Linzer Torte

Strips of dough worked with nuts are laid across the top in a lattice, and red jam peeks through the gaps. Unlike sponge tortes layered with cream, the Austrian Linzer Torte is a pastry in which the dough and the fruit are baked together. Tart jam sits on a crumbly, spiced dough, and the texture in the mouth differs between a freshly baked torte and one left for a few days, once the dough and jam have melded. The name comes from Linz, a city on the banks of the Danube.

Kneaded and Rolled Dough, and Piped Dough

Linzer dough comes in two forms: a kneaded dough that is gathered together and rolled out, and a soft dough made by mixing softened butter as if whipping it and adding eggs a little at a time. With the kneaded dough, the dough left over from the base is shaped into strands and laid on top; with the soft dough, the lattice is piped from a nozzle. The lattice patterns look similar, but whether the strands are laid on or piped depends on how firm the dough is. Some recipes (the proportions of ingredients and the method of making) also place a thin sheet of edible wafer paper (oblate) between the soft base and the jam.

The doughs are sometimes distinguished as “brown” and “white,” but the proportions of ingredients vary even when the name is the same. In a 2007 overview in bmi aktuell, a specialist publication on baking, the brown is a kneaded Linzer dough and the white is a beaten Linzer Masse, and both contain finely ground almonds or hazelnuts. Even doughs called by the same color name differ in how nuts and eggs are used and in how they are mixed.

A flour that does not readily develop stickiness is used, and the dough is brought together without prolonged kneading. The kneaded dough is chilled for about 30 minutes to 1 hour before it is rolled out, while the beaten dough is assembled quickly without resting. Resting the dough at this point is a step before shaping. Its purpose differs from that of the step in which the baked torte is left to stand so that the dough and jam meld.

Combinations of Nuts and Fruit

Almonds appear in old recipes, and hazelnuts later came into wide use as well. Lemon zest, cinnamon and cloves are added, and the use of eggs also varies widely, from no eggs to whole eggs, egg yolks or boiled egg yolks. Jindrak in Linz pairs roasted hazelnuts with redcurrants. Redcurrants are a different fruit from raspberries, and their strong tartness suits the fat-rich dough well. Böckeler in southwestern Germany also has a version that layers currants and raspberries.

The jam remains visible through the gaps in the lattice covering the surface even after baking. When the torte is cut, you can see the fruit jam sandwiched between the nut base and the strands of dough.

During the First World War, there were also recipes for a “wartime Linzer Torte” that replaced the nuts with toasted oats or boiled potatoes. In times when ingredients were scarce, bakers kept the look of the lattice and fruit while swapping out the main ingredients of the dough.

Some versions also pair the spices with tea. In an example by Yuko Kumagai, finely crushed Earl Grey tea leaves are combined with cinnamon and lemon zest, and the torte is filled with raspberry jam. It keeps the form of a nut dough and fruit covered with a lattice while adding the aroma of tea.

Some versions also mix cake crumbs into the dough. Cake crumbs are baked cake broken into fine pieces. In a student diary from a correspondence course published by Tsuji Culinary Institute, flour is combined with chocolate cake crumbs, spices and chopped walnuts. The soft dough is spread out as the base, and the lattice on top is piped from the same dough. This student made up for a shortage of the stored chocolate cake by using crumbs from an ordinary sponge cake.

From Four Recipes in 1653 to a Specialty of Linz

A 1653 cookbook by Countess Anna Margarita Sagramosa already records four recipes bearing the name of Linz. It was in 2005 that Waltraud Faißner, a librarian and food-culture researcher, identified this manuscript, which has been preserved at Admont Abbey. Related almond pastries appear in even older records, but this manuscript is the oldest known record of a recipe bearing the name of Linz.

In Conrad Hagger’s cookbook of 1718, the lattice appearance was even depicted in a copperplate engraving. In 1842, the travel writer Johann Georg Kohl asked the cook at an inn in Linz how the torte was made. In the 19th century, the confectioner Johann Konrad Vogel expanded its production and sale, and tortes were also shipped to distant places. A pastry that had been baked from recipes handed down in households also became a Linz specialty that travelers bought and took home or had sent.

Linzer Torte is baked not only by shops in Linz but also by artisans in Germany and elsewhere. A name that refers to a city has also become a general name for a type of pastry. Both the products handed down at particular shops and the Linzer Tortes made in various places carry the same city name, yet they differ in the proportions of ingredients and in the fruit used.

Letting the Dough and Jam Meld After Baking

Linzer Torte with jam baked into it is packed in tins and boxes as a souvenir, and it is also given as a gift at Christmas, at Easter and when visiting someone. Waiting 1–2 days after baking so that the jam melds with the dough is a method that also appears in REWE’s recipe. The nut dough and the jam, whose individual flavors and textures stand out when the torte is freshly baked, come together as time passes.

The number of days for letting the dough meld is separate from a product’s best-before date. Jindrak’s boxed product is described as keeping for 60 days when stored in a cool, dry place and not refrigerated. By contrast, Ginza Habsburg’s product made with raspberry jam has a best-before date of the day of sale. Even when the name Linzer Torte is the same, the storage method and best-before date given for each shop’s product should be checked and followed.

Pastries Cut into Slices and Window Cookies

Besides the large round tortes, there are also Linzer Schnitten, which are baked in a rectangle and cut. In Linzer Augen, two small cookies sandwich jam, and a window cut in the top cookie shows the fruit. These small pastries, whose name means “eyes of Linz,” are also characterized by jam showing between layers of dough.

Glossary

Parade'sLinzer Torte

The Linzer Torte is a traditional confection fragrant with spices, made by Cafe & Sweets Parade Kyoto, a Western-style pastry shop in Fushimi-Momoyama, Kyoto.

It is said to have originated in the Linz region of Austria (an area known for growing raspberries) and is one of the oldest tarts among the tortes that exist today. It is a sweet made by lining a tart pan with spiced dough, topping it with red berry jam and baking it. The cinnamon-scented tart crust, with a crunchy texture somewhere between butter cake and cookie, the fragrant, moist almond-nut layer and the sweet-tart flavor of our homemade framboise (raspberry) jam go together very well. Roasted sliced almonds are also included for an enjoyable texture, and because it is covered with lattice-patterned dough, it is a beautiful tart to look at as well. It goes well with coffee or tea, of course, and we also recommend pairing it with a Bordeaux-style red wine or a sweet sherry.

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