Esterhazy Torte- Hungary #65

Esterhazy Torte- Hungary #65

A rich dessert consisting of chocolate buttercream sandwiched between 4 layers of sponge cake. It is named after 19th century Prince Esterhazy of Hungary. This is a traditional Old World recipe, so it will take some time, but the fondant icing is not the type that has to be kneaded.

Cake: 

5 egg yolks (*save egg whites, 3 for cake and then 5 more for buttercream)
1-3/4 oz. sugar
1-3/4 oz. ground almonds
2-1/2 T flour
*3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
juice from 1/2 lemon

Buttercream:

10 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 lb. unsalted butter, softened
*5 egg whites
1 c. sugar

Glaze:

1/4 c. apricot jam, melted and mixed with 1 T. hot water

Fondant:

3 c. confectioners' sugar
1/4 c. water
1 T. light corn syrup

Garnish:

2 oz.semisweet chocolate, melted and mixed with 1/4 tsp. vegetable oil
4 oz. toasted sliced almonds

1. Cake: Heat oven 350F. Line 4-8" round baking pans with parchment paper. Or 2-8" round pans, then split the layers.
2. Beat egg yolks with sugar until light and lemon colored.
3. Sprinkle ground almonds and flour over batter and fold in gently.
4. Fold in the egg whites and lemon juice so as not to deflate the batter.
5. Portion batter evenly into prepared pans. For 4 pans bake about 10-15mins. or until cakes pull away from sides of pan and underside is golden brown. For fewer pans it will take longer. Cool in pans.
6. Chocolate Buttercream: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Stir and set aside to cool.
7. With a stand mixer beat the butter with the paddle attachment on low for 2 mins., medium for 3 mins. and high for 5 mins.  Transfer to a large bowl.
8. Place egg whites and sugar in the top of double boiler over medium heat. Whisk gently to 120F on a candy thermometer. Transfer to a clean and dry mixer bowl and beat with the whisk attachment on high until stiff peaks form , about 5 mins.  
9. Fold melted chocolate into butter, then fold in egg whites.
10. On a serving platter, place one sponge cake layer and spread with 1/4 chocolate buttercream. Repeat 2 more times and top with the last sponge cake layer.  Reserve the 1/4 of buttercream for the sides. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.
11. Glaze: Strain the apricot mixture and brush entire top of cake with glaze and let dry for 15mins.
12. Fondant:  Place all fondant ingredients in a small saucepan and stir until well mixed. Set over low heat and stir until dissolved.  Don't let the temperature exceed 100F on a candy thermometer. If it doesn't look opaque enough add more confectioners' sugar. 
13. Pour warm fondant over torte, tilting so the entire top is covered. If some drips down the sides, that's okay because it will be covered with reserved buttercream. If it looks too transparent, you will have to apply another coat, but wait until this one dries.
14. Garnish: Place chocolate-oil mixture in a squeeze bottle. Using the mixture draw 4-5 concentric circles on the top of the torte.  
15. Using the tip of a knife, drag it lightly through the lines from the center of the torte to the edge 8 times to make a chevron pattern.
16. Frost the sides of the torte with reserved frosting, pressing in the sliced almonds.
17. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (For easier slicing, cut the torte while it is cold but let it come to room temperature before serving.  This is a rich dessert, so small slices work best.)

Results: This was a lot of work. The cake has ground almonds, which I did. The layers cake out too thin to slice, so I made another batch. The second batch was had a little more height but not much. I must have over mixed something. So, now I'm doing everything twice. The chocolate buttercream recipe makes more than needed. Using a pound of butter made the frosting very rich, even for me. Melting the apricot jam for the glaze and then straining it was not difficult. It was just an extra step to do.  And then there is the fondant. Yes, it was much easier than the last time I made it and more liquid, which made it easier for pouring. About that pouring, it ran down the side of the cake and onto the platter. No worries because it was then covered with the frosting, which also ran down the sides and onto the platter and then onto the counter. A mess!! I put the whole thing in the refrigerator. After it hardened a bit, I needed to pour more fondant on top because the cake was visible underneath the first coating. How did it taste, one might ask? Not bad, very sweet. When slicing it the four layers looked impressive. Some folks really liked it, especially the frosting and some thought it was too sweet. I found serving it with vanilla ice cream really helped. Having said all that, please note, my grandson was helping, my 10 month old granddaughter was crawling on the floor, my dear sweet neighbor came over to chat and my husband was cleaning all the mess. To say it was chaotic would be an understatement. I'm lucky the whole thing was edible. I need to remember that I cannot make complicated cakes with other stuff happening.
Bottom line: Check! Move on. And remember to create a calm kitchen.
Please share this blog with all the lovers of Esterhazy Torte and anyone who likes fancy cakes. Thanks.