How to make an Austrian Linzer Torte with a German Spin

Linzer Torte is a traditional Austrian pastry with a crumbly shortbread and nut crust, jam filling, and topped with a lattice. The combination of cinnamon, nuts, and jam will make your house smell AHHH-mazing.

Jump to:

• What is a Linzer Torte?
• What is the Black Forest Spin on Linzer Torte?
• Ingredients
• Step-by-step instructions
• How to grind the hazelnuts
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• 📋 Recipe
• More Austrian/German Christmas Treats
• 💬 Comments

What is a Linzer Torte?

Linzer Torte is a pastry named after Linz, a city in Austria. Jindrak, a bakery in Linz, makes the "Original" Linzer Torte. It is said to be the oldest cake in the world, dating back to 1696.

Linzer Torte is a beloved treat served at Christmas in Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, and Germany.

Unlike most cakes, it only has one layer. Typically the Austrian Linzer Torte crust is made with almonds, flour, butter, sugar, and an egg and spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Traditionally, red currant jam makes up the filling. A lattice made from strips of dough tops the cake. It is dusted with powdered sugar just before it is served.

What is the Black Forest Spin on Linzer Torte?

My Austrian mother makes Linzer Torte every year for Christmas. She uses a recipe from her German mother-in-law, who followed the Black Forest version of this cake. Unlike the traditional Austrian version of almonds in the crust, it is made with hazelnuts. Instead of red currant jam, it is made with red raspberry jam.

I have wonderful memories of baking Linzer Torte and other German-Austrian treats such as Vanillekipferln and Zimtsterne with my mother during the holidays. I taught my sons how to make Linzer Torte when they were young, and now that they are adults and live on their own, they make it every year for Christmas.

Of all the baked goods I make at Christmas, this is by far our family's favorite.

Ingredients

• Hazelnuts-As I mentioned above, we have always made Linzer Torte with hazelnuts; however, the original recipe calls for almonds. Usually, I use roasted hazelnuts, but the torte is delicious if you use raw hazelnuts. If you use almonds, I recommend using raw almonds.
• Flour-Use all-purpose flour to make the Linzer Torte. To make it gluten-free, substitute it with good quality gluten-free flour such as Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur.
• Sugar-Granulated sugar is best for this pastry. Do not substitute a different type of sugar.
• Butter-Use unsalted butter. I would not recommend using salted butter because the torte will taste salty.
• Eggs- This recipe uses large eggs. Two eggs are required; one for the pastry and an egg wash is made with the second egg.
• Cinnamon and cloves-These spices are essential to the torte. You will need to use the full amount of cinnamon, 1 ½ tablespoons. This amount is more than typical recipes, but the increased amount is critical for the taste. Be careful not to use more than 1 teaspoon of cloves, or the torte will taste bitter.
• Red Raspberry Jam (preserves)-Use the jam for the filling. Both seeded and seedless jam work well. I prefer to use raspberry jam with seeds.
• Baking powder-Be sure to check the expiration date of your baking powder. Expired baking powder will not work. Since it is sensitive to moisture, it usually lasts between 6 months to 1 year.
• Rum-(Optional)-Rum adds flavor to the torte. However, the Linzer Torte tastes great without it. When I add rum, I like to use Myers's Rum, which is a dark rum.

Step-by-step instructions

Note: This Linzer Torte recipe makes two 8-inch cakes.

Make the dough

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Next, add one egg, spices, and rum if you are using it.
3. Last, add the flour, baking powder, and hazelnuts.

Make the base of the torte

1. Divide the dough into three equal portions. Pro tip: To ensure that you have three identical amounts, weigh them using a kitchen scale.
2. Press one portion of dough into the bottom of one well-greased and parchment-lined 8-inch cake pan. Repeat with the second portion of dough.
3. Dip an offset icing spatula into cold water and smooth the top of the dough.

Pro Tip: If the dough is too soft, place it in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Make the lattice

Take the third portion of dough and divide it into two portions. Use each portion to make a lattice for the two pastries.

Make the lattice. Take about ¼ cup of dough and roll it to form a log that is ⅜ inch in diameter and about 8 to 10 inches long. This is done by rolling the dough on a floured surface, preferably a cutting board, with either your fingers or an offset icing spatula.

Take the finished dough log and place it around the edge of the base.

Spread ½ cup of jam on top of the base of the cake. Continue making lattice by rolling the dough into logs. Place 4 to 5 logs on top of the jam in one direction. Turn the cake 90 degrees and arrange 4-5 logs on top of the first set of logs, creating a lattice.

Using a small pastry brush, brush the top of the lattice with egg wash. During baking, the crust becomes a beautiful golden color. Be sure not to skip this step. Pro Tip- be careful not to let the egg wash on the jam because it discolors the jam during baking.

Note that the lattice does not need to mesh perfectly into the dough. During baking, it blends with the cake.

If you have extra dough, make Linzer Torte cookies. Roll the dough into small balls, make an indentation in the ball, and fill it with jam.

How to cool the Linzer Torte

After baking, let the Linzer Torte cool for 10 minutes in the cake pan.

1. Place a cooling rack on the top of the cake pan and flip it onto the rack.
2. Place a second cooling rack on the torte and flip it over.
3. Remove the rack from the top of the torte and cool completely.

If desired, dust the baked Linzer Torte with powdered sugar. Grab a cup of coffee, tea, or a glass of milk. Enjoy!

How to grind the hazelnuts

The best way to grind hazelnuts is in a food processor because it allows you to blend them in seconds, creating a meal. However, be careful not to over-process them, or they can become hazelnut butter. There are two methods you can use to yield perfectly ground hazelnuts.

Method 1

Place the hazelnuts in the food processor bowl and pulse the nuts about 10 times. The nuts should be a fine meal.

Method 2

Add 1 cup of the flour called for in the recipe to the nuts. Pulse the mixture until the nuts are a fine ground meal. Even though it will look finer in texture than method 1, it will work well for this recipe.

This is a no-fail method for grinding the nuts because you cannot over-process them.

Add the flour-nut mixture to the butter-sugar mixture simultaneously with the remaining flour in the recipe.

Both methods work well. Use the one with which you are most comfortable. If you are new to baking, use method 2 to ensure that the nuts are not over-processed.

Storage

Store the Linzer Torte in an air-tight container or wrap it with plastic. It will keep at room temperature for several weeks.

If you live in a warm climate, store it in the refrigerator and bring the Linzer Torte to room temperature before serving.

Pro Tips

• For extra flavor, toast the hazelnuts. If there is a Trader Joe's in your area, they carry roasted hazelnuts which are delicious in the Linzer Torte.
• Be sure to finely grind the hazelnuts.
• Make the dough several days before and store it in the refrigerator. Before working with the dough, let it warm up on your counter for about 30 minutes or until it is easy to manipulate the dough.
• For best results, weigh the ingredients with a kitchen scale.
• Use jam or preserves, not jelly, for the filling.
• To prevent the pastry from sticking to the pan, spray the bottom and sides of the pan liberally with cooking spray and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
• Leave space between the lattice otherwise, it will meld together during baking, and you will not be able to see the jam filling.  

I hope you try this recipe! Please rate it and comment below. I love hearing from you!

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