German Strawberry Cream Torte

Instructions

PREPARE: Heat the oven to 160°C / 325°F / Gas 3 . Line the base of a high sided 20cm (8 in.) round, springform cake pan with baking paper. Grease the sides and the rim (this cake rises!) well with butter and dust with flour..
MAKE THE SPONGE CAKE: Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together for 5 minutes until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, then sift over the beaten eggs. Use a spatula to gently but thoroughly fold the dry ingredients through the wet, then pour into the prepared tin, giving it a little shake to smooth the surface.
BAKE: Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and use a thin, sharp knife to release the sponge from the sides of the pan - this will hep it to settle evenly. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely. PRO TIP: If you put a piece of baking parchment paper on the rack it will stop the delicate cake from sticking to it.
SLICE: When the cake is completely cooled, use a long, serrated knife to cut the cake evenly through the diameter. Place the bottom piece onto a serving platter or cake stand and fit a cake ring tightly around it.
MAKE FILLING: Beat the Quark or strained yoghurt with the sugar until smooth. Whisk the cream separately to soft peaks, then sprinkle over the cornflour/cornstarch before whisking to firm peaks. Fold the cream into the beaten quark, then fold the chopped strawberries into the mixture. Spread half of the mixture over the base of the cake, cover with the top piece of cake, pushing down gently, then spread the remaining topping over the cake.
DECORATE: Pile the remaining strawberries on top of the cake, then sprinkle over the pistachios. Chill for at least 1 hour, preferably 2-3 in warmer weather or if you know the cake will be sitting out, before serving.
GLAZE: For a beautifully glazed cake, soak 1 sheet of gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. In a very small saucepan heat 75ml of water with 1 tablespoon of sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, squeeze the liquid out of the gelatine sheet, then stir it into the hot sugar syrup until dissolved. Place the saucepan in a sink of cold water for 10-15 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken, then use a spoon to carefully drizzle it over the strawberries. Chill for at least an hour.

Notes

Quark Alternative 1: Quark is hard to come by outside of Germany and is usually expensive when you do. An alternative is to make labne from 750g of Greek style yoghurt (check the ingredients to make sure it is naturally thickened, not thickened with gelatine). Line a sieve or strainer with a spotlessly clean tea towel or cheesecloth. Set the sieve over a large bowl and pour the yoghurt onto the cloth. Place in the fridge and allow to strain for 2-3 hours until the yoghurt is firm with the consistency of cream cheese. Use in place of Quark in the recipe.

Quark Alternative 2: If you are happy to use gelatine to set the cake, proceed as follows: Place 6 sheets gelatine in a bowl of cold water to soften for 5 minutes. Weigh 500g of Greek style yoghurt and beat well with 75g sugar until smooth. After the gelatine has softened, squeeze out any excess water, then place in a small saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the gelatine dissolves. Remove from the heat, Stir in 2 tablespoons of the yoghurt, mix well until combined. Beat the yoghurt, gelatine mixture into the reserved yoghurt, then fold the yoghurt through the whipped cream. Proceed with the recipe as above. In very hot weather or if the cake will need to sit out of the fridge for some time, increase the gelatine to 8 sheets. The cake will need at least 2-3 hours to set up in the fridge before slicing.

Note: German baking recipes are always measured by weight. Imperial and cup measurments are approximate. For best and most accurate results I use and recommend a digital kitchen scale like the one below.

German Strawberry Cream Torte

Ingredients

for the sponge:

for the filling:

for the topping:

for the glaze:

Instructions

Notes

Nutrition