Blitz Berry Torte by Baking The Goods.
Cakes are kind of my baking frenemy. We just don’t agree on so many things. They require precision, patience and perfection… three things that I struggle with in the kitchen. My rustic baking style doesn’t match up well with artfully crafted, fondant covered whimsey. I just can’t. I find more joy in the process of baking than fine tipped decorating details. If I bake a cake, it needs substance, not just a pretty face. I want an interesting flavor profile with texture and character. Hmm, this is beginning to sound more like a dating profile than a blog post about cakes…
SWF seeking full-bodied cake with a multi-layered personality and depth. Must be naturally sweet and honest, no fake additives or frosted facades. Looking for a long term connection to share many birthdays and celebrations with, not just a one night binge. Preferably a little spicy and nutty between the layers. A vibrant and fruity personality is a major plus. Must be open to having coffee and not afraid of being put on a pedestal.
Finding the “perfect” cake may very well be akin to finding the “perfect” mate. It can be a long and exhaustive search full of surprises and occasional disappointments. Baking a cake is a big commitment, and if you go in with unrealistic expectations you can end up investing a bunch of time into something that just turns out to be a hot mess. Before you go down the rabbit hole of cake baking, be prepared for things to get a little messy and unpredictable.
I’ve been a pie loyalist for as long as I can remember. Cake just doesn’t do it for me. However, This Berry Blitz Torte has me rethinking my current relationship status with pie. After spending some serious time getting to know the inner workings of this cake, I can surely say I have fallen head over heels for it. While we had our moments – I almost walked out few times while baking it – in the end I realized it was totally worth the work I put in.
This Berry Blitz Torte is the full package; layered with a solid base of rich yellow cake, topped with a light and fluffy meringue, filled with naturally sweet honey custard, sprinkled with rich toasted almonds and topped with bright juicy berries. Seriously, what more could you ask for in a partner… I mean, cake.
While this may not be the most conventionally pretty cake, I find it to be one of the most beautifully constructed cakes there is, both inside and out. Seriously, it was love at first bite with this sweet thing. If it was legal to marry a cake in the state of California, I’d get down on one knee right now. The variety of textures, flavors and ingredients has me weak in the knees. If true love had a flavor, it would taste just like this Berry Blirz Torte.
Sorry pies, I just couldn’t contain myself. I am sure I will come crawling back to you soon. But for now, I’m involved with a sweet summer fling called Berry Blitz Torte.
This relationship began with a mutual affinity for fresh farmers market berries.
The ingredients for the honey custard are few and simple.
The cornstarch helps the custard thicken and set.
Tempering the egg yolks with hot milk keeps them from cooking too fast and turning into scrambled eggs.
Slowly pour the milk/egg mixture back in with the rest of the milk to keep them from cooking too quickly.
The honey custard will begin to thicken after a few minutes of whisking steadily over medium-low heat.
Strain the custard to remove any clumps formed during thickening.
Whisking in the butter adds a smooth and rich creaminess to the custard.
Once the butter is fully incorporated you will end up with a smooth consistent honey custard.
Laying a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the custard helps keep that weird skin from forming on the top.
Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by greasing them and lining them with parchment circles.
Alternate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients when mixing the cake batter.
The batter is incredibly thick, don’t let that scare you away.
The cake batter is so thick that it is challenging to spread across the bottom of the pans, but do your best to make it evenly cover the base. It will be a very thin layer of batter.
To make the meringue topping, start by whipping the egg whites and salt on a low speed. The mixture will begin to get frothy.
Gradually increase the speed and whip until soft foamy peaks form, like this.
While the mixer is on low speed, slowly add the sugar in a steady stream.
The finished meringue should hold firm glossy peaks, like this.
Evenly divide the meringue topping directly onto the cake batter.
Top with sliced almonds and vanilla bourbon sugar (if you have it) or turbinado sugar.
Clean the meringue out the mixing bowl with leftover berries and enjoy while the cake bakes!
My cakes came out all puffed up and uneven, mostly likely due to the uneven baking of my crappy oven. However, once they started to cool things settled nicely.
The cakes should cool on cooling racks for at least 20 minutes.
Carefully slide the base layer (I chose the lumpier one to go on the bottom) face up onto a cake stand or plate.
The relationship between the cake base and the meringue topping is a thing of beauty.
Spread the subtly sweet and slightly earthy honey custard directly onto the bottom layer of cake.
Top with a mix of various berries. I didn’t use strawberries in the middle layer because I didn’t want to chop them and they made an uneven surface. Use the berries to fill any divots in the base layer.
Carefully place the top layer over the berries.
Looking pretty darn pretty.
I just love the look of these sweet little whole strawberries. Cutest, ever.
It’s possible I went a little overboard with the berries but they just taste so darn good and look lovely on this cake.
Blitze Berry Torte, what a beaut!
Blitze Berry Torte, what a beaut.
Blitz Berry Torte, marry me?!
Berry Blitz Torte
Description
This Berry Blitz Torte is a complex and flavorful rustic cake layered with a rich yellow cake base, fluffy meringue, sweet honey custard, toasty almonds and bright juicy berries.
