Home > Worldwide Recipes > Russia > Sitting Around The Samovar > Russian Caramel Torte
Tort 'tyanuchki'
Russian Caramel Torte
Tort 'tyanuchki'
A favourite of the Russian expatriots living in Scandinavia, this fabulous torte is so popular that Finland's largest confectionery firm, Fazer, produces it commercially. The name comes from its topping, tyanuchki, an old-fashioned white fudge which is left to cook for long hours until thick and caramel-coloured. So sleek is this topping, it looks like liquid marble. Serve the torte in small portions. It is very, very rich.
Ingredients
3 oz (85 g) unsalted butter
Generous 6 oz (170 g) sugar
3 eggs, separated
3 boiled potatoes (1½ lb (700 g); to yield 1 lb / 450 g mashed)
6 oz (170 g) blanched almonds
6 bitter almonds
Pinch of salt
Topping
4 fluid oz (125 ml) double cream
3 oz (85 g) sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1 oz (30 g) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
Apricot jam
Details
Serves: 11
Method
Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg yolks. Grind the blanched almonds together with the bitter almonds. Mash the Potatoes and leave them to cool slightly. Add the almonds, potatoes and salt to the butter mixture, beating well until there are no lumps left in the batter (this will take some work). Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold them in to the batter.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Grease and flour two 8 in (20 cm) round cake tins; cover the bottoms of the tins with rounds of greaseproof paper and grease the greaseproof paper. Pour the batter into the pans and bake for 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.
Prepare the topping while the cake is baking. In a heavy saucepan combine the cream, sugar and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved. Then cook slowly for 50 minutes until the mixture is thick and caramel-coloured (a sugar thermometer will register 104°C/220°F). Off the heat, stir in the butter and vanilla essence. Cool slightly.
Turn the cake layers out on to a rack and leave to cool. Then spread a thin layer of jam between the layers and assemble them. Pour the caramel topping over all, letting it drip down the sides and then smoothing it with a spatula until the cake is entirely coated. Decorate with sliced almonds, if desired. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.
Variation:- Prepare only the topping and serve it warm over fresh cranberries or pears.
Related food category:
