ESTERHAZY TORTE

Of all the cakes bearing the names of ministers, diplomats, generals, and even crowned heads, Esterházy torte is probably the richest. It was created in Budapest during the second half of the nineteenth century and the person who inspired the Hungarian confectioners was no less than a prince. 

 

Galánthai herceg Esterházy Pál Antal

Galánthai herceg Esterházy Pál Antal or Paul Anton Esterházy von Galantha (1786-1866) belonged to a Hungarian noble family, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages. The name of Esterházy or Eszterházy, however, was officially recorded in the 16th century when the magnate Benedek Eszterhas (formerly Zerhas de Zerhashaz) received his wife's lands near Bratislava and passed on her family name to their eldest son. In the next two hundred years, the counts of Eszterházy de Galántha augmented their possessions in northern Hungary, together with their influence: sometimes granted by the Emperor in reward for their loyalty and sometimes acquired through matrimony, ownership of these lands resulted in many privileges. Their wealth and status far exceeded that of other magnates and their annual income often surpassed that of the Habsburg family.

Frákno or Forchtenstein, the main branch of the Esterházy dynasty was also granted the princely title in 1712. Its members distinguished themselves in politics, diplomacy & war. The family also owned a great many palaces, including Esterháza -otherwise known as 'the Hungarian Versailles'- and were invariably educated in poetry and music. Esterházy II. Miklós or Nikolaus II Esterházy, the father of Paul Anton, owned a large collection of artistic works; he also employed Joseph Haydn in his chapel and supported the work of Ludwig Van Beethoven. His extravagant lifestyle, however, almost resulted in the family's bankruptcy. In addition to being a Fürst, his eldest son pursued a career in diplomacy. (In fact, eighteenth and nineteenth century diplomats were almost exclusively the sons of noble families.)

Paul Anton III Esterházy von Galantha worked at the Austrian embassy in London, associated with Metternich, participated in the Congress of Vienna, nearly detached Saxony from Napoleon, and became a general favorite on his return to England -thanks to his wife Maria Theresia, the patroness of the notorious Almack's club. He was ambassador from 1815 until 1842. Like his father and grandfather, the Prince supported the Habsburg monarchy. So when the government of 1848 appointed him as 'minister beside the King', he did his very best to improve Hungary's relations with Vienna. Even though his plan did not succeed, he remained vastly popular -which is no doubt the reason why the cake was named after him. Eszterházy de Galántha apparently lived as extravagantly as his predecessors, travelling from palace to palace, holding spectacular feasts, enjoying the best food the country had to offer. His mythical fortune included entire villages, whose inhabitants normally labored for the Prince, handing over most of what the earth produced -and even more. While the Serbian monarch Karadjordje notoriously bred pigs that he valued more than anything, Esterházy de Galántha was proud of his sheep -and of his shepherds. Perhaps the filling of Esterházy torte was enriched with butter from sheep's milk...

What is known beyond doubt is that Esterházy cake was originally made with almonds; it was divided into 5-6 layers, sandwiched with vanilla or cognac-flavored buttercream, glazed with apricot jam, and covered in white fondant that was decorated with a chocolate striped pattern. Alternatively, the icing was scattered with crystallized fruit. In the past century, almonds were gradually replaced by walnuts. Modern versions of Esterházy torte (outside Hungary) also substitute hazelnuts or meringue for almonds in the base and even use chocolate buttercream.

 

ESTERHAZY TORTE

This version is adapted from the Hungarian Wiki Cookbook. 

 

I n g r e d i e n t s 

for the cake:

300g walnuts, ground

200g powdered sugar

3tbsp flour

1tsp cinnamon

8 egg whites

for the buttercream:

2 egg yolks

150g powdered sugar

3tbsp custard powder

350ml whole milk

a vanilla pod + seeds

230g butter, foamed

for brushing the cake:

5tbsp apricot jam, warmed and sieved

for the white fondant:

100g powdered sugar

1tbsp water

1 egg white

for the chocolate pattern:

50g dark chocolate

for decorating the sides:

50g walnuts, ground

M e t h o d

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line five 2ocm baking pans with greased parchment paper. (Do not grease the sides of the pans.) 2. To make the cake: Mix the walnuts with the flour, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Whisk the egg whites into stiff meringue. Combine all, divide between the baking pans, and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes. Let cool on wire racks. 3. To make the buttercream: Gently heat 250ml of the milk with the sugar and the vanilla. In the mean time, whisk the egg yolks with the custard powder and the remaining milk. Take out the vanilla pod, combine the mixtures and simmer until the custard thickens. Remove from the stove and incorporate the butter. (If necessary, remove from the stove and combine with an immersion blender.) 4. To assemble: Place one cake on a serving dish, fastening a cake ring around it. Spread with 1/5 of the buttercream, filling the gaps between the cake and the ring as well as possible, and repeat with the other cakes and the rest of the filling. You must end with a layer of cake that you will brush with jam. Leave to cool, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. 5. In the mean time, prepare the white fondant: Heat all the ingredients in a double-boiler, stirring vigorously until the mixture thickens. Pour over the cake and set aside for a while. 6. To make the chocolate pattern: Melt the chocolate in the double-boiler. Pipe circles on the just-hardened glaze and use a toothpick to make the cobweb pattern. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 7. To decorate the sides: Unfasten the cake ring, envelop the sides of the cake in buttercream, and decorate with the remaining ground walnuts.

 

V a r i a t i o n s

Make the cake with almonds. Flavor the buttercream with cognac. Decorate the glazing with crystallized fruit. Omit the striped chocolate pattern.