Linzer torte is named after the town of Linz, Austria and said to be the oldest cakes in the world – and with bloody good reason, I tell you it’s gorgeous! Thanks again Alison, for your cracking cover image, please move back to London…
The torte is comprised of half jam, half pastry which has hard boiled egg yolk inside for extra crumbliness, surely now you are tempted? Making your own raspberry jam is advisable, and cheaper but if you don’t make it buy the best quality you can get hold of.
Linzer Torte Serves 2 Hungry Scally Wags or 10 Normal People
6oz plain flour, sifted
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6oz unblanched almonds, skins off and finely ground (use a food processor or if you don’t have one buy already ground)
4oz light brown sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 hard boiled egg yolks, mashed
8oz unsalted butter at room temperature
2 raw egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence
12oz raspberry jam
Icing sugar, to dust
Clotted cream, cream of your choice or ice cream to serve
Method
Heat oven to 180℃.
Butter a 9 inch (23cm) tart tin.
Use a wooden spoon to beat your butter in a large mixing bowl.
Add raw egg yolks, vanilla essence and beat until smooth with the spoon.
Add flour, cloves, cinnamon, almonds, sugar, lemon zest and mashed hard boiled egg yolks and use your wooden spoon to mix all together until you can use your hands to squidge all together into one large ball.
Wrap ball in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least one hour until firm.
Remove dough and slice off 1/4, returning this 1/4 to the fridge.
Roll out the rest of the dough as best you can and transfer to your tin, use your fingers or the back of a spoon to ease the pastry into the tin and 1.5 inches up the sides. You will find that as it softens it becomes more malleable.
Spread your jam over the base.
Remove your last 1/4 of pastry from the fridge and roll out over a large piece of floured clingfilm into a thin disc about the size of your tin.
Cut strands long enough to place over jam in a criss cross.
Bake torte in centre of the oven for 50-60 minutes until lightly browned.
Serve cool, dusted with icing sugar and serve with whatever you choose.
The Travelling Pantry 
I love this cake, too. It´s one of my mother´s classics, often made with red currant jelly or any kind of red jam you have on hand. Like a huge cookie – always so, so good!
my mothers classic too, yes a huge cookie or posh jam tart!
Yum!! I want to try this,
This looks so good – would go so well with a good dollop of cream or ice cream!
clotted cream even or cream with a tough of brandy whisked through….endless choices….
sounds fabulous, I’d love it made with ground hazelnuts and cherry jam too…
cherry jam is a most excellent idea!