{"id":21064,"date":"2020-01-24T11:15:44","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T10:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bake-street.com\/?p=21064"},"modified":"2026-04-08T12:26:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T10:26:58","slug":"torte-eszterhazy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bake-street.com\/en\/torte-eszterhazy\/","title":{"rendered":"Torte Eszterh\u00e1zy"},"content":{"rendered":"

I know I always tell you the same thing, and the next week I come back with another new cake, hahaha. Now seriously, I promise you I’ll do more than just cake. Just as long as there aren’t any irresistible beauties that get in my way. Or any crazy ideas of my own. Of course, you can imagine how I refuse to make a cake like today’s, for example. It’s just that no matter how many recipes I have prepared or programmed, it takes absolute priority even if I want to resist. And that’s what happened to me this week, I discovered a marvel of Austro-Hungarian pastry and I had to make it. Torte Eszterh\u00e1zy or Eszterh\u00e1zy Cake<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

But I’m sure many of you will understand me. There are things that no matter how much we want to ignore them or leave them for another time, without us wanting to, they make their way. And I won’t play hard to get either. Because these things brighten up the days and the life.<\/p>\n

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\"Eszterh\u00e1zy <\/picture><\/div>\n
Origin Tarta Eszterh\u00e1zy.<\/h5>\n

This cake, called “Eszterh\u00e1zy torta<\/em>” in Hungarian and “Esterh\u00e1zy-Torte<\/em>” in German, takes its name from Count P\u00e1l Antal Esterh\u00e1z<\/strong>y (1776-1866), a member of the Esterh\u00e1zy famil<\/strong>y and Foreign Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.<\/p>\n

Apparently, the pastry chef who created this cake made with hazelnuts and a unique and different exterior decoration. His intention was to please the diplomat and he succeeded.<\/p>\n

According to the original recipe, the batter of the cake layers is not made with yolks or flour. They are made with a meringue with ground hazelnuts<\/strong> (although we can also find many versions made with almonds), also known as Dacquois<\/strong>e<\/strong><\/em><\/a>. The layers of sponge cake, which are traditionally 5, must be very thin. Between each layer of cake, you will find a cream made from yolks and butter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The most characteristic feature of this cake is its top decoration<\/strong>. It is made with a layer of fondant glaze and melted chocolate<\/strong>, an ingredient that will serve to create the very characteristic pattern. Finally, the sides are decorated with sliced or chopped almonds and are usually accompanied by candied fruit.<\/p>\n

\"Eszterh\u00e1zy <\/picture><\/div>\n
Making Eszterh\u00e1zy Torta.<\/h5>\n

While the cake may seem complicated, it’s not. It does, however, require patience<\/strong> and following the steps perfectly so that the whole process goes well. I’ll tell you how I made it and the small changes I made.<\/p>\n

In my case, the meringue or dacquoise sponge cakes, I have made them with ground almonds and a little bit of cocoa powder<\/strong>. The reason why I decided to add the cocoa, very little so that the taste would not be perceived, was to make it possible to differentiate the layers when cutting. If you prefer, you can omit the cocoa powder. If you use ground roasted hazelnuts, you will manage to give a slight roasted or marbled shade to the sponge cakes.<\/p>\n

Instead of having 5 layers, I made the cake with 7 layers of sponge cake<\/strong>. I found the cake too low and I wanted to give it a little more height. Not much more, though. With the amount of ingredients that I leave you, you will get 9-10 thin sponge cakes.<\/p>\n

\"Eszterh\u00e1zy <\/picture><\/div>\n

The easiest way to make these sponge cakes is to pipe them with a piping bag and then smooth the batter with a spatula. This process requires a little patience, but it is certainly worth it.<\/p>\n

The cream is quite simple to make. A buttercream with egg yolk cream.<\/p>\n

When you are about to make the yolk cream, it is very important to add the hot boiling milk little by little and stirring it at the same time. Otherwise the yolks will curdle and we will find small lumps. In the recipe I give you some tips to solve it in case this happens to you.<\/p>\n

\"Eszterh\u00e1zy <\/picture><\/div>\n
The upper decoration.<\/h5>\n

The top of the cake consists of two layers: a very thin layer of apricot jam with rum<\/strong> and a second layer of fondant glaze and chocolate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Something that is important to know and that I have not found detailed anywhere… To get a perfect finish on the decoration we must work with the freshly made icing and the freshly melted dark chocolate<\/strong>, not tempered. Why? Because if we let the icing start to dry (which it will in a few minutes) and the chocolate loses temperature, after pipping the chocolate strands, they will start to harden very quickly.<\/p>\n

So when we try to create the pattern, what we’ll do instead is break up those threads of chocolate. If you are wondering why I know this is happening, it is because I suffered it in the first person. That’s a real bummer.<\/p>\n

\"Eszterh\u00e1zy <\/picture><\/div>\n

You will also notice that both the icing and the chocolate have a small amount of almond oil<\/strong>. This ingredient will help us achieve a smoother, silkier finish.<\/p>\n

Once we have made the top decoration, we must let it dry in the air for about 1 hour and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours. This way we can ensure that the cake is well impregnated with the flavours and acquires the right texture.<\/p>\n

Finally we only have to decorate the cake as we like it best. In my case I have chosen raspberries, strawberries, chocolate bowls and sabl\u00e9es cookies (in this post<\/strong><\/a> you can see how to make them). But you can simplify it if you want covering the sides with almonds and decorating with some fruit or nuts \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

To make the cake I followed the recipes from\u00a0Also the Crumb please<\/strong><\/a> &\u00a0Korena in the Kitchen<\/strong><\/a>. Thank you so much!<\/p>\n