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

The I Savoiardi biscuits

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.

The nutty/buttery mixture

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

_

Layering the cake

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.

The next day, removing the foil

Cake ready for its last layer of whipped cream

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.

Adding cream on the top and smoothing out

Ready for the strawberries

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