You know the Linzer Cake, or the Linz cake? It takes its name from the Austrian city and defining it as a tart is definitely an understatement: one shortcrust enriched with almonds and hazelnuts welcomes one currant filling, in a fair compromise between sweetness and harsh notes, and a dense lattice as a decoration. What are you waiting for to try it at home?
Ingredients
To prepare the Linzer Torte you will need 300 g of currant jam, 250 g of flour, 150 g of sugar, 150 g of butter, 100 g of hazelnuts toasted and finely chopped, a glass of flaked almonds, two eggs, a teaspoon of baking powder, the seeds of a vanilla pod, the grated rind of half a lemon, a pinch of salt, cinnamon and cloves in powder as required.
How to prepare the Linzer Torte
First prepare one shortcrust with sifted flour, hazelnut flour, sugar, spices, a pinch of salt, lemon zest, baking powder, an egg and very cold butter. Mix the ingredients until the mixture is smooth, compact and homogeneous and let it rest for about an hour in the fridge.
After this time, divide the pastry. ¾ of the dough will be spread to a thickness of about 1.5 cm, the rest will be used for decoration. Line a hinged cake pan with a thickness of 22 cm covered with baking paper with the pastry and stuff it with jam, leveling it with the back of a spoon.
From the remaining quarter dough, roll out many rolls of dough, about the thickness of a pencil. Decorated the Linzer Torte forming a dense mesh with the rolls. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush it on the surface of the cake. Finish by sprinkling with the flaked almonds the Linzer Torte.
Bake in a preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes at 190 degrees. Eaten the next day it's even better.
History and variations
Apparently this recipe is the more ancient known in the world: the first Austrian testimony dates back to 1696, although it would seem that there is an even older version – from 1653 – in Verona. From mid-800 the Linzer Torte enjoys enormous success even in the United States, where, however, it is mostly sold in the size of a biscuit.
Some variants require the use of Raspberry Jam instead of currant. Others, however, provide a subtle one wafer wafer layer above the pastry, which acts as an insulator between the dough and the jam.
