Schilcher-Torte

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •26cm springform pan
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
• •Offset spatula
• •Small saucepan
• •Pastry brush
• •Long serrated knife for slicing the sponge
• •Large mixing bowl for whipping cream

Instructions

1. 1

   Bake the Biskuit

   Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line the bottom of a 26cm springform pan with baking parchment and butter the sides lightly. Separate the eggs while they're cold, then let them come to room temperature. This matters: cold whites don't whip as well, and you need all the volume you can get. Beat the egg yolks with half the caster sugar and the Vanillezucker until thick, pale, and ribbony. When you lift the whisk, the batter should fall in a slow ribbon that holds its shape on the surface before sinking back. In a separate, spotlessly clean bowl, whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until foamy, then add the remaining sugar gradually, beating until you have stiff, glossy peaks. Fold a third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the rest along with the sifted flour in two additions, turning the bowl as you go, cutting through the center with your spatula and lifting from the bottom. Lose the air here and the Biskuit will be dense. Keep it and you'll have a sponge light enough to drink up the wine syrup without collapsing. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the top springs back when you press it gently and a skewer comes out clean. Let it cool completely in the pan.

   Gretel always said you can hear when a sponge is done. Open the oven door near the end and listen. If it's still hissing faintly, it needs another minute. Silence means it's ready.
2. 2

   Slice and prepare the sponge

   Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and turn the cooled Biskuit out onto a board. Using a long serrated knife, slice the sponge horizontally into two even layers. Go slowly and turn the cake as you cut, keeping the knife level. If the layers aren't perfectly even, put the thicker one on the bottom. Nobody will know but you.

3. 3

   Make the wine syrup

   Warm the 100ml Schilcher wine and two tablespoons of sugar together in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Don't let it boil. You want to keep the wine's acidity bright and alive, not cook it into something flat. Take it off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. This syrup is what carries the Schilcher flavor deep into the sponge, so don't rush it or skip it.

4. 4

   Prepare the Schilcher cream

   Soak the six gelatin sheets in a bowl of cold water for five minutes until they're soft and floppy. Meanwhile, warm 100ml of the Schilcher wine with the 80g of sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Don't bring it above a gentle warmth. Squeeze all the water from the softened gelatin sheets and stir them into the warm wine until completely dissolved. You shouldn't see any specks or lumps. Add the remaining 150ml of Schilcher wine and the tablespoon of lemon juice. The lemon brightens the wine's own acidity and helps the gelatin set cleanly. Let this mixture cool to room temperature. It should be liquid but no longer warm to the touch.

   Test the wine-gelatin mixture by dipping a spoon in. If it coats the back of the spoon in an even, slightly sticky film and feels cool on your wrist, it's ready to meet the cream.
5. 5

   Whip and fold the cream

   Whip the well-chilled Schlagobers until it holds soft, billowy peaks. Not stiff. You want it just firm enough to fold, not so stiff it goes grainy and refuses to combine smoothly. When the wine-gelatin mixture is cool but still liquid, pour it into the whipped cream in a slow, steady stream while folding continuously with a large spatula. Work quickly. The cream will turn the most beautiful shade of pink, somewhere between rose petal and sunset. You have about five minutes before the gelatin starts to catch and set, so move with purpose. If it begins to set unevenly, a few swift folds with the spatula will bring it back together.

6. 6

   Assemble the cream layer

   Place one Biskuit layer back into the clean springform pan, cut side facing up. Brush it generously with half the wine syrup, using a pastry brush and working it into every corner. The sponge should look visibly damp but not waterlogged. Pour the Schilcher cream over the soaked sponge and spread it level with an offset spatula. Take your time here. A level cream layer means a level jelly layer on top, and the jelly is what everyone sees first. Place the second Biskuit layer on top, cut side down, and brush it with the remaining syrup. Press it gently so the cream comes just to the edges. Refrigerate for at least one hour until the cream layer is firmly set. The jelly will not work if the cream beneath is still soft. Don't test your luck.

7. 7

   Make the Schilcher jelly

   Soak the four gelatin sheets in cold water for five minutes. Warm the 200ml Schilcher wine and 40g sugar in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Squeeze the water from the gelatin and stir it into the warm wine until melted and clear. Now let this cool. This is the step where patience separates a good Torte from a ruined one. The jelly needs to reach the consistency of thin syrup, barely beginning to thicken, before you pour it. If you pour it hot, it will melt through the sponge and destroy the cream layer you spent an hour setting. If you wait too long, it will gel in the saucepan and you'll have to melt it down and start the cooling again.

   Set the saucepan in a bowl of ice water and stir gently to speed the cooling. The moment the jelly moves like honey instead of water, it's ready to pour.
8. 8

   Pour the jelly

   Take the Torte from the fridge. Pour the cooled jelly gently over the top Biskuit layer, starting from the center. Tilt the pan slowly and carefully to spread it into an even layer that reaches the edges. Don't touch it with a spatula. Don't try to fix it. Let gravity do the work, the same way you would with a chocolate glaze. If small bubbles appear on the surface, pop them quickly with the tip of a toothpick. Return the Torte to the fridge for at least three hours, or better yet overnight, until the jelly is completely set and trembles like a jewel when you tap the side of the pan.

9. 9

   Unmold and serve

   Run a thin knife dipped in hot water around the inside of the springform ring, pressing the blade against the metal, not the cake. Release the clasp and lift the ring straight up in one smooth motion. Transfer the Torte to a serving plate. From the side you'll see the architecture: pale sponge, a band of pink cream, another layer of sponge, and that shimmering jelly on top catching every bit of light in the room. Cut with a sharp knife dipped in hot water between slices, wiping it clean each time. Serve cold, straight from the fridge, with a small spoonful of unsweetened Schlagobers on the side of each plate. A glass of chilled Schilcher alongside is not showing off. It's the only correct pairing. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Schilcher is a protected regional wine from western Styria and it's not easy to find outside Austria. Look for it at Austrian wine importers or specialty shops that carry Styrian wines. If you truly can't source it, use the driest, most acidic rosé you can find, something made from a thin-skinned grape with real tartness and color. Provence rosé is too soft and pale. You want a wine that bites back. But the real thing is worth hunting for.
• •I use leaf gelatin because it dissolves cleaner and gives a more delicate, even set than powdered. If you only have powdered gelatin, use 8g (about one and a quarter envelopes) for the cream layer and 5g for the jelly. Sprinkle it over two tablespoons of cold water per portion, let it bloom for five minutes, then melt it into the warm wine the same way.
• •Every component needs to be at the right temperature when you combine it. The wine-gelatin mixture must be cool but still liquid when it meets the cream. The cream layer must be firmly set before you pour the jelly. The jelly must be cool enough not to melt the cream but warm enough to flow. This Torte is an exercise in patience, and patience is a technique.
• •The color of your Torte depends entirely on the wine. Real Schilcher gives you that electric, almost neon pink that makes people stop and stare. Other rosés will give you something softer. Don't add food coloring. The wine earns its own color and it doesn't need help.

Advance Preparation

• •The Biskuit can be baked a day ahead, wrapped tightly in cling film, and stored at room temperature. It slices more neatly when it's had time to firm up overnight.
• •The fully assembled Torte keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to three days, covered loosely with cling film or under a cake dome. The jelly actually improves after a night in the cold, becoming firmer and more jewel-like. This makes it an ideal dinner party cake: build it the day before and forget about it until serving.
• •The wine syrup can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated in a sealed jar.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 130g)