Celebrating Modern Jewish Living Through Food, Tradition, and Family
Linzer Torte
Linzer Torte is a showstopper of a dessert for good reason. It’s buttery, full of raspberries, melts in your mouth, and is tart and sweet at the same time.
The Backstory: This beautiful Austrian dessert, Linzer Torte, has been been a staple in Jewish bakeries, delicatessens, restaurants and diners for so long, it is often mistaken as a Jewish dessert. However, the crumbly, sweet, and nutty Linzer Torte is actually a classic holiday treat served at Christmas time in Austria, Hungary, Switzerland and Germany. More of the Backstory after the recipe…
Linzer Torte
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 cup unsweetened butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
- 1 cup ground, unblanched almonds
- 1-2 cups raspberry preserves
Instructions
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In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, and salt, two times. Do not skip this step.
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In a standing mixer or with electric handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy on medium speed. Slowly add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well after adding each egg. Add the lemon zest and combine.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add the flour mixture and ground almonds and beat until well blended. Keep mixer on low speed and beat for 5 minutes. If the dough is too soft afterward, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it for 10 minutes. If not, proceed to next step.
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Divide dough into two pieces. Wrap one piece in plastic wrap and place in fridge. Take the second piece of dough and roll it out between two sheets of wax paper until it is approximately 1/8 inch thick. Press into a pie or tart pan, making sure dough goes up the sides of the pan.
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Spread a generous layer of preserves on top of the rolled out crust. Take second piece of dough from the fridge and roll it out to cut 1-1 1/2 inch strips to make the lattice tops. Overlap the strips as you go, trimming the overhanging pieces.
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Bake for one hour. Before serving, add extra preserves to fill in any spaces in the lattice that need more preserves and dust with Confectioner's sugar.
…The Backstory continues: The torte also has another version: those delicious cookies (my Aunt Alice’s are the best, ever) that are as gorgeous to look at as they are scrumptious to devour. I love making these with my children as they have fun cutting out the different shapes that are the hallmark of Linzer Torte pastries.