For the love of Food - A collection of recipes

Linzertorte - Jam and Hazelnut Tart/cake

This was one of our favourite cakes when we were growing up. It's not quite a cake and it's not quite a tart. It comes from Linz in Austria.

Mine doesn't come out looking anything as neat as the one on the right

300 g plain flour (10 oz)
300 g castor sugar
300 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
300 g grated hazelnut or almond (or a mixture of both)
1 egg
2 tablespoons kirsch *
5 tablespoons raspberry jam
1 egg yolk

Kirsch is an Eau de Vie (water of life) made from cherries and is 45% proof.

The kirsch is optional, if you’re not using it add a tablespoon or two of water

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Rub the flour and butter together (in the same way as making pastry) until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Then tip in the rest of the ingredients - apart from the jam and egg yolk - into a large bowl.

Bring the ingredients together, first by stirring gently with a metal spoon and then when it’s starting to come together lightly use your hands to form it into a large ball.

Wrap the dough in cling film and put in the fridge to rest for an hour


The dough is quite crumbly because of the hazelnuts, even when it's come out of the fridge. Your supposed to roll it out but it's much easier to handle it into shape. Get a large baking tray and shape the dough into a circle with your hands . Create a rim round the edges to create a large hollow in the centre of the tart.

Mum always used to shape it on a baking tray in a rectangle. And having made it this afternoon I think that may be the best way. It's certainly easier to cut after it's cooked.

Roll out the remaining dough and cut into long strips, arranging it in lattice pattern on top of the jam, brush with the remaining egg yolk

Put in a pre heated oven – 160c. In mum’s old cook book it just says a middle heat.
Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is a lovely brown glaze on it.

When the cake has cooled wrap in tin foil and leave for 3 days before eating (if you can wait that long, it can be eaten as soon as it's cool but it develops a deliciously moist chewiness if you wait)

posted by Zoozan @ Saturday, January 07, 2006