Ingredients
Honey Custard
- whole milk – 3/4 cup
- egg yolks at room temperature – 2
- honey – 1/3 cup
- cornstarch – 1 1/2 tablespoons
- fine salt – 1/4 teaspoon
- unsalted butter – 2 tablespoons
Cake
- cake flour – 1 cup
- baking powder – 1 teaspoon
- cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
- fine salt – 1/4 teaspoon
- unsalted butter at room temperature – 1/2 cup
- egg yolks at room temperature – 4
- firmly packed brown sugar – 1/2 cup
- vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
- whole milk – 3 tablespoons
Meringue Topping
- fine salt – 1/4 teaspoon
- egg whites at room temperature – 4
- granulated sugar – 3/4 cup
- almond extract – 3/4 teaspoon
- sliced almonds – 1/2 cup
- bourbon vanilla sugar or turbinado sugar – 2 teaspoons
- fresh (whole mixed berries, whatever types you prefer – 1 – 2 cups)
Instructions
Honey Custard
- Heat the milk over low heat in a small saucepan until hot but not boiling. Meanwhile, thoroughly whisk the egg yolks, honey, and salt together in a small bowl. Then whisk in the cornstarch.
- To temper the eggs, slowly whisk one third of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk and gently cook over medium-low heat. Keep whisking steadily, until the mixture begins to thicken, it will take a few minutes but once it starts to thicken it will happen quickly. Once this happens, allow the mixture to bubble up for roughly 1 minute. You may need to stop whisking for a moment to check if it is bubbling.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Then whisk in the butter until it fully melts.
- Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Can keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cake
- Prepare two 8-inch round cake pans by greasing them and lining them with parchment circles. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a small bowl, sift together the cake flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk the ingredients by hand to ensure they are well mixed.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light, fluffy and smooth (about 5 minutes), scraping the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
- Slowly add the egg yolks two at a time, blending well between additions.
- Combine the milk and the vanilla in a separate measuring cup. Turn the speed down to low, stir in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture. After each addition, mix until just barely blended and stop and scrape the bowl by hand.
- Divide the thick batter between the prepared pans and spread it evenly out to the edges of the pans. The batter is incredibly thick and can be challenging to spread, it will just barely cover the bottom of each pan. Set the pans aside while you prepare the meringue topping.
Meringue Topping
- To make the topping, put the egg whites and salt into the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.Whip on low speed until the eggs begin to become frothy.
- Gradually increase the speed to medium-high, whipping until the whites form soft foamy peaks.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the granulated sugar in a steady stream. Raise the mixer speed again to medium-high and continue whipping until the whites just begin to hold firm, glossy peaks. Fold in the almond extract.
- Spread even amounts of the meringue on top of the cake batter and sprinkle with the sliced almonds and vanilla bourbon or turbinado sugar.
- Place the cakes in the middle of the oven and bake until the tops are lightly browned and the cakes have shrunk just slightly away from the sides of the pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the cakes to cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before removing them from the pans. The meringue topping will puff up (and might become uneven) while baking, don’t worry things will settle down as the cake cools. And the peaks and valleys are what gives this cake personality.
Assembly
- Place one of the cake layers, meringue side up, onto a cake stand or plate. I used the more uneven layer as the base.
- Spread the honey custard directly onto the top of the base layer. Top with berries as desired. Use the berries to fill in the gaps and make an even surface for the top layer to rest on. (I didn’t use strawberries in the middle as I didn’t want to chop them up, which made for too uneven of a surface.)
- Carefully place the second layer on top, meringue side up. Top with beautiful berries, as desired.
- Serve promptly or refrigerate until ready to serve. This cake should last in the refrigerator for 2-3 days but, of course, looks and tastes best on the day it is prepared.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Blitz Torte by Julie Richardson, Vintage Cakes. FYI, buy this book…it is beautiful and the recipes are amazing. Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today’s Sweet Tooth
Absolutely beautiful! I love cakes that look like they’re meant to be eaten and enjoyed, not just looked at but never touched. This sounds delicious, and your mock cake/dating profile is hilarious, especially the part about not being afraid of being put on a pedestal, haha
Taste over looks any day. Ha! Glad you liked the dating profile….it seems like a pretty solid list of criteria, right? ;-D
Gorgeous! You are an incredible food stylist. I can’t wait to make this one.
Thanks Jenni! Let me know what you think of the recipe when you make it. It would be amazing with the Mt. Hood strawberries. 😀
This looks yummy.. Beautiful pictures and easy instructions…
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Aysegul. Your site is beautiful. I can’t wait to try some of your recipes!
I am so glad I was able to actually sample this cake! Thank you for sharing it with us. What a great recipe. Nothing was too sweet, and you made it look like it came together effortlessly. I would put it on a pedestal, too.
Hi Kate! You are so sweet, I will share with you anytime. I am so glad you liked it. Thank you for sharing all of those beautiful baked goods you brought, they were all perfection. Let me know if you make this cake, I’d love to hear what you think of the recipe. 😀