Linzer Torte

Linzer Torte is a short, spiced pastry of ground hazelnuts and butter filled with redcurrant jam and finished with a lattice top. It is often called the oldest cake known by name, with a written reference from the city of Linz dating back to the 1650s, long before most named desserts existed at all.

What it really is

The dough is not a standard pastry: ground hazelnuts stand in for most of the flour, bound with butter, sugar, egg yolk and a warm mix of cinnamon and clove. That much nut makes the dough short and crumbly rather than elastic, so it is pressed into the tin by hand rather than rolled thin. A thick layer of tart redcurrant jam fills the middle, and strips of the same dough are laid over the top in a lattice, wide enough to show the jam glinting through the gaps.

The lattice is not decoration. It lets the jam vent and set slightly as it bakes, rather than steaming under a solid lid and turning the whole crust soggy.

How it is served

• Cut into thin wedges, since the nut pastry is rich enough that a large slice is too much.
• At room temperature, with coffee, rather than served warm.
• A day or more after baking; the flavour is said to deepen once the pastry and jam have had time to sit together.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag gluten, egg, dairy and hazelnuts; the nut-heavy pastry is a real allergen consideration, not an afterthought.
• Say if raspberry or apricot jam replaces the classic redcurrant; regional versions vary and guests who know the original will ask.
• Note that this is naturally vegetarian, though not vegan given the butter and egg yolk in the dough.