How Linzer torte stood the test of time

Linzer torte has quite the claim to fame: some assert that it’s the oldest cake in the world; others that it’s the oldest to be named after a place. It feels churlish to split hairs, but those two assertions are quite different, aren’t they? In any event, it’s certainly very old. For a long time it was thought it dated back to 1696, when it was mentioned in a recipe held in the Vienna City Library. But 20 years ago, an earlier reference was found by Waltraud Faißner, a Linzer torte historian, dating it to 1653 in the snappily titled Book of All Kinds of Home-Made Things, Such as Sweet Dishes, Spices, Cakes and also Every Kind of Fruit and Other Good and Useful Things etc.

A Linzer torte is composed of two layers of pastry encasing a jam filling, but what makes it distinctive is the Linzer dough. This is a very short, crumbly, butter-heavy dough, with a large proportion of nuts – most traditionally hazelnuts, although walnuts and almonds often feature – lemon zest and a little spice. It is biscuity and nubbly, with the intensely earthy, buttery, bittersweet flavour of the nuts sitting happily against the gentle spice and lemon. And biscuity is the right word: while ‘torte’ means cake, the texture and experience of eating a Linzer torte is far more cookie than cake. It’s no surprise that it enjoys a second life in both Austria and America as an individual holiday treat.

The filling is not set in stone. Some Linzer tortes use raspberry jam or, in countries where it is more widely available, redcurrant jam. Cranberry is common, as is apricot. I have seen suggestions of Nutella, mincemeat and marmalade, but these do feel a little like heresy to me.