Linzer torte
The Linzer torte is the famous tart of Linz, Austria, and is considered one of the oldest cake recipes in Europe. Its crust is made with almond flour, butter, cinnamon and cloves, so it's crumbly and fragrant like a cookie, filled with sweet-tart berry jam and topped with its signature crisscross lattice.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total time
- 2 hr 55 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Spiced almond dough
Berry jam filling
Glaze and decoration
Instructions
Step 1
Mix 200 g all-purpose flour, 150 g almond flour, 120 g sugar, 3 g ground cinnamon, 1 g ground cloves, 3 g grated lemon zest, 3 g baking powder and a pinch of salt, then add 200 g softened butter and 50 g eggs and mix into a dough. Almond flour has no gluten, so the dough is very soft and crumbly and only needs to be mixed just enough. The dough is ready when it comes together into a smooth mass that smells of cinnamon and feels slightly sticky.
Step 2
Divide the dough into two portions, about two-thirds and one-third, flatten them, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. Only chilled dough is firm enough to roll and cut into strips for the lattice. It's ready when it has firmed up like cold butter and no longer sticks to the wrap.
Step 3
Press the larger portion of dough into a 24 cm tart pan with a removable bottom, spreading it evenly over the base and pushing it about two centimeters up the sides. This dough is very soft, so pressing it in with your fingers is easier than rolling it out and lifting it into the pan. The base is right when it's an even half centimeter thick and the sides have no thin spots.
Step 4
Spread 300 g fruit jam, ideally raspberry or red currant, in an even layer over the base, leaving about one centimeter clear around the edge. Leaving a border keeps the jam from bubbling over and burning on the sides of the pan. The jam layer is right when it's flat, evenly thick and free of dough crumbs.
Step 5
Roll the remaining dough on parchment paper into a sheet about three millimeters thick, cut it into strips one centimeter wide and lay them in a crisscross pattern over the jam, then brush the strips with 20 g egg yolk and scatter 20 g sliced almonds around the edge. The lattice lets steam from the jam escape and creates the familiar diamond pattern. The top is right when the strips are evenly spaced and jam shows through in every diamond.
Step 6
Bake at 180°C for about 40 to 45 minutes, with the pan on the middle rack. The nut-and-butter crust needs moderate heat to bake through without darkening too quickly. It's done when the lattice strips are chestnut brown and the jam is bubbling gently in the diamonds.
Step 7
Let the torte cool in the pan for at least thirty minutes, then remove the ring and sift 10 g powdered sugar around the edge. The crust is very fragile while hot, and waiting for it to cool lets it come out of the pan intact. It's finished when the edge is firm, the jam has thickened and a frosty white layer of sugar covers the lattice strips.
Equipment
- Oven
- Tart pan
- Rolling pin
- Mixing bowl
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale
- Plastic wrap
- Pastry brush
- Parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- You can replace half of the almond flour with finely ground toasted hazelnuts for the deeper flavor of the Austrian way.
- Linzer torte tastes even better after a day or two, as the spices meld and the crust softens slightly from the moisture of the jam.
- If the strips are too soft to lift, put the whole sheet of dough on a tray in the freezer for about ten minutes.
Storage
Wrapped tightly in foil, the torte keeps well at room temperature for five days. You can also freeze it whole for up to two months and thaw it overnight in the fridge.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The lattice strips melt and lose their shape in the oven.
- The dough was too warm when you laid the strips. Chill the strips before placing them on the jam, and put the torte in the oven as soon as the lattice is done.
- The jam spills over and burns at the edge of the pan.
- The jam layer was too thick or spread right to the edge. Stick to the amount of jam in the recipe and leave a one-centimeter border of dough around the edge.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
