Engadiner Nusstorte Swiss Nut Cake Recipes

ENGADINER NUSSTORTE - SWISS NUT TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F. Grease a 24cm / 9.4 inch springform pan or line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Add flour, sugar, butter, lemon zest , egg and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Using two knives cut into it till you get a crumbly dough. Once the dough is crumbly, use your hands to knead it into a dough. Form a ball and cover with clingfilm. Place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
• In a saucepan, bring sugar, water and honey to a boil while stirring. Boil until the sugar reaches a beautiful light brown color.
• Add the walnuts and give it a quick stir. Stir in the double cream. You'll notice that the walnuts will stick to the sugar and the double cream will look a bit runny. You may think it'll fail now but don't worry. The sugar and cream will start to mix and form a caramel, just give it some time. Bring the mixture to a boil and leave to simmer and turn into a dark golden brown caramel (15-20 minutes). Keep a close eye on the caramel while it's simmering, stir it occasionally. You want to make sure the caramel doesn't burn. When the caramel reaches a nice dark golden brown, thick consistency, take the pan off the heat and set aside to cool.
• Take 2/3 of your dough out of the fridge and put it into a springform, cover the bottom and make the sides 2-3cm / 0.8-1.1 inch high.
• Pour the cooled, thick walnut caramel into the springform and spread evenly over the pastry.
• Take the rest of the dough and roll it out to the size of your springform. Place the rolled out dough onto your filling and flip the sides over the cover and press lightly with a fork to seal the edges. Lightly prick the top of the tart with a fork.
• Lightly whisk the egg and brush the tart with the eggwash. Place the tart in the oven and bake approximately 35-50 minutes, until the tart has a golden color.

NUSSTORTE (NUT CAKE)

Steps:

• Beat eggs, gradually adding the sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Mix in the nuts and flour only until blended, then fold in the cooled, melted butter.
• Turn into a greased and floured 9-inch springform pan and bake in a 325 degrees F oven for 40 to 60 minutes, or until cake tests done. Cool cake for about 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool on a rack.
• While cake is cooling, stir all of the filling ingredients together over medium heat until smooth, and let the mixture come to a boil. Cool.
• When the cake is cold, split it in half and fill with filling mixture. Replace top layer.
• Whip cream until very thick, and add sugar and flavoring. Spread on cake or use a pastry bag with a fluted tube and your imagination.

SWISS WALNUT PIE (ENGADINER NUSSTORTE OR BÜNDNER NUSSTORTE)

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients for the pastry in a food processor and pulse until homogeneous. With the dough prepare 2 balls (2/3 and 1/3 respectively of the dough) and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Put the sugar, water and honey in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and let it continue to boil until it becomes a dark golden color. Stir from time to time. Add the nuts and the cream until and stir the walnuts until well coated. Remove the saucepan from the heat and. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355 F)Grease a 30 cm tin. (I used a 28" springform pan) Roll out the larger ball between two sheets of cling film to a 34 cm circle and use it to line the tin of 30 cm square. Press the edges of the pastry against the side of the tin. Scrape the filling onto the pastry. Level the top as well as you can, but don't apply too much pressure, or you may tear the pastry and the filling will leak out. Fold the excess pastry inwards over the filling. Roll the second piece of pastry to a neat 29 cm circle. Moisten the edges of the pastry base in the tin with the egg white and position the second pastry circle on top of this. Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges Mix the reserved egg yolk with 2 tablespoon cream and brush the cover. Prick with a fork in several places. If you like, you can score a plaid pattern onto the surface with the fork. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool until lukewarm in the tin, then loosen the sides, release the clip and carefully transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely.

SWISS WALNUT PIE (ENGADINER NUSSTORTE OR BüNDNER NUSSTORTE)

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients for the pastry in a food processor and pulse until homogeneous; if necessary, add 1 or 2 tablespoon of water.
• With the dough, prepare 2 balls (2/3 and 1/3 respectively of the dough) and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Put the sugar, water and honey in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil and let it continue to boil until it becomes a dark golden color. Stir from time to time.
• Add the nuts and the cream and stir the walnuts until well coated.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and. Set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C Grease a 30 cm tin (heat and timing are basing it on convection oven).
• Roll out the larger ball between two sheets of cling film to a 34 cm circle and use it to line the tin of 30 cm square. Press the edges of the pastry against the side of the tin.
• Scrape the filling onto the pastry. Level the top as well as you can, but don't apply too much pressure, or you may tear the pastry and the filling will leak out. Fold the excess pastry inwards over the filling.
• Roll the second piece of pastry to a neat 29 cm circle. Moisten the edges of the pastry base in the tin with the egg white and position the second pastry circle on top of this. Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges Mix the reserved egg yolk with 2 tablespoon cream and brush the cover. Prick with a fork in several places. If you like, you can score a plaid pattern onto the surface with the fork.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool until lukewarm in the tin, then loosen the sides, release the clip and carefully transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool completely.

ENGADINER NUSSTORTE (NUT CAKE)

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Mix flour, rind, salt and egg on high speed until a dough is formed.
• Divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 parts, wrap well in foil and chill for minimum 1/2 hour.
• In the meantime, heat the sugar for the filling until it caramelises to a very light brown.
• Heat the cream (can be in microwave) and add it to the caramel, stirring rapidly.
• Add the honey, heat until it reaches a rolling boil.
• Add nuts and stir well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Mix well and allow to cool.
• Roll out the larger of the pastry dough rolls and fit into a greased 24cm springform pan to cover the base and sides.
• Pour in the cooled filling.
• Roll out the remaining dough to form a lid for the cake. Put on top of the filling and join the edges well.
• Paint the top of the cake lightly with whisked egg yolk.
• Cook the cake at about 180 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
• Take the cake out of the oven and allow to cool. Do not remove outside of tin until cool! The cake should be totally cold before serving- I put mine in the fridge on the base, and only take it off the base once it's cold and the filling has set. Otherwise if the filling is still hot the bottom will sag when you pick it up.