Grandma’s Torte
Grandma’s Torte
With no baking powder or self-rising flour, the secret to the height of this torte lies in its preparation. Its texture is soft and velvety. My mother used to bake it in a Wonder Pot (a stovetop baking device popular in Israel before full-sized ovens became widespread) on a small kerosene burner. Owning a mixer was a dream in those days, so all beating was done by hand using a simple hand whisk, mixing it up for about an hour—and sometimes even a little more.
Ingredients:
- 7 eggs, separated
- 1 ½ c. sugar
- 1 ¾ c. sifted white flour
- pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp. oil
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. brandy
- Lemon zest
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Preparation:
- Beat the egg whites with a few drops of lemon juice, gradually adding ¾ c. sugar and beating until sturdy peaks form.
- In a second bowl, place the egg yolks, ¾ c. sugar, oil, lemon juice and brandy, adding 1 ½ c. of the sifted flour and beating until mixture is uniform.
- To combine the mixtures, transfer the yolks by gently folding in the whites a little at a time while sprinkling the remaining flour over the mixture in the bowl.
- Grease the Wonder Pot with butter. Flour it and shake the pot to coat the inside walls uniformly with flour.
- Sprinkle a little sugar in the bottom of the pot, then gently pour the cake batter into the pot.
- Preheat oven about 10 minutes to 200°C (about 390°F), then lower temperature to 180°C (about 350°F) and place pot in oven.
- Bake about 45 minutes until golden-brown.
Garnish:
- Melt 100 g. (about ¼ lb.) bittersweet chocolate and 100 g. (about ¼ lb.) butter in a dry pot resting in a pot of hot water.
- Pour over cake while cake is still warm.
