the remaining dough, roll out strips and place them diagonally across the top. I just pinch off bits and roll it on my floured stone counter. Keep going until you have gone across both directions. You can fill in the squares ( diamonds) with more preserves if you need to . Bake at 350-degrees until done, should be browned on top. 

One other thing I do before I put it in the oven is to sprinkle some sliced almonds on the top. This is totally optional. Cool and cut! 

1/3 of dough 

Spread dough

Spread Jam

Roll out strips and lay them diagonally across.

Sprinkle sliced almonds on top ( optional)

Baked and ready to eat!!!

A nice cup of coffee and a couple friends to help you eat it, is also a good idea.....