I am sharing a beautiful cake for the holidays with you today. This is a beautiful cake to indulge in and presents wonderfully.
The holidays mean indulgence and there is no better way to indulge than in the fluffy and decadent layers of this fabulous Swedish Pinocchio Torte!
What you have here are two gorgeous rich layers of almond meringue topped buttery sponge cake, sandwiched together with a nice thick layer of whipped cream. What's not to love about this???
I dare say if you were feeling especially indulgent you could add a layer of fresh fruit, such as strawberries or black berries. Raspberries would be especially nice in my opinion. But I can tell you it is really nice just plain as is!
Every mouthful you get soft sweet cake, rich whipped cream, the crunch of almonds . . . so good and so tasty and a lot simpler to make than you might suppose. It only looks complicated!
I adapted the recipe from The Swedish Cakes and Cookies Cookbook. I love the simplicity of Swedish baking and this is one of my favorite baking books. I got my copy on Amazon.
I had a copy of it when I was living in the U.K. and it is one of the books I chose to replace when I came back to Canada, so you know it's good. It is a very popular baking book and no small wonder as all of the recipes in it are simply wonderful.
What I love most about this cake is the simplicity of it. It only looks complicated with the layers, etc. Really however, it goes together very easily.
The flavors are also very simple. There are no flavorings added. What you have is a deliciously buttery sponge cake. Sugary sweet meringue. Toasty flaked almonds and then the richness of the whipped cream. It needs nothing else really.
There is no special equipment needed either. Just an electric hand whisk/mixer and a half sheet pan, or a sheet pan with sides measuring 12 by 16 inches.
You want to line the cake tin and butter everything really well so that the meringue doesn't stick.
After that it is a simple matter of beating things together and layering them in the baking pan. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
First the cake batter, then the meringue batter and finally a scattering of flaked almonds.
It also bakes really quickly. 20 minutes to perfection in a moderate oven. That's it. You do need to allow it to cool completely before layering it with the whipped cream, but that's no problem. Not for me anyways.
This cake actually really reminds me of my mother's Feather Squares that she would make for us each Christmas. They had simple flavors and meringue as well.
A simple butter cake base, baked and then topped with sweet raspberry jam. A sweet layer of meringue and some flaked coconut is applied on top of the jam and the whole lot gets baked again just to brown the meringue and toast the coconut.
It would not have been Christmas in our home without them. We loved them so. Mom did not bake us sweets very often and these Christmas treats meant the world to us. I think of mother whenever I go to bake them, and I thought of mom today. I know she would have loved this cake.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PINOCCHIO TORTE
Pure and simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way! I know I am always saying it, but it's true!
For the cake:
- 5 TBS (75g) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (97g) icing sugar, sifted
- 5 large free range egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (83g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
For the Meringue topping:
- 5 large free range egg whites
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (50g) flaked almonds
you will also need:
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
I use salted butter and free range eggs. I also use organic sugar, but that is a personal choice and probably doesn't really make a difference, truth be told.
Do use the best quality ingredients for this that you can afford, and make sure that all of them are at room temperature before you start.
HOW TO MAKE PINOCCHIO TORTE
When I tell you this is a very simple cake to make you best believe me. It is so simple I would call it a real doddle.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 12 by 16 inch sheet cake pan really well, line with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar for the cake together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the baking powder.
Add the flour and milk together and combine until evenly mixed. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Whip the egg whites until they start to become stiff and then continue to whip whilst slowly adding the sugar. Beat for a few minutes longer and then spread this meringue over top of the cake batter in the pan. Sprinkle the almonds evenly over top.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, in the center of the oven. The cake should be cooked through and the meringue golden brown.
Let the cake cool slightly and then lift out onto a wire rack to cook completely.
Once cold, whip your cream until stiff peaks form.
Cut the cake in half either crosswise or lengthwise. Its your choice.
Place one half, meringue side up on a serving plate. Spread with the whipped cream and then place the other half of the cake on top of the cream, again meringue side up. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Dust with icing sugar if desired and serve. Cut with a serrated knife to serve. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Best eaten on the day.
This lush cake makes for a light and airy dessert which is perfect for any occasion. The combination of textures and flavors is positively decadent without going over the top. You can add a layer of fruit to really make it special, but it is perfectly delicious just as is.
Its an impressive showstopper that will have everyone asking for the recipe. Trust me on this. This is a real winner of a dessert. Nobody but you and I need to know how really simple it is to make. 😉
Shhh . . . mums the word!
Some other Swedish recipes in The English Kitchen that you might enjoy are:
SCANDANAVIAN ALMOND CAKE - This is one of my favorite cakes. I baked it twice in one week once. It is delicious. Traditionally this cake would be baked in a special pan called a Scandinavian Almond Cake Pan, but you could bake it in loaf or round cake pan. It boasts a beautiful almond flavor throughout, from that beautifully textured cake to the sweet almond glaze which gets drizzled on top. There is even more almond flavor if you choose to scatter it with toasted flaked almonds.
SWEDISH APPLE PIE - This is so simple and quick to put together. You just slice the apples and dump them into the pie tin, sprinkle them with a little bit of sugar and cinnamon and then pour a tasty batter over top and bake. So delicious served warm with some cream, ice cream, or custard. Tres yummy!
Yield: 12 servings
Pinocchio Torte
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 35 Min
This sponge and meringue cake has a few names and variations including Mama's Meringue Torte and Glominge Torte. What you have here are layers of almond meringue topped buttery cake, sandwiched together with a nice layer of whipped cream. Perfect for the holidays or any special occasion!
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 5 TBS (75g) butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (97g) icing sugar, sifted
- 5 large free range egg yolks
- 2/3 cup (83g) all-purpose plain flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
For the Meringue topping:
- 5 large free range egg whites
- 3/4 cup (150g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (50g) flaked almonds
you will also need:
- 1 cup (240ml) whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 12 by 16 inch sheet cake pan really well, line with parchment paper and butter the parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar for the cake together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the baking powder.
- Add the flour and milk together and combine until evenly mixed. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Whip the egg whites until they start to become stiff and then continue to whip whilst slowly adding the sugar. Beat for a few minutes longer and then spread this meringue over top of the cake batter in the pan. Sprinkle the almonds evenly over top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, in the center of the oven. The cake should be cooked through and the meringue golden brown.
- Let the cake cool slightly and then lift out onto a wire rack to cook completely.
- Once cold, whip your cream until stiff peaks form.
- Cut the cake in half either crosswise or lengthwise. Its your choice.
- Place one half, meringue side up on a serving plate. Spread with the whipped cream and then place the other half of the cake on top of the cream, again meringue side up. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Dust with icing sugar if desired and serve. Cut with a serrated knife to serve. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Best eaten on the day.
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Much as I adore the Pinocchiotort, I must add, that this is the norwegian national kake called Kvaefjordkake or now a days "Wolds best" (verdens beste) and according to Wikipedia it was modified "Kings kake" (kongens kake). It was modified containing less almonds, which was expensive in the 1930'es. I bake it every chance I get, but I blend whipped cream with rum cake filling. So please no more Pinocchio, more Worlds best .
ReplyDeleteSorry if I have offended you, but I am only going by the name which was given the dish in the Swedish Baking book. It is possible where you are two adjoining countries that Sweden also has a similar cake? I don't know. But whatever the roots, it is one very delicious cake and yes, I would say it is the world's best!
DeleteNo offence taken. I know it is possibly the same roots to the cakes. And I was not intent on implying that You were at fault for the name. By the way, I find Your recipies very inspiring, and those that I have tried were well recieved by the family. I can always rely on finding good recipies here.
ReplyDelete