Eszterházy Torte (Hungarian Almond Cream Cake)
Five chewy almond meringue layers with vanilla custard buttercream and a feathered icing top. Naturally free from flour.
- Time2 hr plus chilling
- LevelHard
- Costabout £0.82 a head
- Oven160°C (140°C fan)
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Draw five 20 cm circles on sheets of baking parchment and set on trays. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then add the 200 g sugar a spoonful at a time until stiff and glossy.
5 min - 2
Fold in the ground almonds and 30 g cornflour. Spread a fifth of the mixture onto each circle. Bake in batches for 18 to 20 minutes until pale golden and just firm. Cool on the paper.
19 min - 3
Make the cream. Whisk the yolks, 120 g sugar and 40 g cornflour with 100 ml of the milk. Heat the remaining milk until steaming, whisk it in, and return to the pan. Stir over a medium heat for 3 minutes until very thick. Stir in the vanilla, cover the surface with cling film and cool completely.
3 min - 4
Beat the soft butter until pale, then beat in the cold custard a spoonful at a time to make a smooth cream.
- 5
Pick the neatest layer for the top. Sandwich the rest with the cream and spread more over the sides. Chill the cake for 1 hour.
- 6
Mix the icing sugar with 2 to 3 tbsp water to a thick pouring icing and spread over the top layer. Pipe lines of melted chocolate across it, drag a skewer through them to feather, set on top and chill for 4 hours before serving.
240 min
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.