Malakoff Torte-the Baer family recipe

My friend M is a neverfail cook. By that I mean that everything that she cooks is fantastic. Without exception. But in the time I've known her, I've never seen her make a cake. When she mentioned that she would be making an Austrian cake for Australia Day I knew it would be good (duh!) but I was excited to learn that this was her family's recipe and a genuine Austrian cake as well. I think I actually rubbed my hands together in sheer happiness and bounced up and down on my Swiss Ball.

It's an Austrian cake rich with a whipped cream buttercream and sponge fingers, much like a Tiramisu without the coffee flavour. She is proud of the fact that it is a standalone cake too so that the skill of the cakemaker is evident in ensuring that the structure has integrity and evenness. These Austrians are a precise bunch ;) She even took photos of the assembly process from the day before so I would have step by step instructions. What a great friend!

Made over two days so that the sponge fingers soften, it is flavoured with rum and topped with a stiff sweetened whipped cream and strawberries and it quite a sight to behold. It's a cake designed to impress, in fact it was a special occasion cake made just for birthdays in the Baer household. Thanks to M for sharing her cake recipe with me and all of my readers and for giving me a slice of heaven on a plate.

Malakoff Torte-the Baer family recipe

• 4 egg yolks

• 65grams/2.3ozs butter

• 120grams/4 ozs icing sugar

• 300grams/10.7ozs ground hazelnuts or almonds

• 500ml/1 pint thick cream

• 2 packs I Savoiardi (Lady Finger Biscuit)

• Milk to slightly soak the Savoiardi

• Rum which can be added to the milk for flavour

• 175ml/6.2 fl oz. thick cream to cover cake

Day 1

Step 1 - Mix egg yolks and icing sugar until white and creamy. Add the soft butter and continue mixing until soft.

Step 2 - Whip 500ml cream until stiff. You can add 1 teaspoon of Gelatine desolved in a couple of tablespoons of water. When you add the Gelatine it has to be cool otherwise the cream will run.

Step 3 - Fold half of the whipped cream under the egg/sugar/butter mixture. Then fold under the ground nuts.

Fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Note that Hazelnuts will give a strong flavour, Almonds are more subtle. You can use half/half.

_Dipping the biscuits in the milk/Rum mixture

_

Step 4 - Take a cake tin and line it with foil. One by one dunk the Lady finger Biscuits in the Milk/Rum mixture and cover the bottom of the cake tin. Add a layer of cream mixture, then repeat with a layer of soaked bicuits, etc. Finish with a layer of soaked biscuits. Cover with foil and a plate and put it in the fridge overnight.

Step 5 - Next day whip the rest of the cream and cover the cake after the foil is removed. Put strawberries or well drained tinned peaches on top.

Step 6 - Don't leave the cake standing outside on a hot or warm day - it will melt.

](https://images.notquitenigella.com/images/malakoff-torte-the-baer-family-recipe/a-malakoff_torte_sberries.jpg)

Adding strawberries