Prinzregententorte

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Seven sheets baking paper
• •24cm cake ring or plate for tracing
• •Offset palette knife
• •Two baking sheets
• •Stand mixer or hand mixer
• •Long straight slicing knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Trace the layers

   Heat the oven to 200C. Trace seven 24cm circles on baking paper, then turn the paper over so the pencil never touches the cake. Thin layers need boundaries, or the batter creeps unevenly and you get one fat edge and one dry edge before you've even started.

2. 2

   Make the batter

   Beat the 250g butter with the 220g sugar, vanilla, and salt until pale and light, because the air you beat in now is what keeps these thin layers tender. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time. Sift the flour, cornflour, and baking powder together, then fold them in. If the batter drags like paste, loosen it with a spoon or two of milk, but stop while it still holds its shape.

3. 3

   Fold the whites

   Whisk the six egg whites to soft peaks, then fold them into the batter in three additions. The first spoonful can be rough, because it loosens the batter. The last two must be gentle, because crushed whites bake flat and tough, and this torte has no place to hide a rubber layer.

4. 4

   Bake thin layers

   Spread about one seventh of the batter inside each traced circle, 3 to 4mm thick, smoothing it right to the edge. Bake each layer for 5 to 7 minutes until just golden at the rim and springy in the middle. Pull it before it browns hard; a dry biscuit layer cracks when you stack it, and then the buttercream has to do repair work it was never hired for.

   Two baking sheets make the job calm: one sheet in the oven, one being spread. If you only have one, cool it under running water and dry it before the next layer, because warm metal melts the batter before it bakes.
5. 5

   Cook the cream

   Whisk the 4 yolks, 120g sugar, 40g cornflour, cocoa, and a splash of the milk to a smooth paste. Bring the rest of the milk just to a simmer, whisk it into the yolk mixture, then return everything to the pan and cook, whisking, until thick and glossy. Boil it for one full minute once it thickens, because raw cornflour tastes chalky and won't hold the buttercream cleanly.

6. 6

   Cool the custard

   Take the pan off the heat and stir in the 150g chopped dark chocolate until smooth. Scrape the cream into a shallow dish, press paper or film directly on the surface, and cool it to room temperature. Don't beat hot custard into butter. It melts the fat, breaks the emulsion, and leaves you with chocolate soup. Nicht aus dem Glas: real buttercream is made here, not squeezed from a tub.

7. 7

   Beat buttercream

   Beat the 300g room-temperature butter until pale, then add the cooled chocolate custard a spoonful at a time. Butter and custard must be the same temperature, because one cold lump or one warm streak breaks the cream into grain. If it looks split, keep beating at room temperature; most buttercream needs patience before it admits defeat.

8. 8

   Stack the torte

   Set the neatest sponge layer aside for the top. Put one layer on a board and spread a thin, even coat of buttercream over it, then repeat until all seven layers are stacked. Keep the filling thin. Prinzregententorte is a layer cake, not a buttercream brick. Brush the top with the warmed strained apricot jam, because it seals the crumbs and gives the glaze a clean surface.

9. 9

   Chill and glaze

   Chill the cake for at least 1 hour, until firm. Warm the cream with the 30g butter, pour it over the 200g chopped dark chocolate, and stir until smooth. Let the glaze cool until it flows thickly, then pour it over the cold torte and push it over the edge in one calm pass. A hot glaze melts the buttercream; a cold glaze sets in ridges. The middle is the work.

10. 10

    Rest and slice

    Chill the glazed torte until set, then let it stand 20 minutes before slicing. Use a long knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts, because clean heat melts the glaze just enough to pass through without dragging the layers. Serve narrow slices. The cake has seven layers. It doesn't need to shout.

Chef Tips

• •Weigh the batter bowl after mixing and divide by seven. Eyeballing the layers feels brave until the finished slice leans like a bad wall.
• •Use butter that is soft but not shiny. Shiny butter is already melting, and melted buttercream turns heavy before it turns smooth.
• •Apricot jam is not there for fruit flavour. It is a crumb coat, thin and strained, so the dark glaze can lie clean over the top.
• •A serrated knife tears the glaze. Use a long straight knife, hot and wiped dry. Cut, wipe, cut again. That's the whole ceremony.
• •Keep the offcuts if you trim the layers. Weggeworfen wird nichts. Crumble them over ice cream or fold them into a small glass with leftover buttercream for the cook.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the sponge layers one day ahead, stack them between clean sheets of baking paper, wrap well, and keep them at room temperature. They soften slightly overnight, which helps the torte cut cleanly.
• •The filled torte can be chilled overnight before glazing. This is the neatest way to work, because cold buttercream holds the layers still under the glaze.
• •The finished cake keeps 3 days in the refrigerator. Bring slices out 20 minutes before serving, because cold buttercream tastes of fat first and chocolate second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 205g)